Class Overview
Made With You in Mind
A laboratory is a space where new ideas are always taking shape! In this inquiry-based history lab, your teen will conduct experiments, do research, investigate historical events, and communicate their analysis.
Historians examine and analyze evidence to present an interpretation of past events. It’s a provocative and thought-provoking role that most of us never get to witness because we only see the end result.
We want students to engage with the past and emulate the process historians use to think critically and interpret history.
Teens consider
- How historical accounts can show different or contradictory perspectives
- Why knowing the creator of any text or image matters
- The interrelatedness of events—when it matters, when it doesn’t
- The difference between chronology vs. causality
- Why a certain version of history might not hold water today
- How to account for bias (and is bias a bad thing?)
Students will apply their newfound historical thinking skills to dive into a topic of their choosing. They’ll set up their own History Lab with:
- An effective question to guide historical inquiry
- A variety of sources to interrogate
- Insights into the nuances of text, context, and subtext
- An interpretation based on evidence
This class has bang for its buck!
Repeat steps learned in class at home with new historical explorations as their focus. Students can continue to practice the skills of historical thinking with any historical event they choose.