How to Teach Medical History to Elementary Students
Teaching the history of medicine to elementary students can be enriching and challenging. While it is a subject that can grab the attention of many youngsters, there are not as many resources for elementary teachers as there are for middle, high school, and college teachers. There are however, a variety of well-written books, reliable kid-friendly websites, and interesting activities that elementary teachers can use to create an engaging history of medicine curriculum for their class.
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Instructions
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Structure the unit around informational texts about the history of medicine. Have your class investigate the texts in a variety of ways including reading aloud, silent reading, and small group reading. Give your students a chance to explore the books independently and also with guided practice. Some recommended books for ages 9-12 are "Exploring the History of Medicine" by John Hudson Tiner, "Galen and the Gateway to Medicine" by Jeanne Bendick, and "Doctors Did What?! The Weird History of Medicine" by Richard Platt.
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Assign research assignments that require your students to teach their new knowledge. Have your students become experts in one area of the history of medicine by assigning web-quests and research projects. After they have gathered information, students present what they learned to the class. This makes each student feel knowledgeable about a specific area of study and is a quick way to share a wealth of information.
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Go on a field trip to a hospital or invite in a guest speaker to help you explain the development of medical technology. After spending time learning about the origins of medicine, show students how far the medical field has come. Building up to this engaging experience with academic study adds importance to the field trip or visit.
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Tips & Warnings
If conducting a web-quest in your classroom make sure to explain to students how to find trustworthy information for their research. If the students in your class are not computer savvy, compile a list of sites for them to explore.
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