Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Education

Publication Date

2008

Journal

International Journal of Social Education

Volume

22

Issue

2

First Page

70

Last Page

100

Abstract

The Historical Scene Investigation (HSI) project is designed to help teachers integrate historical investigations into their K-12 history instruction. The HSI project materials provide streamlined and aesthetically engaging Web-based historical investigation exercises. Each case exercise engages students in a historical investigation using rich and varied historical primary sources scaffolded by document-study prompts and activities requiring specific analytical skills and processes. The HSI project, originally developed in 2001 by the principal investigators of this study, has undergone numerous revisions in efforts to extend topical coverage and more explicitly align online materials with state content standards for history. In addition, revisions focused on matching the chronological sequence of cases to a sequence of historical thinking skills, and, finally, on ensuring that the technical aspects and functionality of the program more easily supported teacher and student use of each investigation. In this study, the authors examine the historical evidentiary reasoning of fifth-grade students following HSI-based instruction. In particular, they wanted to know if discrete, short-term exposure to the HSI materials and activities strengthened the development of historical thinking such as historical causality and perspective.

Keywords

History Instruction, Investigations, Integrated Activities, Grade 5, Elementary Secondary Education, Thinking Skills, Web Based Instruction, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Alignment (Education), State Standards

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