ESU 2, Fremont, Nebraska January 30, 2014

“TRANSFORMING TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH

HISTORICAL THINKING”

Kevin BowerAssociate Professor of HistoryDirector of Historical StudiesNebraska Wesleyan Universitykbower@nebrwesleyan.edu402-465-2461

Full program offered in both Omaha and Lincoln.

NOTE: All contact information and web addresses used in this presentation are included in your folder!

INTRODUCTIONS

Current Partnerships:Independence (Missouri) Public School DistrictLincoln Public SchoolsNebraska Department of EducationOmaha Public SchoolsSantee Community School Stanford History Education GroupWalthill Public SchoolWinnebago Public School

MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORICAL STUDIES

We have received grants from:United States Department of EducationNational Endowment for the HumanitiesLibrary of CongressNebraska Humanities CouncilNebraska’s Coordinating Committee for Post-

Secondary Education

MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORICAL STUDIES

We will take a 15 minute break at roughly 10AM.

We will break for lunch at 11:30AM.

Session objectivesBy the end of the morning, we will be able to:1. Explain the concept of historical thinking as a

means to engage students with History.2. Use close reading as a strategy allowing us to read

for deeper meaning.

MORNING AGENDA AND SESSION OBJECTIVES

HistoriaA verb

“knowledge acquired through investigation”

“inquiry”

WHAT IS HISTORY?

PROCESSPRODUCT

WHAT IS HISTORICAL THINKING

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WE DON’T TEACH MATH THIS WAY….

6+5

11

…WE TEACH IT LIKE THIS

Math: You only get credit if you show how you got the answer.

Phonics: Sound out words, build from the familiar to understand the non-familiar.

Science: Start with the scientific method.

“SHOW YOUR WORK”

PROCESSPRODUCT

IN EVERY SUBJECT OTHER THAN SOCIAL STUDIES

Historical Thinking involves learners in the process of discovering how we know what is and is not true about the past. In short, we ask student to learn by “doing history” rather than memorizing a pre-determined set of facts.

HISTORICAL THINKING: A WORKING DEFINITION

SourcingBefore reading the document ask yourself:• Who wrote this?• Why was it written?• When was it written?• Is it believable? Why? Why not?

SOURCING

Contextualization• What was the time and place in which thedocument was created?• What was different? What was the same?• How did the circumstances in which thedocument was created affect its content?

CONTEXTUALIZATION

Corroboration (cross-checking)• What do other sources say?• Do the sources agree? If not, why?• What are other possible sources?• What sources are most believable?

CORROBORATION

WHAT IS CLOSE READING?: A SOCIAL STUDIES-CENTRIC DEFINITION

Close Reading involves the use of practices and strategies that allow students to engage more deeply with a text.

For Social Studies, this means that close reading allows us to access the other skills of Historical Thinking.

CLOSE READING AS “ACCESS SKILL”

Close ReadingSourcing

ContextualizationCorroboration

Considering Multiple Perspectives

Please answer the following questions on a piece of paper:1. On a scale of 1-5, how often do you use primary

historical documents in the classroom?2. On a scale of 1-5, how often does the use of these

documents lead to a rich discussion with students?3. In your experience, what is it the major benefit of

using primary documents in the classroom?4. In your experience, what is the major frustration

with using primary documents in the classroom?

POP QUIZ!

Close Reading involves the use of practices and strategies that allow students to engage more deeply with a text.

Instead of worrying about the “reading level” of a text, we emphasize how our students access the text and draw meaning from it.

CLOSE READING: WHERE SOCIAL STUDIES AND READING COME TOGETHER

Please read document #1. Remember that we read documents with a pen or pencil in our hand.

In one or two full sentences, write down the main point, or gist, of the document.

WELCOME TO DR. BOWER’S 4TH PERIOD U.S. HISTORY CLASS

FIRST READ: TEACHER TIPS

1. Remind students to read with a pencil in hand. Provide instruction on note-taking, if necessary.

2. Tell students they cannot ask you questions during the reading.

3. “Pair and Share” might help reluctant students become comfortable before a full-class discussion.

4. During discussion, instruct students to answer only the questions asked.

What is the main point of the document?

What questions do you have about what the document says?

FIRST READ DISCUSSION

I will read the document aloud. As I read, please circle or underline in red ink key words or phrases that tell you what the author values or cares about.

Our framing question is “What did liberated slaves value about freedom?”

SECOND READ

Name one of the key words or phrases you marked and tell us why you think that word or phrase tells you what the author values.

SECOND READ DISCUSSION

SECOND READ: TEACHER TIPS

1. Using a different color of pencil, marker or pen might be helpful to students.

2. Keep requiring students to use text evidence when answering your questions.

3. This is a good time to create “teachable moments” by reminding students of the skills and prompting them to access prior knowledge from your course.

Please read the document again. Remember that we read documents with a pen or pencil in our hand.

Using direct evidence from the text, write a one paragraph essay answering “what did liberated former slaves value about freedom?”

THIRD READ

Please discuss your answer with your shoulder partner.

THIRD READ DISCUSSION

THIRD READ: TEACHER TIPS

1. The possibilities are endless. I focused on gathering a summative assessment, but other skills could be highlighted. For instance, we could add Document #2 (Sidney Andrews document) and focus on Corroboration

2. Elementary teachers: Think NESA-R skills.3. We could easily build on this exercise by adding

more documents.4. We created a “historical vocabulary” that we can

return to throughout the semester or school year (i.e. comparisons across time and place).

Go back and look at your notes. Consider how you felt after each reading.

Did your understanding of this document deepen over time? If so, what allowed this to happen?

RING, RING! BACK TO OUR REAL WORLD

1. Close Reading is the access point to the other skills of Historical Thinking.

2. We must help students develop a toolbox of skills. 3. When using close reading, we should:

a. Provide a direct task for each reading.b. Remind students to read with a pencil in

hand.c. Consistently require students to use text

evidence in answering questions.d. Consistently prompt students to access prior

knowledge and corroborate with other resources (“the textbook is a good servant but a bad master….”)

MORNING CLOSURE (REMINDERS)

We will reconvene at 12:45PM. Please be ready to review our session objectives.

Session objectivesBy the end of the morning we will be able to:1. Explain the concept of historical thinking as a

means to engage students with History.2. Use close reading as a strategy allowing us to read

for deeper meaning.

If you have a moment, please go to the SHEG website and create your own account. www.sheg.stanford.edu

MORNING CLOSURE (SESSION OBJECTIVES)

We will take a 15 minute break at roughly 2:00PM.

At 3:15PM, we will have time for Q&A and a quick plug for some upcoming activities involving the Historical Studies program.

We will end our day at 3:30PM.

Please go to www.sheg.stanford.edu and log in using:Username: FremontPassword: JohnCFremont1813

WELCOME BACK!

Session objectivesBy the end of the morning we will be able to:1. Explain the concept of historical thinking as a

means to engage students with History.2. Use close reading as a strategy allowing us to read

for deeper meaning.

REVIEW OF MORNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of today, we will:1. Understand the parts of a Historical Thinking lesson.2. Be ready and able (and excited) to try a Historical

Thinking lesson in the classroom.

AFTERNOON SESSION OBJECTIVES

Please take a look at the “stone tablets.”

Note that we typically teach Historical Thinking through an Inquiry Based Teaching Model.

There are other options, but we will not have time to review them today. If you are interested, check out the SHEG website, www.sheg.stanford.edu, and look at “Structured Academic Controversy” and “Opening up the Textbook” lessons.

PARTS OF SPEECH HISTORICAL THINKING

1. Frame the Inquiry.2. Consider Perspectives, Gather Resources (and build

knowledge)

CREATING AND TEACHING A HISTORICAL THINKING LESSON

1. Frame the Inquiry.2. Consider Perspectives, Gather Resources (and build

knowledge) 3. Apply the Skills (chosen to meet your objective).

Note: This is where a multiple reading strategy (like this morning) could apply.

CREATING AND TEACHING A HISTORICAL THINKING LESSON

1. Frame the Inquiry.2. Consider Perspectives, Gather Resources (and build

knowledge) 3. Apply the Skills (chosen to meet your objective).4. Drawing Conclusions (students drawing conclusions,

that is)

NOTE: This is another opportunity to use creative strategies. Lots of graphic organizers and cooperative learning strategies (Kagan, History Alive!, etc.) can be adapted to fit this phase.

CREATING AND TEACHING A HISTORICAL THINKING LESSON

1. Frame the Inquiry.2. Consider Perspectives, Gather Resources (and build

knowledge). 3. Apply the Skills (chosen to meet your objective).4. Drawing Conclusions (students drawing conclusions,

that is).5. Demonstrating Historical Understanding.

NOTE: This is where summative assessment comes into play. It doesn’t always have to be a test. There are, of course, many ways to demonstrate understanding.

CREATING AND TEACHING A HISTORICAL THINKING LESSON

Please take a fresh copy of the document we used this morning (Jordan Anderson’s letter to his former master). In a group of 3-4 people, please edit the document to between 300-400 words. You may guesstimate on the word count.

Elementary teachers: I have a new document for you that might be age appropriate for your students.

Make decisions about what your students will need to read to grasp the “gist” of the document.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

With the same group, decide which skill or skills you would like to teach with this document:

SourcingContextualizationCorroboration

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

In your same group, please write 3 questions you would ask students that will prompt them to access the skill or skills you wish to teach. Be certain that you are asking “text dependent questions.”

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Let’s explore some existing lesson plans.

Are there impediments that would prevent you from attempting a Historical Thinking lesson in the near future?

If so, what can we do today that will help overcome those challenges?

LOOKING TOWARD TOMORROW…

Resources for Finding DocumentsLibrary of Congress, loc.gov

National Archives, archives.gov

THE PROBLEM OF FINDING USEABLE DOCUMENTS

American Memory collection features the most “polished” collections. It can be difficult to navigate and lacks consistency in how documents are presented.

http://www.loc.gov/index.html

The Library is in the process of addressing some of the problems with loc.gov.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS RESOURCES

The National Archives has added teaching resources in recent years. Docsteach.org is a terrific resource for teachers. If teachers register with the site they can access lessons created by other teachers and can create their own lessons “in the cloud.” This could allow us to share across an ESU or between ESU’s.

http://docsteach.org/

NATIONAL ARCHIVES RESOURCES

The best locations are:

Stanford History Education Groupwww.sheg.stanford.edu

Historical Thinking Matterswww.historicalthinkingmatters.org

Contact me and I will share what we have. Please let me know specific information regarding your grade level and the topic you are interested in covering.

FINISHED LESSON PLANS

The Master of Arts in Historical Studies program will begin a new cohort in June and August. Tuition is $275/credit hour with no additional fees. The program is 33 hours and can be completed in 2 years.

Please contact me for more information

Our Omaha site is only about 35-40 minutes from this building. Classes meet one night per week during the school year, from 6:30-9:00PM.

And you can park within a few feet of the door!

A BRIEF PLUG FOR OUR PROGRAM….

We will host two identical summer workshops this summer in Lincoln. The workshops are two days long and focus on “Reading and Thinking Like a Historian.”

$210 if you register before March 1. Breakfast and Lunch provided. Overnight housing available.

Group rates available if you wish to put together a gang from the same ESU or school.

June 16-17 or June 23-24.

www.historicalstudies.nebrwesleyan.edu

SUMMER WORKSHOPS

We are happy to schedule professional development sessions in your building ranging from 60 minutes to a full day!

BUILDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Thank you for your time and participation. If you have questions, comments or whatever, please contact me at kbower@nebrwesleyan.edu

I will be traveling next week, so please forgive any slow reply on my part.

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!