Lower School Focus: Where Historical Thinking Begins

 

As fifth and sixth grade social studies students trace the road to revolution and the founding of the U.S. government, they're honing the critical thinking skills that breathe life into history. By examining differing perspectives and untangling complicated power dynamics, they discover that history isn't a simple timeline; it's the complex, often messy story of real people making real choices. At the same time, students are building the essential skills of a historian: interpreting and analyzing primary sources, recognizing perspective, and tracing cause and effect. These abstract thinking skills are strengthened by concrete academic habits that foster active learning: identifying main ideas and details, taking organized notes, and structuring their writing to fully answer the question. The goal: for students to think deeply, make connections, and approach their academic work with confidence, skills they'll carry with them into Upper School and beyond.

 

In fifth grade social studies, students explore Colonial America while building essential skills. Teachers Ward Russell and Bruce Chauncey urge students to question everything they read. "In the early grades, you accept the material in front of you," notes Ward, "But as a historian looking at different primary sources, you have to be a critical thinker, because if we only read something from the perspective of the Crown or the Colonists, what story are we getting?" Using an intentionally designed history binder, students practice identifying main ideas and details, and they organize information in a structured note-taking format. Skill development is uncoupled from the Colonial story arc so that the class can work on a specific skill until each student is proficient. "When the whole class is ready, we move forward," says Ward.

 

In a recent lesson on Columbus and his interactions with indigenous peoples, students took turns reading aloud and listening carefully for essential facts. Together, they highlighted key information and recorded it in their note-taking format, reinforcing understanding and good habits. The structure students use in their note-taking directly supports their writing. Responses follow a similar format and are color-coded to establish the habit of producing a complete answer: the introductory sentence in blue, a concise answer to the question in red, supporting details and examples in green, and the concluding sentence in purple. While color-coding may seem onerous, it is highly effective in reinforcing strong writing habits. Bruce has even used it with Upper School students: "Last year in my seventh grade class, ​​their written responses weren't great. I had them try color-coding, and the difference was night and day."

 

When students build strong note-taking habits and learn to think and write like historians, they're ready to tackle the bigger, more complex questions that history presents. In fifth and sixth grade, these foundational skills empower students to engage in critical thinking during immersive learning experiences. Fifth graders explore one of history's enduring mysteries: Who fired the first shot at the Battle of Lexington? Students examine two accounts, one from Paul Revere and another from Major Pitcairn, leader of the British troops. Using these documents and other primary sources, the class divides into "Team Revere" and "Team Pitcairn." Each side builds a case using evidence to argue that the other side fired first. "We're trying to get them to think outside the box," says Ward.  "There's only a box if you're a passive learner. Once they become active learners, they begin to see history on a much broader scale."

 

Sixth graders tackle one of the most complex challenges in early American history: forming a government in the wake of the Declaration of Independence. After revisiting documents that would have shaped the founders' thinking, such as the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights, students step into the shoes of delegates at the Constitutional Convention. They present and debate proposals, vote, and negotiate revisions. This year's class wrestled with big questions: Should wealth grant a citizen more power? Do the people have the right to overthrow their leader? What is the appropriate age to run for office? Across several class periods, each class crafted and approved its constitution. Only then did Bruce reveal the history behind the experience. "I could go right to the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution and just tell them what happened, but when students experience the challenge of creating a government, it is so much more impactful."