The Boston Massacre: Fact, Fiction, or Bad Memory
![](/sites/default/files/lesson_image/BostonImage.jpg)
Students attempt to assign responsibility for the Boston Massacre through careful reading of primary and secondary sources and consideration of such issues as who produced the evidence, when it was produced and why was it produced.
With iconic historical events such as the Boston Massacre it can be difficult to separate historical fact from myth. This lesson acquaints students with some of the subtleties of constructing historical accounts. It allows them to see firsthand the role of point of view, motive for writing, and historical context in doing history. The lesson opens with an anticipatory activity that helps illustrate to students how unreliable memory can be, and how accounts of the past change over time. Students then analyze a set of three different accounts of the Boston Massacre: a first-hand recollection recorded 64 years after the fact, an account written by an historian in 1877, and an engraving made by Paul Revere shortly after the event. We especially like the fact that with the first document, the teacher models the cognitive process of analyzing the source information by engaging in a “think aloud” with the document. This provides a great opportunity to uncover for students the kinds of thoughts and questions with which an historian approaches an historical source. The primary source reading is challenging, and students will likely require significant additional scaffolding to understand the meaning of the texts. Teachers may want to consider pre-teaching some of the difficult vocabulary, excerpting or modifying the text, or perhaps reading the text dramatically together as a whole class.
![](/sites/default/files/website_image/CivilWarHomepage_Image.jpg)
![](/sites/default/files/BostonMassacre.jpg)
Yes
Yes
The image linked in the “materials” section offers valuable supplemental information for teachers. But minimal background information is provided for students.
Yes
Teachers will have to plan carefully to help students read the challenging texts. In addition, teachers may want to augment the writing portion of the lesson; the extension activity provides a great opportunity for this.
Yes
Teacher models a “think aloud” with the first document. Students replicate the process first in groups, and then individually.
Yes
Identifying and evaluating source information is a key element of this lesson.
Yes
While appropriate for elementary school students, it could easily be adapted for middle school.
No
Very limited vocabulary support is provided. Teachers will have to read aloud or otherwise provide additional scaffolding to assist students in understanding the documents.
Yes
The assessment activity provided is not thorough, and no criteria for evaluation are provided. However the extension activity provides a splendid opportunity for teachers to assess how well students have acquired the skills taught in the lesson, as well as an opportunity for students to see that these skills may be used in other situations and contexts.
Yes
Yes
Historical Agency in History Book Sets (HBS)
![](/sites/default/files/UsingHistoryBook-150x113.jpg)
A strategy that combines fiction and nonfiction texts to guide students in analyzing historical agency.
Authors of historical fiction for children and adolescents often anchor their narratives in powerful stories about individuals. Emphasis on single actors, however, can frustrate students’ attempts to understand how collective and institutional agency affects opportunities to change various historical conditions. History Book Sets (HBS) that focus on experiences of separation or segregation take advantage of the power of narratives of individual agency to motivate inquiry into how collective and institutional agency supported or constrained individuals’ power to act.
History Book Sets combine a central piece of historical fiction with related non-fiction. By framing a historical issue or controversy in a compelling narrative, historical fiction generates discussion regarding the courses of action open not only to book characters, but to real historical actors. Carefully chosen non-fictional narratives contextualize the possibilities and constraints for individual action by calling attention to collective and institutional conditions and actions.
- Select a piece of well-crafted historical fiction that focuses on a historical experience of separation or segregation (NCSS Notable Books is a good place to start). The example focuses on Cynthia Kadohata’s (2006) Weedflower—a story that contrasts a young Japanese-American internee’s relocation experience with a young Mohave Indian’s reservation experience.
- Select two pieces of related non-fiction that provide context for the historical fiction. Non-fiction should include courses of action taken by groups and institutions, as well as individuals. This example uses Joanne Oppenheim’s (2007) “Dear Miss Breed”: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference and Herman Viola’s (1990) After Columbus.
- Select photographs that visually locate the events in the literature. Duplicate two contrasting sets of photographs.
- Reproduce templates for poem (Template A) and recognizing agency chart (Template B). The recognizing agency chart works best if students begin with an 8½x11 chart and then transfer their work to larger chart paper.
- The time you need will depend on whether you assign the historical fiction for students to read or use it as a read-aloud. Reading a book aloud generates conversation, ensures that everyone has this experience in common, and lessens concerns about readability. If students read the book independently, plan on three class periods.
- Recognizing Changing Perspectives. In making sense of historical agency, it helps if students recognize that different people experience historical events differently. For instance, the main fictional characters in the example have quite distinct views of relocation camps. The packets of photographs help children interpret changing perspectives, and the biographical poem provides a literary structure for expressing their interpretations.
-
- Organize the students in pairs. Give half the pairs Packet A (Japanese Experiences); half Packet B (Indian Experiences). Students write captions for the pictures explaining how the experiences pictured influence characters’ view of the relocation camp.
- Drawing on their discussion and readings, each pair of students writes a biographical poem (see Template A) representing how their character’s ideas and attitudes change over the course of the story.
- Display captioned pictures and poems where students can refer to them during the next activity.
-
- Recognizing Agency: What Can be Done?
-
- Distribute Recognizing Agency chart (Template B). Work through the chart using a secondary character in the historical fiction as an example.
- Assign pairs of students to a fictional or historical participant. For example, students might investigate the fictional main character or a family member or friend or students could investigate a historical participant.
- Display charts. Discuss:
- Why do some people, groups and institutions seem to have more power than others?
- How can people work most effectively for change?
- Can you identify strategies used to alter other historical experiences of separation or segregation?
-
- Agency Today. After considering the kinds of agency expressed by people during the past, students might write an argument for or against contemporary issues that surround the topic. For instance in the example, students investigate efforts to restore the relocation camp.
- Book selection presents the most common pitfall in developing and using an HBS. Historical fiction presents a two-pronged challenge: If the narrative in the historical fiction does not hold up, good historical information can’t save it. On the other hand, a powerful narrative can convince students of the “rightness” of very bad history. Never use books you have not read! With that in mind:
-
- Make sure you check out reviews of historical fiction and non-fiction (i.e. Hornbook, Booklinks, Notable Books) or more topic-specific reviews such as those provided by Oyate, an organization interested in accurate portrayals of American Indian histories.
- Choose non-fiction emphasizing collective and institutional agency that contextualizes actions in the novel.
-
- Because students’ identification with literary characters can be quite powerful, use caution in identifying one historical group or another as “we.” Implying connections between historical actors and students positions students to react defensively rather than analytically. None of your students, for instance, placed people in relocation camps or on reservations, but referring to past actions by the U.S. government as something “we” did can confuse the issue. Students are not responsible for the past, but as its legatees they are responsible for understanding what happened well enough to engage in informed deliberation about the consequences of past actions.
- Historical Book Sets are designed to work against tendencies to overgeneralize about group behavior (i.e. assuming all European Americans supported internment). In response to overgeneralization, ask for (or point out if necessary) counter-examples from the book set. Occasional prompting encourages students to test their generalizations against available evidence and to think about within-group as well as between-group differences.
- Historical Agency: Internment and Reservation at Poston. Background for the teacher: Groups and individuals exercise power differently, depending on the social, cultural, economic, and political forces shaping the world in which they are acting. In the case of the internment and reservation systems, for example, the power of Japanese-Americans to resist internment was quite different from the power of the War Relocation Authority to enforce relocation. Or, consider that the options available to Japanese men were quite different from those available to women or to the Native American residents of the Poston reservation. Introducing the concept of historical agency—what action was possible given the historical moment—can be a powerful tool for making sense of past behaviors. Power is a familiar concept to students who, with relatively little prompting, understand not only that larger forces may limit or expand opportunities for action, but that individuals may not all respond in the same way to those opportunities. Beginning by recognizing different perspectives on an event prepares students to consider why people might take different action, and comparing responses to action prepares students to consider available options for expressing agency. This, in turn, reinforces an important historical understanding: nothing happens in a vacuum. By placing so much attention on individual agency (often some hero or heroine), history instruction too often ignores persistent patterns of collective and institutional agency. This is not to dismiss narratives of individual agency. This HBS begins with Sumiko’s and Frank’s story because individual agency captures students’ interest and engenders a level of care that motivates further investigation of the differential agency expressed by the individuals, groups, and institutions that framed Sumiko’s and Frank’s historical choices. * Agency refers to the power of individuals, groups, and institutions to resist, blunt, or alter historical conditions. Differential agency refers to differences in potential for and expression of power within and between individuals, groups, and institutions.
Bamford, Rosemary A. and Janice V. Kristos, eds. Making Facts Come Alive: Choosing Quality Nonfiction Literature K-8, 2nd ed. City: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, 2003.
Levstik, Linda S. and Keith C. Barton. Doing History: Investigating with Children in Elementary and Middle Schools. London: Routledge (2005).
Online U.S. History Textbooks
![](/sites/default/files/addedimage2.jpg)
Do you know of any good online US history textbooks?
Online textbook options are convenient, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly. The key is finding one that is reliable, meets the needs of your students, and complies with district standards—so you will want to explore some to find one that fits your needs. We know of a few online textbooks that will help you get started in your search. Digital History, a project hosted by the University of Houston, offers an easy-to-use, high-quality textbook. Digital History is also a good resource for supplementary classroom materials including primary sources, e-lectures, and lesson plans. USHistory.org, created and hosted by the non-profit Independence Hall Association, also offers a complete illustrated U.S. history text that is clearly organized by topic and easy for students to use. A third option is the Outline of U.S. History, which is produced and maintained by the U.S. State Department. The Outline is a fairly comprehensive textbook, and is accompanied by useful supplementary resources, including historian essays and a briefer version of the textbook. Finally, Wikibooks offers a U.S. history textbook that is fairly comprehensive and easy to use. On a cautionary note, Wikibooks is an open source site (like Wikipedia), so teachers will want to carefully monitor the content of the site to be certain that the material is accurate and useful.
Using Blogs in a History Classroom
Using the technology of blogging in the classroom to improve critical thinking and analysis skills.
Using a teacher-created blog in a history classroom is a way to engage students through a different medium. Students of today relate more and more to technology and will welcome a different way of learning. Using a teacher-created blog will also allow you and your students to exchange ideas in an asynchronous environment.
This teaching guide will assist teachers who want to set up their own blogs for their history classrooms. The first part of the guide describes how to create a blog. The second part of the guide suggests activities for improving students’ critical thinking and analysis skills in a history classroom.
- Choose a site. There are several places that a teacher can go to create a blog. Most of the sites are free and easy to set up. A popular site for creating a blog is Blogger which is owned by Google. Other sites include Wordpress and Edublogs. I have been using Blogger for three years and have been very happy with its ease and reliability. Setting up an account is simple and straightforward. Blogger allows you to set up your account in three easy steps. (See image right.)
- For Blogger and Edublogs, create a title and your own URL. The title can always be modified, but the URL is permanent so create wisely. The URL will be your choice. With Wordpress, you are downloading blogging software and then you need to subscribe to a web host (like Go Daddy), which charges a fee; you can then choose your own URL.
- Once your blog has been created you are ready to begin blogging. You will want to be clear with students, parents, and administrators about your expectations and reasoning behind using your blog. Also be sure to review your district’s Acceptable Use Policy with your students. You will want to contact your Instructional Technology (IT) department to make sure the blog will not be caught by your school’s filter. Occasionally access may be blocked if your school’s filter is too restrictive. If this happens you will need IT to adjust the filter.
- To start out, you will want to be the only one to post a topic for discussion. This will enable you to establish the topic and provide i instructions for students to follow when commenting. Once a topic has been posted with specific instructions, the students can post their comments. If you are using Blogger, you can regulate who is allowed to post comments. The "dashboard" in Blogger allows you to restrict comments to your students. You can also allow parents and members of the community to post comments by adjusting the settings in the dashboard of your Blogger account. You need to choose what method fits your situation best.
The screenshot above shows what appears after a student clicks on the comment link. To leave a comment, the students type in the comment box, insert the word verification, and then choose their identity (assigned by the teacher). As the creator of the blog, you will be able to edit and remove any comments that you deem inappropriate.
There are several different ways a teacher-created blog can be used in a history classroom. These include ways to:
- Have students post ideas and opinions about topics discussed in class.
- Have students post potential thesis statements and allow other students to comment on each thesis. (See example below)
When you decide to create your own blog there are some pitfalls to avoid.
- Start slow and small; don’t try blogging with all your classes at once. You will want to focus on one class at a time while getting comfortable with your blog. Trying to do too much too fast will become frustrating and overwhelming.
- Remind students to omit their last name and other personal information when they post comments. My students use only a first name or a nickname and their class period.
Thank you to Dr. Helen Rallis and Dr. Terry Shannon at the University of Minnesota-Duluth who advised me with my M.Ed with an emphasis in technology and turned me on to blogging.
Read more about blogging and get examples and best practices from other educators in the Tech for Teachers section.
Admin. "50 Useful Blogging Tools for Teachers." TeachingTips.com. 21 July 2008.
Olwell, Russell. "Taking History Personally: Connecting Students Outside the Classroom." Perspectives, 2008.
Reynard, Ruth. "Avoiding the 5 Most Common Mistakes Using Blogs with Students." Campus Technology, 2008.
Richardson, Will. Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2005.
Voelker, David. "Blogging For Your Students." Perspectives, 2007.
Stating Your Case: Writing Thesis Statements Effectively
![](/sites/default/files/stopandthink.jpg)
A three-activity lesson teaching students what thesis statements are and how to use them effectively in writing Document Based Questions (DBQs) and other history essays.
Students asked to write brief essays on historical topics often lack a clear sense that such essays have a distinct structure. That structure varies with the topic the student is asked to address, but it usually consists of three tasks:
- Using an introductory paragraph to pique interest and state clearly the essay's answer to the question it is addressing.
- Using the essay's internal paragraphs to make the case for that answer, hypothesis, or claim.
- Using a conclusion to sum up how well the body of the essay has addressed the question, along with any qualifications.
A clear thesis statement is crucial to managing these tasks. An effective thesis statement responds to all key components of the question posed. It provides an answer, or hypothesis, which the entire essay will support or explain. In a DBQ (Document-Based Question) essay, the thesis must also be one the primary sources can support. Finally, if the thesis is clear enough, it should suggest a structure for the entire essay, one that will deal with all key facets of the question or problem posed.
This lesson is based on the belief that students cannot master an essay component such as the thesis statement in the abstract, but will best learn its nature by studying it in the context of a concrete historical problem. Therefore, the lesson's activities are based on an introductory essay and a set of primary source documents on one historical topic—the Haymarket Square bombing in Chicago in 1886. The Haymarket episode is a dramatic one that should also hold student interest well. A single DBQ on this topic and several alternate thesis statements are then used in three student activities. These illustrate what makes thesis statements effective, as well some common problems or mistakes in writing clear thesis statements. The lesson consists of the following handouts:
- A background essay on the Haymarket anarchists
- A set of seven primary sources
- Three student activity sheets—What a Thesis Statement Is, What a Thesis Statement Does, Putting the Thesis Statement to Use
- Teacher's Answer Key
- Ask students to read the one-page background essay provided for this lesson.
- If they are not already familiar with what a thesis statement and a DBQ essay are, discuss the brief explanation at the end of the background essay.
- Have students study the seven primary sources for this lesson, paying attention both to the content and the sourcing information for each source.
- Briefly discuss with students the single DBQ used in all three activities for the lesson.
- Have students complete Activity 1 and Activity 2. In these activities they will make several choices among alternative thesis statements, all of which respond to the lesson's DBQ. If they have read the introductory essay and studied the sources, these activities will not take much time to complete.
- Discuss the choices students make for these two activities. The Teacher's Answer Key sheet for the lesson lists the correct choices and offers additional ideas to discuss.
- Ask students to complete Activity 3 by choosing several sources to use to back up or qualify one of the thesis statements. Either discuss student choices in class or ask students to use their notes and their thesis statement in a brief DBQ essay of their own.
- In writing history essays, students may think their task is simply to provide as much detail and information as they can, perhaps to prove how much they know. If they lack a sense of the overall purpose and structure of such essays, they will not see the central importance of the thesis statement within that structure.
- Students in a hurry often fail to tailor the thesis statement to the exact details and form of the DBQ or other essay prompt. They need to pay attention to the question's details, and also to its form (e.g. compare and contrast, explain and describe, assess the validity, etc.), which can guide the way they structure their thesis statement and the essay as a whole.
- Students may view the thesis statement as an absolute claim and may make sweeping assertions they can't possibly prove without qualification. They need to see a thesis as a tentative hypothesis, one they should qualify by referring to primary sources that seem to contradict it.
- Students need to see that a vague or overly broad thesis statement will make their task harder, not easier. A specific and divided, or segmented, thesis will delimit the task more effectively and make it easier for the student to organize the rest of the essay.
On DBQ essays and thesis statements:
Further tips on writing thesis statements from the Indiana University. This list is typical of checklists on this topic, with much good advice, but without the practice activity that will help students apply the advice.
See more on this topic elsewhere on our website.
Averich, Paul. The Haymarket Tragedy. Princeton University Press, 1984.
Burack, Jonathan. "History Unfolding." Four MindSparks DBQ and Essay Writing Programs. Social Studies School Service. This is a series of learning programs/exercises.
Chicago Historical Society and Northwestern University. The Dramas of Haymarket.
Evaluating the Validity of Information
![](/sites/default/files/lesson_image/ship.jpg)
Students learn to assess the validity of a historical argument as they evaluate the implausible theory that the Chinese discovered America in 1421.
TV presents a great deal of historical information these days, but not all of it is valid or trustworthy. Unfortunately, many students lack the tools needed to assess historical information they see on television. This skill-building lesson presents students with some of the tools needed to assess the validity of an argument made through a persuasive, high-quality visual medium. In this two-day lesson, students assess the validity of a claim integral to the argument that the Chinese discovered America in 1421. Retired submarine commander Gavin Menzies presents this argument and the evidence to students in two short video clips highlighting the resources available to ancient Chinese sailors to make seven epic ocean voyages during the Ming dynasty. The lesson is clearly structured and guides students through steps they should take to evaluate historical claims. Helpfully, it includes a student handout that clearly explains the criteria for assessing the evidence of a historical argument. For example students are prompted to look at the qualifications of the person making a claim and to evaluate the persuasive techniques being used. A second handout has a worksheet to help students use the criteria to evaluate specific aspects of Menzies's argument. Student learning is assessed both through classroom discussion and a culminating essay that prompts students to provide a reasoned evaluation of the claim that the Chinese had the naval capacity to travel to America in the 15th century. The lesson includes a detailed rubric to assist your evaluation of these essays.
![](/sites/default/files/splash-lpr-china.jpg)
Yes The process of examining historical evidence is presented accurately. However, other websites present additional information and arguments disputing Menzies' thesis.
No The lesson provides clear criteria for assessing historical accuracy but provides little historical background about the specific time period under investigation.
Yes Students write a final essay, but the lesson does not require significant reading.
Yes Lesson requires students to analyze the evidence.
Yes Requires close attention to the arguments made in a historical video. Attention to the source of a historical argument is an integral part of the lesson.
Yes Appropriate for grades 6-8. Could easily be adapted for grades 9-12.
Yes Provides a well-written student handout of criteria for assessing the validity of a historical argument. A table to help students apply these criteria to Menzies's theory is also provided.
Yes The lesson provides a solid essay prompt and a clear rubric for assessing the essay.
Yes Directions are clear and procedures are realistic in most settings.
Yes The lesson progresses logically toward the goal of making students think about historical evidence.
Civilian Conservation Corps
![](/sites/default/files/lesson_image/CivilianConserveation-150x113.jpg)
Students engage in a sophisticated exploration of the African American experience with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the Great Depression.
The strength of this 2–4 day lesson is that it presents students with primary source documents representing multiple perspectives. These documents can help build students' understanding of the issues surrounding African American employment in the CCC. The documents also provide an excellent platform for students to explore the sticky political and civil rights issues facing the Roosevelt administration as it attempted to hold together a precarious political coalition that included both large numbers of African Americans and conservative Southern Democrats opposed to civil rights reforms. The lesson is comprised of four activities. Each activity is well structured and provides detailed procedures for classroom teachers. Teachers will use class discussions to assess student learning. The lesson closes with a solid writing prompt that encourages students to use documentary evidence to construct a historical argument. The lesson plan does not, however, provide resources for teachers to help students construct a high-quality historical essay. We suspect that teachers may need to provide guidance and assistance for writing the essay beyond that which is described in the lesson.
![](/sites/default/files/CCCSplash.jpg)
Yes Historical background is detailed and accurate. Most documents are from the American Memory collection of the Library of Congress.
Yes Lesson includes a brief overview for students.
Yes Lesson centers on reading and interpreting documents. It ends with a writing assignment that requires students to use textual evidence to support their answers.
Yes Students use evidence from primary documents to build understanding of the African American Experience in the CCC and its political and social ramifications.
Yes Guiding questions require close reading of both source and perspective.
Yes Appropriate for 9–12 U.S. history classrooms. Could be adapted for higher-level middle school classrooms.
Yes Activities 1, 2, and 3 include excellent guided questions for use in class discussion or small group exploration. Activity 3 provides strategies to help students analyze a primary document.
No Assessment is conducted primarily through class discussion. However, a final essay question encourages students to use historical evidence. No evaluation criteria are included.
Yes Activities are clear and explicit. Of course, teachers may need to adapt the lesson to meet student needs. Lesson presents teachers with the option to use electronic tools to help manage documents and student work if they set up a free user account.
Yes The four activities are well structured and the activities progress logically.
Marbury v. Madison
![](/sites/default/files/lesson_image/jmarsh.jpg)
Students examine documents establishing the principal of judicial review in 1803.
During the early years of the American republic, the system of checks and balances between the three branches of the federal government was tested and solidified. This lesson examines the history behind the expansion of the Supreme Court's role and the principal of judicial review that came from the case of Marbury v. Madison in 1803. For teachers, one of the helpful things this website provides is secondary background reading and questions at three different ability levels. The easiest level provides help with vocabulary and may be suitable for English language learners. An engaging political cartoon analysis exercise is also included. The cartoon illustrates the balance of powers between the three branches of government, equating the Supreme Court to referees in a football game. In addition, excerpts of the most significant passages and other related texts are provided for students to read and interpret. We think teachers will appreciate the flexibility in the recommended sequence of activities. Activities can be tailored to how much time you have to teach about this important topic.
![](/sites/default/files/MarburyMadison432x240.jpg)
Yes Materials used in the lesson have been well researched. Content and materials on the site are very thorough.
Yes Background information and questions are available for students at three different reading levels.
Yes Lesson focuses on reading and answering questions. No large, essay-style question for student writing is included, but students construct brief responses to questions about documents they have read.
Yes Students analyze documents to answer questions about who has the power to declare laws unconstitutional. The political cartoon analysis exercise centers on analytic thinking.
Yes Emphasis on reading primary sources. Source and perspective understanding are required when considering (for example) Thomas Jefferson's adverse reaction to the decision.
Yes This lesson is appropriate for a secondary audience, though this is not specifically stated on the site. Teachers may decide the activities and resources are appropriate for an eighth-grade class.
Yes In addition to the leveled background reading, an opening scenario, a diagram of the case, and excerpts from primary documents also work to support student understanding. Questions included with the sources require varied levels of understanding ranging from basic to quite sophisticated.
No Activities do not include assessment strategies other than questions that a teacher could assign to check for student understanding.
Yes The lesson provides adequate instructions for implementation.
No No learning objectives are explicitly stated; however, the lesson activities progress logically.