Teaching Historical Empathy Chapter Resources

National Council for the Social Studies National Curriculum Standards and Ten Themes 

National Council for the Socail Studies College, Career, and Civic Life Framework

National Council for History Education Habits of Mind

National Council of Teachers of English Standards

Step 1: Identify and align to curricular and content standards.

Step 2: Create a compelling question and big idea to frame inquiry and engagement in historical empathy.

Step 3: Establish historical contexts and background knowledge with secondary sources. 

Step 4: Examine secondary sources for audience, author intent, cited evidence, and main purpose/idea.

Step 5: Analyze multiple primary sources for detailed information about historical contexts AND perspectives of people and groups from the past.

Step 6: Investigate how the past and present differ.

Step 7: Reflect on how learning about the past impacts affect (physical reaction), emotions (joy, saddness, anger, disgust, etc.), feelings (experiencing an emotion), and prior knowledge of the past.

Step 8: Make reasoned affective and cognitive/inquiry-based connections between past and present.

Step 9: Reflect on the level of care one has about the past, present, and future, and ideas for informed action.

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