Teaching history is about much more than introducing students to names, dates, places and past events. History explores how people and cultures interacted in the past with all the clashes and sometimes messy complications that produced new ideas and adventures. Teaching history well develops critical thinkers especially if the students are trained to be intentional inquirers. The Kentucky State Curriculum Standards for Social Studies include a four-step "inquiry process" which is similar to the "scientific method" taught in the hard sciences. Home schooling parents can benefit from this approach as well.
The four steps are:
- Ask important questions - the students should be assisted to develop their own questions to inform their reading and research
- Hunt for facts - the students should be introduced to good research techniques such as internet search protocols, library skills, oral history methods and field observation
- Show proof- the students should become practiced in documenting their sources and giving credit for the ideas they advance
- Share what you learn - the students should gain experience communicating what they discover using written, oral, artistic and performance mediums
Using these steps in your home school history and social studies lessons can motivate your students to become engaged and invested in the lessons.
The Kentucky Faith & Public History Education Project has produced a series of easy-reader, high-interest chapter books about famous Kentucky Christians. Each book is written at a second - fourth grade reading level. Each book is a fictional account of a team of four fourth grade students who are assigned to represent their school at a contest where they must present a show & tell display about a famous person that they start out knowing nothing about. Each book has four chapters. Each chapter models one stage of the inquiry process. The books are available on Amazon here.
