The "So What" of What We Are Learning

For both my Social Studies class and my current Business Law class, I want the students to see the connection between what we are learning and how it impacts many different facets of life. We discussed it, took notes on it, reviewed it, and ultimately tested on it.

For Business Law, we analyze each topic and how it impacts the government, citizens/consumers, businesses/artists, and employees. For each group of people, the students need to state the impact and then explain it.

For Social Studies classes, we discussed the impact of the topic on the government, economy, environment, and foreign affairs. Since I taught both 7th and 8th grade Social Studies to the same students, we were able to carry this concept through both years of studies.

A great introduction to this topic is the Star Wars movie. Yes, it too can be analyzed for impact on the government, economy, environment, and foreign affairs. They could even 4 square their  summer break!

Almost every student is successful in identifying the correct connections, and explaining them as well. The 4 Square is embedded in the unit's daily work, so we discuss it almost daily. Additionally, this format gives us a consistent way to organize information from unit to unit, which benefits student learning.

Here is an example of some of the 4 squares we created in 7th grade geography. Note: it does not include the explanations.