How do you teach historical thinking?

Teaching history involves showing students how to use clues from primary and secondary sources to ask and answer good questions.

Primary sources give us many clues about the past. They are the evidence—such as letters, newspapers, drawings, photographs, tools, or clothes—from the time period under investigation.

Secondary sources are written by historians who use available materials to interpret the past. They provide analysis, summary of historic moments, and change over time.

Use this poster with your elementary students to help them learn how to be history detectives.

How to Use This Interactive Poster

The poster is divided into four quadrants. Hover your mouse over a quadrant to highlight it and click. When the image of that quadrant appears, click on a bullet to learn about the image and find related learning and teaching resources.

Teaching Resources

Are you a secondary teacher?

Click here to visit our secondary poster!

Teaching the Civil War?

Click here to visit our Civil War poster!