The Historian\ · 1st Year · The Nature of History · Autumn Term

What is History? Exploring the Past

Students will understand that history is about learning about the past and that we use clues (sources) to do this. They will look at simple examples of clues.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary Curriculum - Myself and the Wider World - Time and Chronology
• NCCA: Primary Curriculum - Myself and the Wider World - Exploring Local History

About This Topic

This topic introduces students to the core skills of the historian, focusing on the NCCA Junior Cycle strand of Working with Evidence. Students learn to navigate the differences between primary and secondary sources, understanding that history is not a static list of facts but a narrative constructed from surviving fragments. By examining diaries, artifacts, and official records alongside later textbooks and biographies, students begin to see how perspective and bias shape our understanding of the past.

Developing these skills is essential for 1st Year students as it builds the critical thinking necessary for the rest of the curriculum. It encourages them to ask who wrote a document, why they wrote it, and what might be missing. This topic is particularly effective when students engage in collaborative investigations, as debating the reliability of a source with peers helps them realize that historical truth often requires careful interpretation.

Key Questions

1. What is history?
2. How do we learn about things that happened a long time ago?
3. What kinds of clues can help us understand the past?

Learning Objectives

• Identify at least three different types of historical sources (e.g., artifact, document, photograph).
• Explain how a specific historical source provides clues about a past event or person.
• Compare information from two different historical sources about the same event to identify similarities and differences.
• Classify given examples of information as either primary or secondary sources.

Before You Start

Introduction to the Local Community

Why: Students have begun to observe and describe their immediate surroundings, providing a foundation for looking at the past.

Understanding Time and Sequence

Why: Basic knowledge of 'before' and 'after' helps students grasp the concept of past events.

Key Vocabulary

History	The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. It involves investigating, analyzing, and interpreting evidence from the past.
Source	An object, document, or piece of information that provides evidence about the past. Sources are the clues historians use.
Primary Source	An original object or document created at the time of an event by someone who experienced it. Examples include diaries, letters, or photographs from the time.
Secondary Source	A document or recording that analyzes or interprets primary sources. Examples include textbooks or biographies written after the event.
Evidence	Information or details that support a claim or conclusion. In history, evidence comes from sources.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Primary sources are always more accurate than secondary sources.

What to Teach Instead

Explain that primary sources can be biased, emotional, or factually incorrect based on the author's limited perspective. Using peer discussion to compare two conflicting primary accounts helps students see that 'first-hand' does not always mean 'objective'.

Common Misconception

History is a finished book of facts that never changes.

What to Teach Instead

Teach that history is an ongoing process of discovery where new evidence can change old narratives. Hands-on modeling with 'missing' evidence pieces can show how a story shifts when a new source is found.

Active Learning Ideas

Inquiry Circle: The Mystery Box

Provide small groups with a box of 'artifacts' from a fictional person's life (receipts, a photo, a bus ticket). Students must work together to piece together a timeline and personality profile, justifying their conclusions with the evidence provided.

40 min·Small Groups

Think-Pair-Share: Source Sorting

Give students a list of items like a Viking sword, a history documentary, and a 1916 diary. They individually categorize them as primary or secondary, compare their reasoning with a partner, and then share their logic with the class.

15 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: Detecting Bias

Post different accounts of a single local event around the room. Students move in groups to identify emotive language or omitted facts in each account, noting their findings on a shared feedback sheet at each station.

30 min·Small Groups

Real-World Connections

• Museum curators, like those at the National Museum of Ireland, examine artifacts such as ancient tools or pottery to understand the daily lives of people from centuries ago. They use these objects as primary sources to reconstruct past societies.
• Genealogists research family histories by looking at old census records, birth certificates, and letters. These documents act as primary sources, helping them trace family lines and understand their ancestors' experiences.
• Journalists investigate current events by gathering eyewitness accounts, official reports, and photographs. These materials function as primary sources, allowing them to build an accurate picture of what happened.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with three images: a photograph from the 1950s, a page from a history textbook, and a handwritten letter from the same era. Ask them to write one sentence explaining why the photograph and letter are primary sources and the textbook is a secondary source.

Quick Check

Display a simple artifact, like an old coin or a worn-out shoe. Ask students: 'What clues does this object give us about the past?' Record their answers on the board, guiding them to think about who might have used it and when.

Discussion Prompt

Present two different accounts of a simple event, like a school sports day from 50 years ago, one from a newspaper article and one from a student's diary entry. Ask: 'What can we learn from each account? Do they tell the same story? Why might they be different?'

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a primary and secondary source for Junior Cycle History?

A primary source is a direct trace from the time being studied, such as a letter, photograph, or tool. A secondary source is created after the event by someone who wasn't there, like a textbook or a modern biography. In the NCCA framework, students must learn to use both to form a balanced historical inquiry.

How can active learning help students understand historical evidence?

Active learning moves students from passive readers to active investigators. By using strategies like collaborative investigations or source-based simulations, students practice the actual work of a historian. This hands-on approach makes abstract concepts like 'bias' or 'reliability' tangible, as students must defend their interpretations of evidence to their peers, mirroring real-world historical debate.

Why do historians have different interpretations of the same event?

Historians may prioritize different pieces of evidence or look at the past through different lenses, such as economic or social perspectives. They might also be influenced by the time in which they are writing. Discussing these differences in class helps students understand that history is an interpretive discipline.

How do I teach students to identify bias in sources?

Start by looking for 'loaded' words or strong opinions in familiar contexts, like sports reporting or advertisements. Then, transition to historical documents. Asking students to role-play as the author of a source can help them understand the motivations and prejudices that lead to biased writing.