Chapter 3: Young Historians: Coming Face to Face With the Past
Summary:
History is a narrative or story of the past (historians study the past)
Historical Method (3)
1. locating pertinent information about a past event
2. examining the informational sources for accuracy
3. organizing this information into a well-constructed historical narrative
(written sources) books, journals, records, newspaper articles, etc. (p. 87)
(nonwritten sources) physical artifacts, visual images, oral and audio
Primary versus Secondary Sources: children need to the differences!
What should students know/be able to do? The National Center for History in the Schools (1996) has content standards (4 topics) K-4 grade
1. living and working together in families/communities, now and long ago
2. the history of student s' own state or region
3. the history of the United States
4. the history of peoples of many cultures around the world
How to teach the information? Integration is key! Literature, documents, media, field trips, special days/celebrations!
Historical Narratives tell stories through the connections of real world events that have occurred: historical fiction, biographies, folk literature (Children should be exposed to narratives but they should also write their own narratives!) Textbooks can also be forms of historical literature.
How to select well-written historical narratives? (5 guidelines on pg. 98)
Resources to consider using: Notable Children's Trade Books for Young People, Social Studies and the Young Learner, An Annotated Bibliography of Historical Fiction
How to write a biography? 1. Realistic description of the time when and place where the person lived 2. Accurate characterization of the person 3. A careful accounting of the significant events in the person's life 4. Values and interests influencing the person to act as he or she did
*Writing within social studies is a great way to integrate subjects (reading, writing, and social studies)
The Storypath Approach by Maria Stanitis (pg. 111 and on)
- Researching, Rehearsing, Drafting, Revising, Publishing (the story creation process)
Written Evidence: documents, letters, journal and diaries
Classroom Idea = classroom newspapers (mimic the process of publishing, jobs, duties, etc.) History writing opportunities (p. 126)
Oral History: interviews
Nonwritten Evidence: all nonwritten objects "accidental survivors" (very few intentionally preserved to survive) Museum field trips may be essential!
Chronology- knowing the order of events, need to understand chronology in order to understand historical causality!
Event Chains, Timelines, Other Sequences
Quotes:
"A historian studies the evidence, examines it for accuracy, and then pieces it together to the best of her or his ability as a written narrative" (p.89).
"The experiences of other times enlighten us with the knowledge required to figure out solutions to present and future challenges" (p.91).
"One reason why history is so tricky to teach is that students are not interested in learning facts unless those facts are embedded in challenging or engaging contexts, but they cannot comprehend the contexts without knowing the facts" (p.93).
"This propensity for imitation is important because replication plays a productive role in students' learning to write in any genre" (p.108).
"Obviously, however, social studies teachers do not simply assign students a report to write and send them on their way. They must MODEL the process of report writing" (p.114).
"By using the writing process in a context subject such as history, children become more aware of what they know and feel comfortable drawing from their knowledge to express growing ideas through print" (p.122).
"Students understand chronology when they are able to determine the dates of historical events and to sequentially arrange the events in time" (p.138).
Connections:
The concepts of primary and secondary sources were not stressed within elementary school. My 8th grade history teacher loved primary sources and every week we would "investigate" primary sources and talk about why the document said what it said, or what the photograph was representing. I really liked that activity because it was so subjective. Just as the chapter states, history is subjective.
I do believe that historical narratives are essential within a quality social studies program. I can remember reading literature throughout the elementary years and it really helped me understand the people and places of our history. For example, we read The Diary of Anne Frank, a biography about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Mississippi Bridge (as mentioned in the chapter), and other works of historical literature that enhanced the content. Although I can remember thinking that the books sounded boring (before reading them) I loved them after the first chapter or two. They were captivating because I knew that they were all true, or based off of a true story that really happened within history. I cannot remember writing historical narratives but that does not mean that I did not partake in that process. From the reading in the book, it sounds like an exciting and inviting opportunity for the teacher to integrate subjects. I would want to reinforce the writing skills of my students through social studies. Lastly, I am a firm believer of reinforcing the idea of chronology within each unit I teach. The students must have an awareness and understanding of when events happened in the world in relation to one another so that they may understand why "things" are the way they are today. Significant events do not occur in a random, unrelated manner. They are interconnected, just as everything within history is!
Questions:
Nice job on your work! Looking forward to reading your Rosa entries.
LJR