1. Historical Thinking Why Historical Thinking Matters

2. How do You Teach History? What teaching methodologies do you use in your classroom? What methodologies of teaching history do you feel you could improve?

3. View Why Historical Thinking Matters

4. Historical Understanding Students need to read narratives that are interpretive and explain connections, change and consequences. Written history is a dialogue among historians about what happened, why it happened, how it happened and its importance. Students must analyze the assumptions and weigh the strength of the evidence presented. Students must have the opportunity to create historical narratives and arguments of their own.

5. Purpose of “Do”ing History History is a process of interrogating primary sources and secondary narratives. Historians primarily ask questions when they “do” history, often prefaced with “why”and “how.” The historian’s purpose is to give meaning to historical facts. As a course of study, history insists upon “meaning over memory.”

6. Dimensions of Historical Thinking Chronological Thinking Historical Comprehension Historical Analysis and Interpretation Historical Research Capabilities Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making These five categories are interactive and mutually supportive.

7. Standard 1: The Student Thinks Chronologically Identify the time structure of a historical narrative or story. Interpret data presented in timelines and create timelines. Reconstruct patterns of historical succession and duration. Establish time order in constructing historical narratives of their own.

8. Questioning for Historical Thinking

9. Standard 2: The Student Comprehends a variety of historical sources Identify the author or source of the historical document or narrative and assess its credibility. Identify the central question(s). Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations. Appreciate historical perspectives.

10. Standard 3: The student engages in historical Analysis and Interpretation Consider multiple perspectives. Analyze cause and effect relationships- multiple causation, the individual, influence of ideas, and role of chance. Compare competing historical narratives. Hold interpretations of history as tentative. Evaluate major debates among historians.

11. Questioning for Historical Thinking

12. Standard 4: The student conducts Historical Research Obtain historical data from a variety of sources. Interrogate historical data. Employ quantitative analysis. Support interpretations with historical evidence.

13. Standard 5: The student engages in historical Issues-Analysis and Decision Making Identify issues and problems in the past. Evaluate alternative courses of action. Avoid historical presentism. Formulate a position or course of action on an issue. Evaluate the implementation of a decision.

14. Questioning for Historical Thinking