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The Evidence Base for Social Studies: History
The Evidence Base for Social Studies: History
What This Means for Instruction
After a review of the
research, a number of classroom techniques or applications have been found to
be successful with children. Below are some general guidelines to help
educators plan and implement the instruction of history:
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Incorporate the child’s personal history, local or family history, children’s
literature, and heroic figures into classroom lessons to make history relevant
to the students (Hilke 1999; Sunal 1990).
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Have students write personal historical narratives (Hilke 1999).
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Use scaffolding techniques of knowledge-building to continually support and
encourage historical growth (Levstik and Barton 2001).
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Use webbing or other graphic organizers as one means of determining students’
schema (the way they are interpreting information) (Levstik and Barton 2001).
Use graphic organizers to assist students in organizing information (Levstik
and Barton 2001).
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Use material culture (i.e., photos, artifacts, clothing) as an entry into
historical study because visual images can help students learn about the past
(Levstik and Barton 2001).
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Emphasize questioning, interpretation and knowledge of concepts rather than
listing facts or dates (Levstik and Barton 2001).
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Model what is meant by historical research (Sunal 1990).
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Encourage children to develop their own schemas for understanding concept
(Sunal 1990; Widmayer 2004).
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Use real-life problems for which children have contemporary concrete referents
in their own environment to assist them in understanding past or global events
(i.e., moving to a new house, town or school to introduce the concept of
migration; home or school recycling tying to decline of the rainforest)
(Stevens 2001).
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Allow multiple interpretations, encouraging students to support the
interpretation with evidence and appropriate data (Kobrin 1992).
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Use timelines (including multi-tiered timelines) that use one or more
geographic regions, various racial or ethnic groups and social classes (Brophy
and VanSledright 1997).
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Use multiple timelines in middle and high school that reflect a micro and
macro view of the period (i.e. 1850-1872 and 19th Century) (Brophy and
VanSledright 1997).
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Integrate non-fiction historical narratives or tradebooks along with classroom
textbooks (Hilke 1999; Levstik and Barton 2001).
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Teach concepts using a variety of means such as pictures, artifacts, primary
sources, and words (Levstik and Barton 2001).
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Have students use a variety of means to show their understanding of concepts
(Levstik and Barton 2001).
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Teach to balance political, military, and economic history, with social and
cultural trends, including the everyday lives of ordinary people by including
literature and historical fiction (Hilke 1999).
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Have students imagine what life would be like if they were at the event (i.e.,
Lewis and Clark Expedition, fall of the Berlin Wall, Marco Polo at Chinese
Court) (Hilke 1999).
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