Historical Thinking Concepts

The Big Six

Saskatoon Public School Division

Common Department Day Workshop

October 10, 2014

Workshop Goals• Kickstarting The Big Six

• Facilitating learning experience

• Developing networks with other educators

• Sharing ideas through table and large group discussion time

Doing History• What skills might historically literate students need to make sense of the past?

• Table Talk - 5 minute groups

• Large Group Share – Graffiti Wall

What is “History”?• What is “history”?

• What is the different a historical “event” and a historical “account”?

• How might a student in your classroom differentiate the two?

• Table Talk - 5 minutes

How do we decide what is important to learn about the

past?

• Using the Guideposts from The Big Six and the Historical Significance organizer at your table, decide in what way(s) the events given to you are historically significant.

• Table Talk – 5 minutes

Historical Significance

• How do we decide what is important to learn about the past?

• Guideposts

Resulted in change

Revealing – shed light on enduring or emerging issues

Constructed; meaningful place in a narrative

Varies over time

Did You Know?

In 18th Century Canada, women fed their children beer at lunch.

How can we better understand the people of the

past?

Historical PerspectivesChapter 5 - pp. 136 - 167

Historical Perspective 20 minutes• Explore the Guideposts

1. Assign a guidepost to group member.

2. Read through the guidepost. Explore the teaching activities for your guidepost.

3. Explain the guidepost to your table group.

4. Share teaching activities/strategies: Explore suggestions from The Big Six. Discuss how to use the Historical Perspective organizer in your

book. Share a personal experience of how you have already taught this in

the classroom.

Each table will be asked to share one example with the larger group.

Historical PerspectiveSharing Time

Letter from the Trenches

Group Sharing

Graffiti Wall

Mix and MingleBio Break

How do we know what we know about the past?

Primary Source EvidenceChapter 2 - pp. 40 - 73

Primary Source Evidence20 minutes• Explore the Guideposts

1. Assign a guidepost to group member.

2. Read through the guidepost. Explore the teaching activities for your guidepost.

3. Explain the guidepost to your table group.

4. Share teaching activities/strategies Explore suggestions from The Big Six

Discuss how you might use one of the tools in your book.

Share a personal experience of how you have already taught this in the classroom.

Each table will be asked to share one example with the larger group.

TOOLS: Reading Around a Document; Primary Source Evidence (UBC); Individual Primary Sources – thinking prompts; Historical Thinking Project Poster

Primary Source Evidence - Sharing

Group Sharing

Kolin Walters – Outlook High School

Alan - APPARTS Technique (author, place and time, prior knowledge, audience, reason, the main idea and significance)

Wah Chong Laundry Story

Titanic Lesson Plan

How can we make sense of the complex flows of history?

Continuity and ChangeChapter 3 - pp. 74 - 101

Guess the Country

•Round 1 – Guess the Country

• What clues led you to this answer?

•Round 2 – Guess the Country What clues led you to this answer?

Continuity and Change20 minutes• Explore the Guideposts

1. Assign a guidepost to group member.

2. Read through the guidepost. Explore the teaching activities for your guidepost.

3. Explain the guidepost to your table group.

4. Share teaching activities/strategies Explore suggestions from The Big Six.

Share a personal experience of how you have already taught this in the classroom.

Each table will be asked to share one example with the larger group.

Continuity and ChangeSharing

Group Sharing

Continuity and Change (UBC) and example from the Beach (booklet)

Lunch! 12:00 – 12:45

Chinook School Division Presentation

How can we make sense of the complex flows of history?

Cause and ConsequenceChapter 4 - pp. 102 - 135

Cause and Consequence20 minutes• Explore the Guideposts

1. Assign a guidepost to group member.

2. Read through the guidepost. Explore the teaching activities for your guidepost.

3. Explain the guidepost to your table group.

4. Share teaching activities/strategies Explore suggestions from The Big Six. Discuss how you might use the organizer tools in the booklet. Share a personal experience of how you have already taught this in

the classroom.

Each table will be asked to share one example with the larger group.

Cause and ConsequenceSharing

• Group Sharing

• Kolin’s End of year – What IF?

Change one condition p. 114

• The Story of the Harris Rubies

How can we make sense of the complex flows of history?

Ethical DimensionChapter 6 - pp. 168 - 214

How the mighty have fallen• “the historical perspectives concept suggests that we

should avoid judging the past against the values and beliefs of today. Consequently, making ethical judgments about the past means walking a fine line indeed.” The Big Six, p. 170

• “What is worthy of remembering? To a great degree, this question is addressed by the historical significance concept – we should study events, people, and developments that either resulted in change or that reveal something significant. The ethical dimension adds a further layer, so that we can consider what events, people, and developments we should not only remember but also celebrate or condemn.” The Big Six, p. 177

• Read through the article; Table Talk - 10 minutes

Ethical Dimensions20 minutes

1. As a table group, select a historical event involving conflict that you could use to explore the ethical dimension.

2. As a group, explore the guideposts.

3. Explore the teaching activities for your guidepost.

4. Discuss challenges and potential strategies for

teaching this concept with your students.

Assessment Suggestion

• The Big Six – assessment rubrics

• Question Bank

• Benchmarks of Historical Thinking Framework Document

• Assessing Historical Thinking and Understanding: Innovative Designs for New Standards - Bruce VanSledright

Resources• Booklet

• Posters

• Shared Lessons

• Saskatchewan Institute on Parliamentary Democracy

•

Wrapping it Up• Next Steps