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History in context

By Frances Sherman, age 16 | December 27, 2022

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UNTYING THE TIMELINE Emery junior Frances Sherman interviewed her teacher, Ms. Cara Bendayan, about her unique method of teaching U.S. history thematically, rather than chronologically. Frances is a reporter for our online School Buzz blog, where this story was originally published.

As a junior at The Emery/Weiner School, I am taking the Advanced U.S. History course, taught by Ms. Cara Bendayan. However, this course is different than any other one I’ve taken because it is taught thematically and not chronologically like most History classes. In each unit, students take the respective theme and look at events across the entire timeline of US history. Then they study how different events relate to the theme with a guiding essential question such as, “What is American democracy and what should it be?”

Bendayan told me that she had been looking for ways to “get out of the method of hitting a topic once and never coming back to it again.” With Bendayan’s curriculum, students revisit events while working with different themes and re-learn the details, leading to better retention of the information.

She said, “I find that contextualization of information is way stronger [than previously] because students are pulling context from stuff we’ve already done.”

This new method also better fit with Emery’s new grading policy, which is heavily based on student progression.

“[I was] struggling because all my units were separate from one another; this way it allows for information to build better,” stated Bendayan.

However, Bendayan still needed to make sure this new curriculum would help prepare her students for the AP exam. Bendayan’s students use two separate binders, one filled with chronological notes and the other with work for each unit. “I wanted to have students be able to return to the material and not physically lose the information.” The response from students has been positive.

With student support and many benefits, this method is definitely going to continue in Bendayan’s classroom. I look forward to reaping the benefits of this curriculum for the rest of the year.

Editor’s note: To read the original, longer version of this article, visit the School Buzz blog at thebuzzmagazines.com.

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