Reading Like a Historian: Teaching Literacy in Middle and High School History Classrooms

''The focusing questions, the teaching tips, and the primary sources make it possible for any teacher of history and social studies to help students become more interested, careful, and effective in handling information. The beauty of the book is that the authors show how to accomplish this while working with even the most traditional dreary textbook. Any educator interested in producing more thoughtful students should buy and use this book!''
--Grant Wiggins, president of Authentic Education, co-author of Understanding by Design and Schooling by Design


''What a great resource for teachers of history! This book explains how teachers can help students bring a critical eye to history, teaching ways of thinking that they can use in all of their studies.''
--Diane Ravitch, research professor of education at New York University, author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System


''Everyone agrees that developing 'critical thinking skills' is essential for 21st century learners. But how? This wonderful book vividly illustrates how teachers of history--and, indeed, other subjects--can teach students to be critical thinkers and democratic participants, as well as more effective readers. All educators who want to promote deeper understanding should read and use this book.''
--Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Teaching and Teacher Education, Stanford University, author of The Flat World and Education


Reaching beyond textbooks, this is a guide to teaching ''historical reading'' with middle and high school students. This practical resource shows you how to apply Sam Wineburg's highly acclaimed approach to teaching, Reading Like a Historian, in your classroom to increase academic literacy and spark students' curiosity. Each chapter begins with an introductory essay that sets the stage of a key moment in American history--beginning with exploration and colonization and the events at Jamestown and ending with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Following each essay are all the materials you'll need to teach this topic--primary documents, charts, graphic organizers, visual images, and political cartoons--as well as suggestions for where to find additional resources on the Internet and guidance for assessing students' understanding of core historical ideas. Reading Like a Historian will help you use your textbook creatively and give you ideas for how historical instruction can enhance students' skills in reading comprehension. Get started today and watch the excitement unfold in your classroom!


Contents:


1. Did Pocahontas Rescue John Smith?

2. ''Standing Tall'' or Fleeing the Scene?

3. Lincoln in Context

4. Columbus Day: 1892, Not 1492

5. Electricity and Women's Work: Who Really Benefited? And When?

6. ''Dust to Eat, and Dust to Breathe, and Dust to Drink''

7. Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

8. To Blink or Not to Blink: The Cuban Missile Crisis