Putting Historical Thinking into Practice – Sample Activities
10th Grade
Spatial / Chronological Thinking
1. Create a time line of inventions in Europe.
2. Create maps that outline the areas of Africa held by European countries in
1890, 1918, 1940, and 1997.
3. Make a map that identifies natural resources found in Africa and explain
what they are used for.
4. Create a pictorial time line of major events leading to World War I ending
with the Treaty of Versailles.
5. Draw two political world maps: one pre- and one post-World War I. Write a
paragraph using the maps to explain what changed during the war
Examining Evidence
1. View slides of Impressionist paintings and create a list of words that
describe them. Speculate on what Impressionist artists thought of
Europe during this period
2. Use photos and paintings to compare urban and rural life in Europe
during the Industrial Revolution and discuss what students view.
3. Look at posters and documents designed to mobilize support for
World War I. Analyze what messages were being conveyed.
4. Look at maps of German troop movements during World War II at
the height of Nazi power, and speculate on the difficulties faced by
the German army.
Diversity / Multiple Perspectives
1. Read accounts of children working in mines and factories during the
Industrial Revolution. Then write a poem or diary entry describing the
conditions and how the children may have felt.
2. Write an explanation from the point of view of a wealthy manufacturer on
why some people are rich and others poor
3. Explore student views of patriotism by writing a learning log. Share the log
with others in the class.
4. Read speeches of political leaders such as Lloyd George and Teddy
Roosevelt and compare their ideas with those expressed in the film
Gallipoli. Read White Man's Burden by Kipling, Shooting an Elephant by
Orwell, and Facing Mount Kenya by Jomo Kenyatta and compare their
points of view.
Historical Interpretation
1. View the movie Harnessing Steam and create an advertisement that either
portrays the benefits or depicts the adverse impact of the steam trains.
2. Read Things Fall Apart and write an essay that discusses how the British
impacted African culture.
Oakland Unified School District / Oakland, California / August, 1999
3. Write poems that describe the views of those for and against Gandhi's
nonviolent movement for independence.
4. Using evidence such as maps, statistics, posters, speeches and literature
write a one page analysis paper. The paper should be of the role
nationalism in World War I and outcome.
5. Show the cartoon "Riki Tiki Tavi" and discuss it as a metaphor of
colonialism.
6. Develop a metaphor with an explanation for colonialism.
Determining Historical/ Geographical Significance
1. Create a newspaper set in Victorian England which Includes
advertisements for new important products, reviews of important cultural
events, news, political cartoons, and an editorial page discussing the
rights of workers and owners
2. Select the two most important inventions during the Industrial Revolution
and explain why they are the most important.
3. Research a current conflict in Africa that has its roots in colonialism and
write a paper.
4. The paper should be divided into three parts: the history of the African
civilization prior to imperialism, the history of imperialist rule, and how this
history connects to the problem being researched.
5. Write an opinion piece answering the question, "Is nationalism a good
thing?" drawing upon knowledge of World War I and current issues.
Oakland Unified School District / Oakland, California / August, 1999