“Why Won't You Just Tell Us the Answer?” Teaching Historical Thinking in Grades 7-12,

Doing History: Investigating With Children in Elementary and Middle Schools,

The Challenge of Rethinking History Education: On Practices, Theories, and Policy,

History Labs are research and investigative learning experiences that provide teachers with the necessary information, resources, and procedures to teach a full range of historical thinking skills by taking students through a process that is methodologically similar to that employed by historians.

A preponderance of research in the field of history education has demonstrated that effective teaching of the subject relies on active student learning of the reading, writing and analytical skills involved in historical inquiry. By actively investigating the past, rather than passively memorizing ready-made facts or accounts assembled by others, students strengthen their critical reading and writing skills, and improve their ability to handle and retain vital content information. They also develop a sense of control and ownership of the knowledge they assemble that fosters genuine and lasting interest in the subject.

In this video students and teachers describe the benefits of History Labs. Their enthusiasm speaks volumes about how the History Labs approach increases student engagement, promotes critical reading and thinking skills, and leads to thoughtful, persuasive writing assignments.

History Labs: A Guided Approach to Historical Inquiry in the K-12 Classroom was developed through a partnership between the UMBC Center for History Education (CHE) and Maryland school systems, with support from the United States Department of Education's Teaching American History grant program. History Labs materials may be used in educational settings, following fair-use guidelines.

The CHE has in good faith secured or sought permission from identifiable copyright holders to reproduce materials for educational use, following fair-use guidelines. Users of this web site should respect copyright ownership.

These materials are endorsed by the Maryland State Department of Education.