Historical Thinking Concepts

Historical Significance

Historical significance focuses on impact. You’ll look at historical events, trends, persons, or issues to explain why people today still care about them.

Cause and Consequence

Cause and consequence focuses on cause and effect. You'll ask questions and find evidence to explain how certain conditions and actions led to other events in history.

Continuity and Change

Continuity and change focuses on what has changed and what has remained the same over a time period. It can be applied to an issue, theme, or group.

Historical Perspectives

Historical perspectives focuses on seeing the past from its own perspective. You gather evidence in order to develop a sense of what it was like to live in a particular place and time.

Primary Source Evidence

Primary source evidence focuses on using first-hand sources from the time period as evidence to explain events from the past. Primary sources allow viewers to use historical context to make inferences about what they are observing.

Ethical Dimensions

Ethical dimensions way of thinking focuses on analyzing historical events and values of “right” and “wrong”, and being able to understand what point of views and perspectives existed at the time and making connections to ethical issues and values we have today.