Historical Thinking Matters

Creator: Center for History and New Media | visit site

Grade Range: 8 - 11

This site teaches teachers and students to critically view and read historical documents. The site will help students find and view primary sources critically as they decipher the past. The site is broken down into student investigations and teaching materials and strategies. There are maps, videos, activities, and more. Although there are some portions of the site that still include Flash which is no longer supported, much of the information is still available and is worth using.

In the Classroom

This site can be used in several different ways. View the introductory movie from the the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then use some of the teaching strategies to prepare students for an upcoming history lesson. Use the student section with individual or pairs of students in a lab or as a center. Have them use their new skills to review historical documents. Break students into four groups and assign them one of the four student investigations to complete. When done have groups share what they learned with the rest of the class. Challenge students to create a video and share using a site such as SchoolTube (<a href="/single.cfm?id=9437">reviewed here</a>).

At Home

Tags

primary sources, critical thinking,

Subjects

American History, Social Studies, Social Studies,