What is History? Asking Questions

Active learning helps students grasp abstract concepts like historical evidence by making inquiry concrete. When children manipulate objects, debate ideas, and organize sources, they move from passive listeners to active investigators of the past.

• 3rd Year
• Exploring Our Past: From Stone Age Ireland to Ancient Civilizations
• 3 activities
• 35 min–50 min

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Format Name: History Detectives - Question Generation

Present students with a historical photograph or artifact related to local history. In small groups, they brainstorm questions about the image or object, categorizing them as factual or historical. Groups then select their most compelling historical question to share.

Prepare & details

Explain why understanding the past is important for our present lives.

Facilitation Tip: During Collaborative Investigation: The Mystery Suitcase, circulate to ask open-ended questions like, 'What clues does this object give you about the person who owned it?' to guide students toward evidence-based thinking.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 50 min·Pairs

Format Name: Then and Now Comparison

Students choose a local landmark or feature and research its past appearance or function. They then create a Venn diagram or comparison chart to highlight similarities and differences, prompting questions about change over time and its impact.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between a historical question and a factual question.

Facilitation Tip: For Think-Pair-Share: Fact vs. Opinion, model how to underline the language in a source that reveals bias or opinion, such as 'the Vikings were cruel raiders,' to help students identify subjectivity.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Format Name: Defining History Carousel

Set up stations with different statements about history (e.g., 'History is just dates,' 'History repeats itself'). Students rotate, adding their agreement or disagreement and justification, fostering discussion on the nature of history.

Prepare & details

Construct a question about a local historical event that requires investigation.

Facilitation Tip: During Gallery Walk: Source Sort, place a mix of primary and secondary sources at each station and require students to physically move a card to the correct column rather than just discussing it.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Experienced teachers approach this topic by framing history as a puzzle where every source is a piece that must be examined carefully. Avoid telling students the 'right' answers upfront, as this undermines their investigative skills. Instead, model curiosity by asking genuine questions about sources and praising thoughtful reasoning, even if initial responses are incomplete.

What to Expect

Students will confidently explain the difference between primary and secondary sources and use them to form questions about history. They will work collaboratively to analyze evidence and justify their reasoning in discussions or written responses.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Collaborative Investigation: The Mystery Suitcase, watch for students who assume the oldest object is always the most important primary source. Redirect them by asking, 'How does the diary entry about the coin show two kinds of evidence?'

What to Teach Instead

Use the suitcase’s reproduction artifacts to highlight that intent and context determine whether a source is primary or secondary, not just age.

Common Misconception

During Gallery Walk: Source Sort, watch for students who label any old-looking item as a primary source without checking its origin. Redirect them by pointing to the Victorian book about Romans and asking, 'Is this about the Romans or the Victorians? How do you know?'

What to Teach Instead

Have students sort objects by era and purpose, using labels like 'made in the past' versus 'written about the past' to clarify the difference.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After Think-Pair-Share: Fact vs. Opinion, collect students’ labeled questions (Factual vs. Historical) and one explanation. Assess their ability to distinguish between questions that require simple retrieval and those that invite interpretation.

Quick Check

During Collaborative Investigation: The Mystery Suitcase, ask students to share one question they formed about an object and explain why it is a historical question. Listen for questions that go beyond dates or names, such as 'How did people feel when they lost this coin?'

Discussion Prompt

After Gallery Walk: Source Sort, use the prompt, 'Imagine you are a historian writing about the items in this suitcase. What three things would you want to know about each object?' Assess their understanding of inquiry by noting if they include questions about people, places, or reasons, not just facts.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to create a new suitcase for a future historian, including three primary sources and one secondary source with a note explaining how they work together.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide a template with sentence starters like, 'This object is a primary source because...' and 'This tells me that...'
• Deeper exploration: Invite students to research a local historian or archivist and prepare a short interview with questions about how they use sources to uncover stories.