When I was a junior high school student, one of my teachers taught us how to make Super 8 mm films. In high school, some of my peers made PSAs (public service announcements) in our school’s TV studio. My daughters had friends who made short videos on their cell phones for a high school social studies course.
Teachers can assign students to use social media in order to make course-appropriate projects for their courses—especially for social studies classes. Students of various ages can take videos, snap photographs, and create podcasts on a variety of topics for social studies.
When putting together these types of social studies social media assignments, take into consideration:
- grade level and abilities
- type of media, platform, app, or program
- short-term and long-term goals, for the particular course and for general literacy
- how to evaluate the work
Social media projects your students can create for social studies classes:
- videos (using a variety of apps)
- photo essays (on Instagram, placed in PowerPoint presentations, Google Slides, etc.)
- audio interviews for podcasts (and posted on a hosting platform such as Podbean, Anchor, etc.)
- animated pieces (3D, digital) (using PicsArt Animator, Werble, InShot, etc.)
Social media projects for social studies classrooms can include several other locations:
- museums
- events held in a neighborhood, town, or city (street fair, parade, swearing-in, holiday celebration, athletic event, walking tour, religious ceremony, etc.)
- a newsworthy event (press conference, public protest, rally, etc.)
Please inform your students that they keep in mind their safety at a large public event. This type of work will improve skills in critical thinking, finding sources, interviewing, and so on.
As a teacher, think about where and when you can assign media projects. Some teachers are averse to tapping into social media and platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. But there are positive ways in which to use these, and they can be effective ways to teach certain social studies topics and also to encourage students to delve into research projects.
Encourage your students to create designated TikTok and Instagram accounts, separate from their private accounts. For instance, Michelle can create an IG account called “@MichUSHistory11Grade”. Jess can create a TikTok account “@JessGlobalHistory9Grade.”
Sample Assignments for Each Social Media Platform
Sample TikTok Assignment:
You are teaching about the Renaissance in Europe, and there are art museums in your city. Assign students to make a TikTok video (or a small set of them) in which they explore Renaissance art at one of the museums. Provide a basic framework, rubric, questions to address. Encourage the students to create a script or basic outline to use for their TikTok video(s).
Sample Podcast Assignment:
You are teaching about the First Amendment and highlighting freedom of speech. Your students can conduct and record podcasts about people dealing with the violation of their human rights and freedom of speech. Then students can listen to the podcasts and determine whether the people’s complaints were valid. Students should compile lists of questions in advance.
Sample Instagram Assignment #1:
You are teaching about child labor from the 1800s through recent years. Students can search through WikiMedia Commons, Pinterest, and other picture sources, to create photo albums. Instruct them on how to credit photographers and artists.
Sample Instagram Assignment #2:
You are teaching about the concept of cultural diffusion in a global studies course. Restaurants feature dishes and drinks that are examples of this. Students can take photographs of food in restaurants and supermarkets that illustrate cultural diffusion and post their photos in sets on Instagram.
Sample Animation Assignment:
You are teaching about the development of travel technology during the 20th century. Students can pick a mode of transportation (cars, airplanes, trains, etc.) and they can create a short animation that incorporates versions of that type of transportation. These could incorporate photographs with aftereffects applied to them.
What resources are available for teachers to create social studies projects?
There are many free resources available for creating podcasts, animations, photographs, videos, and related projects. Also look into free social media resources for teachers.
- 10 of The Best Websites for Free Teacher Resources | Educational Technology and Mobile Learning (educatorstechnology.com)
- Free Social Studies Resources for Teachers and Students | Educational Technology and Mobile Learning (educatorstechnology.com)
Many students will enjoy merging their interests in social media with school projects. Lest you think this is caving into trends, realize that mingling media with academic topics will grab the interest of many students. These types of assignments are a pathway to literacy, and although they are not meant to be a substitute for traditional reading and writing.
Using technology and social media can invigorate lessons and for some students who are not strong readers and writers. They can be more compelling. These projects involve planning, editing, presentation, and artistic/creative input and skills.
Your students will learn, share their knowledge and skills, and you stand to learn a lot as well. Share your findings with other teachers too!