How to
Use a role play In Teaching Social Studies
Role play
Role-play is an effective
learning strategy in which students act the part of another character, thereby
gaining an appreciation for others’ points of view as well an understanding of
the complexity of resolving issues and problems in the real world. In the
context of social studies, this strategy may be used to learn about issues and
decisions of the past (and how things might have been different) or about
current issues in the local community or in a broader setting. Aside from
knowledge conducting a role-play activity strengthens students’ knowledge,
their creativity, their value clarification skills, and a variety of
interpersonal skills identified in the curriculum outcomes.
There are many strands and sub strands in
social studies which we can give more information to the students if we use a
role play
Here is a way we can use a role play in social
studies
Strand: Culture and Identity
Sub-strand: Identities
Outcome: Recognizes individual
differences in ourselves and others and show appreciation to those differences
Activity:
§ Greet
the students.
§ Divide
the class in to two groups.
§ Select
students randomly from different group and give each student a picture card
(eg: sleep, kind, study, feeding animals, helping, etc.).
§ Tell
them to mime and show it to the group. Group members have to tell the answer.
§ Continue
the game and select the wining group.
§ Relate
game to lesson and tell them that we are going to learn more about how to care
for self and others
§ -Now
talk about the consequences of not caring for self and others.
§ Ask
them to choose one activity and prepare a small role play to show
the consequences of not caring for self and others.
§ Ask
one group to show a role play to show the consequences of not caring for self.
For example if they don’t brush their teeth they will grow cavities and their
teeth will rot.
§ Ask
another group to show a role play to show the consequences of not caring for
others including animals. For example if they don’t talk and treat others
kindly they would not have any friends, or if they don’t feed the pet it will
die.
§ Present
the role play.
§ -Sum
up the lesson.
§ Ask
questions and get answers from them.
