When you try to compare the subjects of history and biology, you'll find that there aren't as many similarities as there are differences. But, as a way to reinvigorate your boring old history lecture, what if you combined the two of them? I know that this sounds morally and subjectively wrong, but there's one aspect of biology that can be used almost seamlessly in a history lesson: the theory of evolution.
Disclaimer: While I myself believe in the theory of evolution, the following is in no way being used to say that anyone's beliefs are wrong or right; it is being used primarily to help teach history, not science. People are entitled to their opinions, as am I, so please keep the comment section clean. Thank you.
Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a main part of biology; it talks of how depending on environments and situations, creatures will evolve to adapt and survive in their new home. Because history is always changing, the same theory can be applied to it; for example, people like the Bantus and Mongols were always moving around, or "evolving" based on their environment (the changing continent of Africa for the former) or due to certain situations (the Mongols taking over/destroying Asia and parts of Europe). So, use this to your advantage! Get together with a science/biology teacher and work together to make a lesson plan that uses both parts of history and evolution to teach your students important events in history! Here's a little outline to help get you started:
The British Colonies originally lived under the British Crown. However, due to unfair taxes and British oppression, they "evolved" into the United States by starting a revolution.
Short, quick, and to the point, the bolded parts can be replaced with blank spaces and be reused again and again. Just by having your students do something new for note taking will go miles in helping them remember by test time. Heck, you could even change a few things on a test about evolution and make it a test about the Vietnam War! The cross-subject teaching could also make teaching the lesson fun, as it's something new for the teacher as well (we all know that even teachers can get bored). So go out and try it! Teach history like biology, and you'll see how much similarities you can find!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
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