Doing History

Linda S. Levstik is Professor Emerita in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Kentucky, USA.Keith C. Barton is Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Adjunct Professor of History at Indiana University, USA.

• 1 Past, Present, and Future: The Sociocultural Context for Studying History; 2 It’s Not Just a Mishap: The Theory Behind Historical Inquiry; 3 There Aren’t a lot of "For Sure" Facts: Building Communities of Historical Inquiry; 4 To Find out Things We Didn’t Know about Ourselves: Personal Histories; 5 Tell Me about Yourself: Linking Children to the Past through Family Histories; 6 "I Think Columbus Went to Hell!" Connections and Controversies in World History; 7 Camel Dies, Lose Three Turns: Scaffolding Inquiry into World History; 8 Rats in the Hospital: Creating a History Museum; 9 I have no Experience with This! Historical Inquiry in an Integrated Social Studies Setting; 10 Why Isn’t That in the Textbook? Fiction, Nonfiction, and Historical Thinking; 11 Oh, Good! We Get to Have…A Reasoned Discussion: Putting Conflict in Context; 12 In My Opinion, it Could Happen Again: How Attitudes and Beliefs have Changed over Time; 13 Nosotros La Gente: Honesty and Diversity in U.S. History; 14 The Arts Make Us All Part of Humankind: Cognitive Pluralism in History Teaching and Learning

As a path-breaking, field-defining text, Doing History is a timeless, essential and mindful resource for social studies educators. In this revised edition, Levstik and Barton inspire teachers to confront the diverse realities of a complex and conflicted history by guiding students in the study of history as a multifarious array of choices complicated by social, political, and economic factors deeply rooted in cultural variation, controversy, perplexing dilemmas, and persistent historic issues. Grounded in authentic and research-informed classroom applications, each chapter presents tools to constructively empower students as transformative, agentic beings capable of engaging in historical inquiry which teaches them how to seek justice, learn from diverse people, exercise reasoned deliberation, intelligently participate in community-facing civil action, and live harmoniously in a complex, diverse world. Tina L. Heafner, Professor of Social Studies Education, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, USA, and former President, National Council for the Social StudiesA foundational text for teaching history to elementary and middle school students! Through vivid teaching examples, Levstik and Barton show how young students can grapple with the complexities of history. The authors present theory-informed pedagogical practices for inquiry-based instruction, historical research, deliberation, and arts integration while also providing varied ways to assess students’ historical thinking and disciplinary skills and methods to support English Language Learners. This new edition includes updated classroom examples and the latest scholarship to guide educators in teaching controversy and inclusive histories. All social studies educators need a copy in their professional library! Sara B. Demoiny, Assistant Professor of Elementary Education, Auburn University, USA.