1. CHAPTER 5
AIDING OUR
STUDENTS TO
INTERPRET HISTORY

2. What Do You Think About History?

3. Making History Come Alive
 Think about your own experiences when you studied history:
* Was it mostly memorizing people, events, and dates for
recall on tests?
* Do you remember any worthwhile experiences that
helped you to understand the past?
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always
remember, you have within you the strength, the
patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change
the world.”~ Harriet Tubman (1820-1913)

4. The Central Place of History in the Social Studies
Curriculum
 History plays a central role in the 4th-8th grade SSC
 4th state history, geographic regions
 5th U.S. history
 6th World cultures, history, and geography
 7th World cultures, history, and geography
 8th U.S. history

5. The Nation’s History Report
Card
^A 2006 Survey by the NAEP compared the progress of 4th, 8th , and 12th
graders in history between 1994&2006
^ Despite curriculums that focused primarily on math and language arts, every
grade, and nearly every demographic saw improvement in History
Fourth Graders Eighth Graders
- 66% understood the symbolism of - 64% identified an impact of the
the Statue of Liberty cotton gin
-35% explained how two inventions - 43% explained goals of the
changed life in the U.S. marches led by Martin Luther King,
- 24% explained why people settled Jr.
on the western frontier -1 % explained how the fall of the
Berlin Wall affected foreign policy

6. A Closer Look at the Statistics
*Students are struggling with higher order
thinking skills
Fourth Graders Eighth Graders
- 66% understood the symbolism of the - 64% identified an impact of the
Statue of Liberty cotton gin
-35% explained how two inventions - 43% explained goals of the
changed life in the U.S. marches led by Martin Luther King,
- 24% explained why people settled on the Jr.
western frontier -1 % explained how the fall of the
Berlin Wall affected foreign policy

7. High Quality Instruction
All students should be engaged in a variety of interesting classroom
activities to make history alive.
• The arts and music of different
time periods can increase
understanding and empathy
about different cultures.
• Artifacts, field trips, and virtual
field trips can help students
visualize history.
• Simulations about workers,
peasants, and warlords can help
students feel how it was
to live at a different time period,
especially in a crisis situation.
• Media has always been popular for
portraying the past; now more free
video clips
are available from the Internet.

8. Bringing Issues to the Present
*Connect the past and the present
from multiple perspectives when
appropriate: Race, Gender,
Political Affiliation, Sexual
Orientation etc.
*Create a supportive environment
* NWHP.org

9. The History Wars: Deciding What
is Taught in the Classroom
* How do you decide the amount of time you spend on a topic and Which
perspectives do you share? ex. WWII, Vietnam, Civil rights past and present.
*1994 National Center for History in the Schools sparked a Liberal versus
Conservative debate in the classroom
*Teaching State Standards

10. INTERPRETATIONS
OF
HISTORY
H I S T O R Y O N LY A C C O U N T S F O R A S M A L L S A M P L I N G
O F T H E PA S T
W H AT I S K N O W N A B O U T H I S T O R Y T O D AY I S N O T T H E
S A M E A S I T WA S T W E N T Y Y E A R S A G O
H I S T O R Y S H O U L D I N C L U D E N O T O N LY W H AT
H A P P E N E D I N T H E PA S T B U T H O W H I S T O R Y I S
CONSTRUCTED

11. HISTORY DEFINITIONS
AND
ISSUES
HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING
SENSE OF HISTORY
PERSPECTIVE TAKING AND EMPATHY
HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS

12. Student’s
Prior
Knowledge
CHILDREN LEARN HISTORY OUTSIDE OF
SCHOOL
CHECK PRIOR KNOWLEDGE BY ASKING
CHILD TO WRITE ABOUT WHAT THEY
ALREADY KNOW ABOUT A SUBJECT (KWL)

13. Coverage
versus
Depth
TYPICALLY, THE EARLY PRIMARY GRADES
COVER LITTLE HISTORY
IN-DEPTH APPROACH INSTEAD OF BROAD
APPROACH

14. Drama, Simulation
and
Historical
Newscast
DRAMATIC PLAY OR REENACTMENTS
SIMULATION
REENACTMENTS OF HISTORY
TELEVISION NEWSCAST

15. Using a Question
or
Problem
USE FOCUS QUESTIONS TO GUIDE
STUDENTS IN UNDERSTANDING HISTORY
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO THINK AND
READ WITH A PURPOSE
STUDENTS WILL GATHER EVIDENCE TO
ANSWER THESE TYPES OF QUESTIONS

16. The
Holiday
Curriculum
DECORATE CLASSROOM DURING THE TRADITIONAL
UNITED STATES CELEBRATED HOLIDAYS
WEB QUESTS ON HOW CERTAIN HOLIDAYS ARE
CELEBRATED IN OTHER COUNTRIES
HISTORICAL, RELIGIOUS, CULTURAL AND OTHER
CATEGORIES OF HOLIDAYS
COMMEMORATE WITH A THOUGHTFUL ACTIVITY
TEACHER TO GO BEYOND SIMPLE EXPLANATION
FOR STUDENT TO ESTABLISH VALUES BEHIND A
SPECIFIC HOLIDAY

17. Primary
History
Standards
STATE STANDARDS – CONTENT IN THE
PRIMARY GRADES TO BE ALIVE AND
CENTERED ON PEOPLE NOT EVENTS OR
DATES
ARIZONA GOES FURTHER INDICATING THE
IMPORTANCE OF TIME LINES, HISTORICAL
RESEARCH SKILLS AND USE OF PRIMARY
SOURCE MATERIALS WITH EMPHASIS ON
INDIVIDUAL ACTION, CHARACTER AND
VALUES

18. Themes
STATE THEMES
YEARLY SOCIAL STUDIES WORK
THEME QUESTIONS

19. DOING HISTORY
OR
BEING A HISTORIAN
•H A N D S - O N E X P E R I E N C E
•D E A L W I T H A H I S T O R I C A L P R O B L E M
•G A T H E R D A T A
•R E F L E C T
•T E A C H E S V A L U A B L E S K I L L S
•T E S T D A T A F O R C R E D I B I L I T Y A N D A U T H E N T I C I T Y
•L E A R N T O D I F F E R E N T I A T E B E T W E E N P R I M A R Y
AND SECONDARY SOURCES
•L E A R N T O P O S E R E L E V A N T Q U E S T I O N S

20. BEING A HISTORIAN
 National History Day
 www.nhd.org
 Enter competitions
 Historical analysis and interpretation
 “Save our History”
 History Channel
 Emphasis on local history
 Lesson plans: http://nps.gov/learn
 www.cr.nps.gov &
www.saveourhistory.com

21. ORAL
HISTORIES
 A Living Person’s recollections about his or her past
about events they have personally experienced.
 A Historical Inquiry
 Helpful with groups that may not leave traditional
records
 Firsthand accounts can fascinate children
 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html

22. The Promise of the Internet:
Primary & Secondary Sources
PRIMARY SOURCES:
• Written documents
• Created by those who participated in or witnessed
events of the past
• Films
• Photographs
• Drawings
• Artifacts

23. When should PRIMARY SOURCES be used?
 Research Topics
 Dramatic Performances
 Exhibits
 Documentaries
 Research Papers
 When students participate in History Day
CRITERION: HAVE A HIGH IMMEDIATE INTEREST
FOR STUDENTS

24. Online Resources for Primary Sources
 National Archives – over 100 milestone documents
from U.S. History: www.ourdocuments.gov
 Library of Congress: www.loc.gov
 American Memory: http://memory.loc.gov
 Exhibitions: www.loc.gov/exhibits
 Global Gateways: http://international.loc.gov/intdlhome.html
 The Learning Page: www.loc.gov/learn
USE COMPUTERS:
To ease the reading hurdle
Bring history to life
Allow the use of primary sources

25. Learning about Time
& Chronology
STATE STANDARD: HELP CHILDREN
DEVELOP A SENSE OF TIME AND
CHRONOLOGY
TIME: Events fall into patterns
Use of language and experience
Typically, there is a time to eat, a time to play, a time to sleep
Distinguish between present, past and future
CHRONOLOGY: Move away from personal experience
Extend our understanding of time backward and forward
Dates become orientation points
Events fall into chronological order
Begin to understand the concepts of cause and effect & continuity

26. ASTRONOMICAL CALENDARS
Calendar for Naghaid, 4th month of the Celtic lunar year.

27. WHEN TIME & CHRONOLOGY
ARE USUALLY TAUGHT
 Learn meaning of day, week,  K – 3rd Grade
month, year
 Use calendar to find dates  K – 3rd Grade
 Understand today, yesterday,  K – 3rd Grade
tomorrow
 Distinguish between A.M. and  K – 3rd Grade
P.M.
 K – 3rd Grade
 Learn to tell time by the clock
 Understand time lines  1st – 6th Grades
 Learn to translate dates into  Middle School Grades
centuries
 Comprehend the Christian  Middle School Grades
system of chronology- A.D.
and B.C.

29. ORAL HISTORIES
1) Tell me a story you remember about your family when you were young. Any story,
with any type of family member. Examples: A family holiday, birth of a sibling, getting in
trouble for the first time, etc.
2) Tell me what you remember about your favorite teacher in grade school. What was
s/he like, and what made him/her your favorite? Please go into detail.
What is the What do the stories
significance of the tell you about the
story you are hearing? person telling them?
As you
listen, think:
Do these stories tell
What can you learn
you anything about
about the people /
the time period they
place in the story?
take place in?

30. Resources
CHAPIN JR (2008). ELEMENTARY SOCIAL STUDIES: A
P R A C T I C A L G U I D E , 7 TH E D . B O S T O N : A L L Y N A N D B A C O N
(PEARSON)
2006-2012 ROY ROZENZWEIG CENTER FOR HISTORY AND
NEW MEDIA. AUTHOR: KIM BUEHLMAIER, BELMONT
STATION ELEMENTARY
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. “ANALYZING ORAL HISTORIES.”
HTTP://WWW.LOC.GOV/TEACHERS/USINGPRIMARYSOURCE
S/RESOURCES/ANALYZING_ORAL_HISTORIES.PDF