1. Thinking Like a Historian
The History of Michigan – Lesson 1

2. How do we learn about the past?
History
How do we learn about the past?
Copy this table into your Social Studies folder!
Turn and Talk:
How do we learn about the past?
Turn and Talk:
What words or phrases come to mind when you think about the word ‘history’?

3. Let’s learn some vocabulary
History –
Historian –
what happened in the past
a person who studies the past
After you’ve written the definitions in your social studies folder, jump up, spin around 2 times, and find a partner to tell them about the vocabulary words you just learned!

4. Historians ask…. When did it happen? What happened? Who was involved?
Why did it happen?
Read this page over and over until you can remember at least 2 questions historians ask. Then, give me a BIG grin so that I know you’ve remembered!

5. What do historians use to learn about the past?
Clue #1:
What is it?
When was it created?
What does it teach us?
Clue #1 is a map.
The map was created in 1872.
It shows us what the city of Waterford looked like in 1872.

6. What do historians use to learn about the past?
Clue #2:
What is it?
When was it created?
What does it teach us?
Clue #2 is a piece of informational text..
We don’t know exactly when it was written, but we do know it was written after the events happened..
It teaches us about the history of Waterford.

7. What do historians use to learn about the past?
Clue #3:
What is it?
When was it created?
What does it teach us?
Clue #3 is a timeline.
The timeline was created sometime after 1870.
It shows us the order in which the events in Waterford happened.

8. What do historians use to learn about the past?
Clues #4 and #5:
What are they?
When were they created?
What do they teach us?
Clues #4 and #5 are photographs.
The photographs were taken in the 1800s, during the time we see in the photographs.
The pictures show us what the buildings looked like in Waterford in the 1800s.

9. Historians use primary and secondary sources to learn about the past.
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Copy the chart into your social studies folder!
Records made by people who saw or took place in an event
Records written by someone who was not there at the time
Turn and Talk:
Is a photograph a primary or secondary source? Why?