Historical

Thinking
What is History?
HISTORY
versus
history
Myths in American History
What does it mean to
Think Historically?
 Historical thinking is an
active and logical process of
learning history by conducting
investigations of past events
using both primary and
secondary sources.
National Center for History in
the Schools at UCLA
1. Chronological Thinking
2. Historical Comprehension
3. Historical Analysis and
Interpretation
4. Historical Research Capabilities
5. Historical Issues-Analysis and
Decision-Making
http://nchs.ucla.edu/standards/k-4_thinking.html
 Benchmarks
OF HISTORICAL THINKING

1. Establish Historical Significance

2. Use Primary Source Evidence
3. Identify Continuity and Change
4. Analyze Cause and Consequence
5. Take Historical Perspectives
6. Understand Ethical Dimensions of History
Dr. Peter Seixas, University of British Columbia
Director, Benchmarks of Historical Thinking Project
http://www.histori.ca/benchmarks/
 Sam Wineburg, Co-Director
School of Education
Stanford University
1.
Roy Rosenzweig, Co-Director
Center for History and New Media
George Mason University

http://historicalthinkingmatters.org/
index.php
http://web.wm.edu/hsi/index.html
 Conversations
with the Past

Based on a lecture by Peter Seixas at the Historica Fair, Vancouver, British Columbia – May 1, 2009
 What are the
elements of a
good
conversation?
Conversations
with the Past -
Challenges
1. Historical
Perspectives

- The past is a foreign place.

2. Evidence
- The Past is Gone!
- There is no perfect source.

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/video/4
_weighing_evidence.html
3. Significance
- So What?

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/video/8
_bts_howardzinn.html
4. Ethical
Judgments
- Who is responsible for what
happened in the past?
- How should we judge them?
Why does Historical
Thinking matter?
http://historicalthinkingmatters.org/why/
Building a Historical
Thinking Program
PreK-12
PreK – Grade 1
- Time can be measured
- Chronological Order and
Sequencing
- Continuity and Change
- Sharing Personal Histories
- Artifact Analysis
Grade 2
- Timelines and Calendars
- Continuity and Change
- Primary Source (Artifact)
Analysis
- Biographies – impact of
people’s action on the world
Grade 3
- Timelines and Line Graphs
(Years, Decades, and Centuries)
- Continuity and Change
- Primary and Secondary Source
Analysis
- Document-based Questions
Grade 4
- Timelines of Significant Events
(Years, Decades, and Centuries)
- Primary and Secondary Source
Analysis (including Tables and
Charts)
- Document-based Questions
- Continuity and Change
- Creation of Historical Narratives
Grades 5-12
- Multi-tier or Parallel Timelines
- Primary and Secondary Source
Analysis
- Document-based Questions
- Free Response Questions
- Multiple Perspectives
- Socratic Seminars and Debates
- Formal Research Projects
- Judgments and Issues in History
Where do we start?

Annie Oakley Historical Investigation

Timelines
 Primary and
Secondary Source
Analysis
 Document-based
Questions (DBQ’s)
AP Central