Teaching History TCH 347 Social Studies Methods in the Elementary School Department of Education Shippensburg University Han Liu, Ph. D.
Quotes History is philosophy taught with examples. (Lord Bolingbroke) Trying to plan for the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers. (Daniel Boorstin) Knowledge of history is the precondition of political intelligence. (Nash & Crabtree) Attitudes aren't taught, they're caught. If the teacher has an attitude of enthusiasm for the subject, the student catches that whether the student is in second grade or is in graduate school. (Margaret McFarland)
Historical Literacy Historical Empathy Time and Chronology Cause and Effect Continuity and Change
Themes & Standards Civilization, Cultural Diffusion, Innovation Human Interaction with the Environment Value, Beliefs, Political Ideas, Institutions Conflict and Cooperation Comparative History of Major Developments Patterns of Social and Political Interaction Historical Chronology Historical Comprehension Historical Analysis and Interpretation Historical Issue Analysis and Decision Making Historical Research
History Comprehension Examining relationships, including cause and effect, among important events from the era; Identifying the sequence of these events and describing the setting and the people affected; Analyzing and comparing interpretations of events from a variety of perspectives; and Assessing the implications and long-term consequences of key decisions made at critical turning points.
Instructional Strategies Time-line map as organizer Concepts as organizer People as organizer Places as organizer Events as organizer Story telling Role playing/Dress up history Field trip Messing-up and Re-organizing Detective method Mnemonics
Story Telling Talking about teaching history, Barbara Tuchman said it in two words, "Tell stories." That's what history is: a story. And what's a story? E.M. Forster gave a wonderful definition to it: If I say to you the king died and then the queen died, that's a sequence of events. If I say the king died and the queen died of grief, that's a story. That's human. That calls for empathy on the part of the teller of the story and of the reader or listener to the story. The pleasure of history, like art or music or literature, consists of an expansion of the experience of being alive, which is what education is largely about.
Learning Strategies Concepts Concepts –Topics – Patterns – Themes – Generalizations Topical Pilgrims, Boston Tea Party, Great Depression, WW II Inquiry-5W+H what – When – Where - Who – Why - How Formula: Event – Time – Place – People – Cause – Results -- Implications
Language & Communication Skills Receptive Skills Reading Listening Expressive Skills Speaking Writing Debating Skills
Memorize by Understanding Understand the overarching framework, then filling details Understand the historical documents, such as tables, charts, and graphs, etc. Understand the temporal context Understand the causes and results Understand the decisions and consequences
Memorize by Comparing Compare old and new Compare the West with the East Compare human behavior in different cultures Compare the tools used today with those of the past
Memorize by Mile-Stones Mayflower 1620 Declaration of independence 1776 First president 1789 Lewis and Clark expedition 1804 Civil War 1861 WW I 1914 Great Depression 1929 WW II 1945 Washington March 1963 Man first walking on the moon 1969
Memorize by Mnemonics Organizing Items: " LATCH " Location (e.g. left-to-right, floor-by-floor, toyshop/sweetshop etc) Alpha-numeric (i.e. under A, B, C etc or by numerical sequence) Time (e.g. by year-file, by monthly sequence, chronological order of receipt etc) Category (e.g. fiction/non-fiction, red/green/blue, male/female etc) Hierarchy (e.g. McCartney under B-Beatles, etc)
Links National Center for History in he Schools Best of History Website History and Social Studies U.S. History New Deal Mnemonics of State & Capitals Lesson Plan
Sample Timelines