History Detectives

Description

How do historians learn about the past? What is a primary source? In History Detectives, students will explore and analyze objects from the Museum’s collection to learn how to “read” artifacts, documents, and photographs. Developing skills of historical inquiry is an important way to decode objects, interpret the past and learn about the people who lived it. Content can focus on two main areas of inquiry: New Jersey Industry, which covers several discoveries and inventions from Hoboken that are an important part of our industrial past and contributed to the regional economy; or Notable Historical Figures, where students will be given written narratives about four historical figures with ties to Hoboken. Working in small groups, students will use critical thinking skills to determine which individual might have been the owner of the collection, and will then be asked to write a persuasive essay explaining how the primary source material led them to their conclusion. This program begins at the fourth grade curriculum level, but can be adapted for groups through the tenth grade.