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Alaska Department of Education & Early Development

Alaska Standards and Key Elements for History

History is one of the fundamental intellectual disciplines in the public school curriculum. A basic way of thinking and understanding reality, it is at once facts ñwhat happened, when, where, and with whom ñand meaning ñthe why of the past. Its tools are chronology, logic, and the full documentary record of the past. The goal of history instruction is to explore the subject matter, its contribution to human understanding, and its relevance to students.

Because history consists of all of the human past, its content can seem overwhelming. Yet the most valuable history instruction involves not a forced chronological march through all events of the past, but a studied examination and analysis of selected primary sources. The fortunate student who approaches history in this way considers these sources from three perspectives at once: first, from the point of view of the person, culture, and era that produced them, second, from the perspective of how they have affected the present, and third, from an understanding that current events and cultures color the way we see the past. Alaska students have many opportunities to work with original and facsimile documents at the local, state, and national levels. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Archives contains a vast amount of material on Russian America and on the 19th century American era in Alaska. It also houses an extensive oral history archive. The archives at the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, as well as the Alaska State Library in Juneau, contain large photographic collections. The National Archives in Anchorage and the Alaska State Archives in Juneau house documents relating to government agencies and activities. Some municipal libraries contain holdings relevant to the local community. All these repositories are eager to work with students, teachers and school districts in curriculum development and instruction.

Unfortunately, in many parts of the country history courses are textbook-driven, and few textbooks contain primary resources. As a result the history curriculum in public schools often revolves around the reading of secondary narrative history. There is an advantage to this approach ñmore of the content can be ìcovered.îBut the disadvantages outweigh the advantage: students can become overwhelmed by information, can fail to see its relevance, and consequently fail to retain it. Furthermore, when students read textbooks they are not allowed to devise their own theories about what happened and why, but instead must accept the pronouncements of unknown scholars or writers. The joy of discovering patterns and processes ñthe actual doing of history ñis denied them.

The Alaska History Standards strive to rectify this situation by helping school districts focus curriculum on the content, method, and value of history. The standards are based on the belief that history taught well goes beyond a record of the past to provide students with essential thinking and evaluative skills; that it helps them gain insight into the capabilities and limitations of people and cultures; and that it broadens their perspective on the present. The standards were drawn from discussions based on the work of the Bradley Commission on History in Schools and on history standards developed by the National Council for History Education and the National Council for the Social Studies. These were tailored to Alaskaís needs.

A Thumbnail Sketch of the Alaska Standards for History

Standard A. The Character of History

A student should understand that history is a record of human experiences that links the past to the present and the future.

• RATIONALE: History helps us reach an understanding of ourselves and our society in relation to the human condition over time. History is more than a memorization of people, dates, places and events. It is a dynamic narrative which serves as dialogue between the present and the past and is relevant to the future. Alaskan students will understand the role of change in history, historyís relationship to other disciplines, and how history helps us understand a personís role in society.

Standard B. The Content of History

A student should understand historical themes through factual knowledge of time, places, ideas, institutions, cultures, people, and events.

• RATIONALE: Through history we come to understand the significance of what has come before. The search for historical truth explores many perspectives of the past organized around a number of persistent themes. Not only will students know and understand significant events; they will also know the relationship of these events to the organizing themes.

This standard deals with the content of history. The five Key Elements list the important themes and information contained in a good history curriculum.

Standard C. The Skills and Processes of Historical Study

A student should develop the skills and processes of historical inquiry.

• RATIONALE: Historical inquiry is the analysis of the historical record. The record includes written and visual material, artifactual evidence, folk traditions, and oral accounts of specific times, places, and circumstances. Students must be competent in acquiring historical information through research, study and technological skills. They must be able to organize, use and present information to make decisions and solve problems. Students can use the skills of historical inquiry to develop strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills for social participation.

Standard D. Application of History

A student should be able to integrate historical knowledge with historical skill to effectively participate as a citizen and as a lifelong learner.

RATIONALE: Alaska students are faced with making critical choices in an ever changing, complex world. They must know and use all aspects of history to make effective judgments, weigh decisions, assess economic, environmental and social consequences, and take action. Students need an opportunity to practice the integration and application historical information in meaningful ways in and out of the classroom. By knowing and doing history, Alaskans will become empowered critical-thinking citizens.