Teach History with TV Shows

"So what differences do you notice in these TV shows?" I asked my children. 

We had just watch six TV shows back to back: Make Room for Daddy, Leave it to Beaver, Dick Van Dyke, Brady Bunch, Family Ties, and Home Improvement. 

"In the older shows, they were so polite to each other, but as time went on they became rude to each other." 

I was shocked. I was expecting them to notice rebellion to parents or fashion or hair styles. Out of the mouth of babes. 

We were studying the 20th Century and watching TV shows back to back from different decades in chronological order as our history lab for the week. 

While I wanted to show something to the children, I learned a valuable lesson myself: TV shows can be a great way to travel back in time in history class! 

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1970's TV Detectives

Another lesson I learned is that television shows like Happy Days created in the 1970's set in the 1950's or The Waltons created in the 1970's and set in the 1930's have the values of the decade they are created in infused in the show. They are not a genuine look at the decade. 

However, when you watch a show created in the decade, it reveals something of the genuine culture of that time period. 

You see, we live in a time that likes to rewrite history the way we wish it was, rather than look back in time with integrity. Watching TV shows is a fun way to learn about the past with its fashions, trends, hairstyles, fads, music, values, and famous people. 

Did I mention that older TV shows from the 1950's and 1960's are more wholesome than TV shows of today? I find it refreshing to enjoy those older shoes. 

Whenever our family studies the 20th Century, we include watching TV shows as part of our curriculum. History is so fun and exciting to study. It's fascinating to learn about other places, periods in time, people, and thrilling events. ​I like to feel that we are traveling back in time to experience what life was like back then.

Watching TV shows is one way to travel back in time and a a fun way to learn about the 20th Century. ​

How about you?

​Would you like to try watching TV shows as part of your history curriculum? 

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We love our one-credit high school world history course,  HIS Story of the 20 Century. One of the history labs in this course is watching TV shows from different decades back to back. As we study the 20th Century in this course, decade by decade, we give movie and TV show suggestions to travel back in time and get to know the culture. 

You can purchase HIS Story of the 20th Century on Amazon and the E-book at PayHip. The accompanying workbook, HIS Story of the 20th Century High School Workbook is available at Amazon and the E-book at PayHip. 

​I hope your appetite is whetted for learning more about the 20th Century and using TV shows in history. 

​For the glory of the Author of History,
​Meredith Curtis

​P.S. If you would like to check out our history resources, visit us at our website: PowerlineProd.com and find our Teach History the Fun Way page or click on the photo. We have had so much fun learning history together and we want to pass that on to you! ​

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