Investigating History Instructional Videos

Supporting Learning Using Schema
Elizabeth Highgas | Topsfield | Grade 4

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How Elizabeth's use of the Inquiry Chart and vocabulary review connect this lesson to prior knowledge
• How the four methods of adding territory help students organize their thinking and learning throughout the class
• The way that Elizabeth's clear and specific instructions for the group activity support student engagement and learning

Building Knowledge Using Stations
Christina Bonvouloir | Needham | Grade 5

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How Christina sets a clear purpose and expectations for students' investigation during the gallery walk
• The way that Christina uses models, targeted scaffolds, and strategic partnerships to support all students in independent work
• What Christina looks for as she circulates during the gallery walk
• How students synthesize their learning at the end of class to stamp key ideas

Building Off of Prior Learning
Christina Bonvouloir | Needham | Grade 5

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• What strategies Christina uses at the beginning of class and during the Launching the Question routine to activate students' prior knowledge
• How Christina takes advantage of opportunities to reinforce students' argument writing skills
• How Christina starts off the lesson by connecting abolitionism to what students have already learned about the time period and lesson themes

Facilitating Critical Civic Analysis
Eileen Ford | Brookline | Grade 5

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How Eileen uses the idea of rights being extended, protected, or challenged as a framework for students' thinking
• The way that Eileen invites students to share their questions without evaluating them and how this fosters more open-ended, generative thinking
• The norms, routines, and skills Eileen has built in her class that lead to successful independent and collaborative inquiry

Investigating Primary and Secondary Sources
Amanda Young | Medway | Grade 3

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How Amanda connects the source investigation to the larger inquiry arc of the unit and cluster
• The way Amanda sequences her questions about the visual source to move students from observation to analysis
• How students are using literacy strategies and skills throughout the stages of the Investigating Sources routine
• The scaffolds Amanda provides before and during the reading to help all students access grade-level text

Investigating Sources with Literacy Supports
Amanda Young | Medway | Grade 3

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• The way Amanda activates students' curiosity to heighten engagement with the day's learning
• How Amanda helps students use text features to break down the secondary source
• How the video provides students background knowledge that supports their comprehension of the related text
• How Amanda's questions and the card sort activity provide students repeated opportunities to practice identifying key details in a text and support their comprehension

Launching the Question
Eileen Ford | Brookline | Grade 5

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How the activator provides students context for the day's lesson and prepares them to launch a new supporting question
• The strategies students are using to break down the supporting question and how these prepare students to generate additional questions
• How Eileen makes space for open-ended thinking while still elevating questions that are relevant to the inquiry
• How the Launching the Question routine helps set up students' learning for the rest of the lesson and cluster

Scaffolding Language and Literacy
Mia Mulvey | Framingham | Grade 4

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• The way Mia breaks down the learning objective to make the lesson purpose clear to students
• The questions and sentence stems Mia uses to promote academic discourse using evidence
• How Mia uses her knowledge of her students to differentiate and target her scaffolds
• The strategies Mia uses to prepare all students to participate in whole-group discussion at the end of class

Supporting All Students with Historical Empathy
Mia Mulvey | Framingham | Grade 4

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How Mia helps students analyze historical perspectives about slavery without debating whether slavery was right or wrong
• The way Mia's vocabulary instruction and small group intervention help all students engage in the thinking of the lesson
• How Mia's questions push students to consider the experiences of enslaved people alongside those of factory and plantation owners

Understanding Multiple Perspectives Through Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy
Elizabeth Highgas | Topsfield | Grade 4

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How the sequence of tasks and questions helps students critically examine the impact of the Santa Fe trail on multiple groups
• The way that the small group activity and Elizabeth's check-ins help develop students' map reading fluency
• How the Discussion Diamond facilitates collaboration and centers student thinking as they draw conclusions about the lesson

Helping Lessons Succeed by Adapting with Integrity
Chris LaBrache | Newton | Grade 7

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How every part of the lesson connects back to the supporting question about geographic features and how students' thinking about this question deepens throughout the class
• Where Chris anticipates possible student struggles with content and process and this informs his strategic adjustments to the lesson plan
• How Chris's intentional planning and adaptations help students engage more deeply with the content

Fostering Historical Empathy
Chris LaBrache | Newton | Grade 7

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How the lesson, and the synthesis activity Chris added, foster students' engagement with multiple perspectives and experiences
• The way that Chris's questioning deepens students' civic understanding and their appreciation for diverse individuals' contributions to society
• How students build historical empathy and perspective-taking through their critical analysis of Athenian democracy

Launching the Question
Sherri Rice | Newton | Grade 7

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How the review activity helps prepare students to participate in the Launching the Question routine
• How Sherri's scaffolding questions and use of categories help activate additional background knowledge related to the supporting question
• The way Sherri visibly captures student thinking in order to return to it throughout the lesson and cluster
• How Sherri wraps up the routine and transitions into the topic of the lesson

Sparking Curiosity and Engagement
Makena Rivera-Concannon | Randolph | Grade 7

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How Makena structures the activator and sequences his questions to spark thinking about concepts that are relevant to the lesson's historical content
• How Makena's use of technology provides students with varied means of engagement and increases participation
• The impact of this modern-day activator on students' engagement and interest in the Launching the Question routine

Supporting Evidence-Based Discourse
Sherri Rice | Newton | Grade 7

As you watch this video, pay particular attention to…

• How the See, Think, Wonder routine helps students engage carefully with visual evidence
• The way Sherri provides a variety of sentence frames to help students begin synthesizing their learning and answering the supporting and essential questions
• The protocol Sherri uses to help students share their thinking and respond to their peers