The Basics of History

The Basics of History


The Meanings of History



If you look for the meaning of "history" in the dictionary
you may be surprised to find that history is not simply the
past itself. The first meaning of history is "tale, story," and
the second meaning is "a chronological record of significant
past events." The opening of tales for children--"Once upon a
time"--captures both the story and time nature of history.

When we study history we are involved in a branch of
knowledge that records and explains past events. Many would say
that history is not just one branch of knowledge among others,
but that it is the most essential one because it is the
complete story of human endeavor. It happens that the word
"history" comes from the Greek "to know."

The activities in this book are organized according to the
two meanings of history as story and time in order to help you
explore these meanings with your child.


The Story in History



The work of doing history is to consider people and events
that are no longer in our presence. Unlike doing science, we do
history without being able to observe behavior and its results.

This work is fun when we make the past meaningful. We do
this by weaving together various pieces of information about
the past. In doing this we create a pattern that gives shape to
"just a bunch of facts." Doing history is a way of bringing the
past to life, in the best tradition of the storyteller.

But not just any story will do. While there are many
possible tales of the same event, good history is based on
evidence and several perspectives.

The history with which we are most familiar is political
history--the story of wars, peace treaties, and changes of
government. But anything that has a past has a history. This
includes the history of ideas, for example the concept of
freedom, and cultural history, for example the history of
music.

The story of history is interesting to us because it tells
us about real people who had ideas and beliefs, worked and
struggled to put them in action, and shaped the present in
which we find ourselves.


Time in History



Human events take place in time, one after the other. It
is important to learn the sequence of events in order to trace
them, reconstruct them, and weave the stories that tell of
their connections. Children need to learn the measures of time,
such as year, decade, generation, and century. When they hear
"Once upon a time in history" they need to be able to ask "When
did that happen?," and to know how to find the answer.

Time in history is a kind of relationship. We can look at
several events that all happened at the same time, and that
together tell a story about that period. Or we can look at the
development of an idea over time, and learn how and why it
changed. And we can consider the relationship between the past
and the present, or the future and the past (which is today!).
The present is the result of choices that people made and the
beliefs they held in the past, while the past, in being retold,
is in some way remade in the present. The future will be the
result of the coming together of several areas developing
today.

The main focus of history is the relationship between
continuity and change, and it is important that our children
understand the difference between them. For example, the
population of the United States has changed dramatically over
time with each wave of immigration. With the entry of these new
groups into American society, bringing their own ideas,
beliefs, and cultures, American democracy has continued and
grown stronger. It continues to function according to its
original purpose of safeguarding our basic values of freedom
and equality, even as the meanings and effects of these values
change.



A New Look at History


History is now understood to be more than memorizing names
and dates. While being able to recall the details of great
people and events is important, the enjoyment of history is
enhanced by engaging in activities and experiencing history as
a "story well told."

Original sources and literature are real experiences.
Reading the actual words that changed the course of history,
and stories that focus on the details of time and place help
children know that history is about real people in real places
who made real choices that had some real consequences, and that
they could have made different choices.

Less can mean more. "A well-formed mind is better than a
well-stuffed mind," says an old proverb. Trying to learn the
entire history of the world is not only impossible, it feels
too hard and reduces our enthusiasm for history. In-depth study
of a few important events gives us a chance to understand the
many sides of a story. We can always add new facts.



History is hands-on work. Learning history is best done in
the same way we learn to use a new language, or to play
basketball: we do it as well as read about it. Doing history
means asking questions about historical events and characters;
searching our towns for signs of its history; talking with
others about current events and issues; writing our own stories
about the past.

There is no final word on history. There are good
storytellers and less good storytellers. And there are many
stories. But very rarely does any one storyteller "get it
right," or one story say it all. A good student of history will
always look for other points of view, knowing that our
understanding of history changes over time.

Your children do well to ask "So what?" Much that we take
for granted is not so obvious to our children. We should invite
them to clear up doubts they have about the reasons for
remembering certain things, getting facts right, and collecting
and judging evidence. At each step, asking "so what?" helps to
explain what is important and worth knowing, and to take the
next step with confidence.



Asking Questions


At the end of each activity in this book, you will find a
series of questions that can help develop the critical thinking
skills children need to participate well in society, learn
history, and learn from history. The questions help them know
the difference between what is real, fantasy, and ideal, and
make the activity more

Critical thinking is judging the value of historical
evidence; judging claims about what is true or good; deciding
what information is important to have; looking at a topic from
different points of view; being curious enough to look further
into an event or topic; being skeptical enough to look for more
than one account of an event or life; and being aware that our
vision and thinking are often limited by our biases and
opinions.

The following two sections contain a sampling of history
activities, organized by the meanings of history as story and
time. Each group of activities is preceded by a review of three
elements of story and time from the perspective of history. The
review is meant to inform and support conversation between you
and your child, which is the most important step in each
activity by far.



Activities: History as Story


Records



History is a permanent written record of the past. Because
recording history is an essential part of doing history, a
"history log" is indicated for each activity. More recently,
history is also recorded on audio and video tape, and many of
the activities lend themselves to this type of recording as
well. Your children may be interested to know that the time of
their favorite dinosaurs is called "prehistory" because it is
unrecorded history. They should also know that some written
languages have been invented because telling stories orally,
without recording them in some form, is not by itself a sure
enough way to preserve the identity of a people.