Hollywood or History? ― An Inquiry-based Strategy for Using Film to Teach United States History

"This book will be written primarily by teachers and for teachers. In other words, we are hoping K-16 practitioners of United States History will find this book as a theory-based, but practical guide for supporting inquiry-oriented instruction through film in the history classroom. A secondary audience for the book could be school districts who may include the text for professional development purpose, as well as college-level teacher educators who would certainly find the book valuable in their social studies methods classes. As an aside, we know each of these audiences well and feel that the text would be well-received given our experiences in the field. With the introduction of the new NCSS C3 frameworks and the focus on ELA Common Core Standards in social studies courses, we expect K-12 teachers to use this book as a guide for developing and implementing inquiry-based classroom experiences that focus on informational texts, reading, writing, and critical thinking more generally, each of which are element found within the Common Core Standards and the "Inquiry Arc" that is the foundation of the C3 framework. Social Studies teacher educators could also use the lessons found in the book as guides for teaching their students how to develop inquiry based lesson plans and for illustrations of historical inquiry as a practical application. Post-secondary instructors, while not under the purview of state and national curriculum guidelines, are nonetheless eager for active strategies in ways that mirror the challenges and opportunities of the K-12 environment. This is especially true for the non-major and in the survey classrooms that all students are generally required to attend"--