Students watch a video explaining what history is and how historians work. Next, they learn about historians’ ways of using time, such as timelines and chronological periods. Then, they compare and contrast history and other social sciences and study examples of historical thinking, particularly cause and effect. Finally, they examine the relationship between history and culture.
Students are introduced to the idea that knowing when and where an event happened is only part of history, and that understanding why and how is more complex. They examine a political cartoon titled “Causes of World War I” and record observations about what they notice. Then they watch a segment of the video Thinking Like a Historian to see how historians think like storytellers, scientists, and lawyers, taking notes on key ideas in a table. Finally, they post about their “aha” moment from the video and respond to at least two classmates with questions or positive comments.
Teacher MovesReview the lesson objectives and frame the experience as an exploration of how historians work. Lead a discussion of students’ cartoon observations to highlight that major events, such as World War I, have multiple causes and that history involves more than memorizing facts. After the video, invite students to share and discuss their “aha” moments, emphasizing the scientific and argumentative aspects of historical thinking, and recommend the full video to interested students.
Students learn how historians organize time using terms such as decade, century, period, and era, and consider how timelines help analyze sequence, cause, and effect. They read examples of major historical periods and how event order (such as World War II battles) can reveal cause-and-effect relationships. Using this understanding, they create a personal timeline with at least five dated life events and brief explanations, either directly on a digital canvas or on paper and uploaded. Volunteers share their timelines and comment on possible cause-and-effect relationships among their life events.
Teacher MovesIf helpful, allow students to work in pairs as they construct their timelines and, if needed, direct them to How to Make a Timeline in the Student Pack for additional guidance. Invite volunteers to present their timelines and prompt them to identify and explain cause-and-effect relationships among the events they chose.
Students are introduced to how history relates to other social sciences, including geography, archaeology, economics, and political science, and how each field asks different questions about the same evidence. Using an example of an ancient coin found on a deserted island, they imagine themselves as historians who have consulted these experts and then write a possible historical interpretation of the coin’s story. Next, they read about how historians use sources and evidence to build arguments, especially through comparing and contrasting and analyzing cause and effect. They then create a four-box cause-and-effect diagram about attending school or another key life event, optionally adding more boxes to show multiple causes and effects.
Teacher MovesShare interesting or exemplary coin interpretations with the class to spark discussion about how different questions and perspectives shape historical explanations. Offer topic suggestions for the cause-and-effect diagram (such as moving to a new home, having a new sibling, or advancing a grade), and encourage advanced students to represent multiple causes and effects. If time permits, have students share their diagrams and discuss why understanding chains of causes and effects matters for historians and how complex those chains can become.
Students consider how history reveals culture and cultural heritage. They view the photo essay Japan in the 1950s and take notes in a two-column table, recording what the images and captions show about history in one column and culture in the other. They then post a response explaining what the photo essay reveals about Japanese history and culture and reply to at least two classmates with questions or positive comments.
Teacher MovesFacilitate a class discussion of student posts to draw out patterns and help students articulate general conclusions about the relationship between history and culture.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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