This document provides an overview of a history lab lesson on Toussaint Louverture. It discusses that history labs involve authentic historical practices like interpreting sources and drawing conclusions. The lesson would have students analyze primary sources about Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution to understand who he was. It emphasizes engaging students in constructing their own historical knowledge through inquiry-based learning framed by the teacher.

1. Who was Toussaint Louverture?
Print made from an 1838 engraving
French print from
An 1802 engraving

2. Who was Toussaint
L'Ouverture?:
A History Lab
MCSS 2013
Eric Beckman, Anoka HS

3. Today's session
● History Labs: what and why?
● Why the Haitian Revolution
● The Toussaint L'Ouverture Lesson
○ overview
○ investigate
● Wrap Up

4. What are History Labs?
● Authentic historical practice
○ Interpretation of sources
○ Weighing evidence
○ Drawing conclusions
● Inquiry-based, teacher-framed
● Deep learning
Fact Interpretation Opinion

5. One History Lab Model
Day One:
● Hook
● Context
● Teacher: Pose Question
● Students: interpret and discuss documents
● Check in (formative)
Day Two:
● Product (summative)
Ideas drawn from Bruce Lesh and Stanford
History Education Group (SHEG)

7. Shifting our understanding of
history from knowing doing
Settled Carefully
Different
collection of constructing
perspectives
facts knowledge
adapted from Bruce VanSledright

9. Why History Labs
● Not just a good idea,
it's the law New Standards, Benchmark
● Engagement 9.4.1.2.1:
● Reading and writing "Pose questions about topics in
history; suggest possible answers
● Higher order thinking and write a thesis; locate and
organize primary and secondary
● Teachers frame, sources; analyze them for credibility
students create and bias; corroborate information
across the sources; use sources to
support or refute the thesis; and
present supported findings."

10. Make your own labs
● Choose topic
● Find sources
○ select
○ edit
● Formulate guiding question
● Processing check in
● Authentic product

11. Why Toussaint L'Ouverture
● Broadened Curriculum
○ Western Hemisphere
Benchmark 9.4.3.11.2:
○ African diaspora
"Describe the independence ○ Slavery
movements and rebellions in
the Caribbean and Central ● Primary Sources in English
and South America; analyze
the social, political and
● Connection to French
economic causes and Revolution
consequences of these
events." ● State standards
Toussaint is listed as an
example, along with Bolivar

12. Hook:
Who an 1838 engraving
Print made from
was Toussaint Louverture?
French print from
An 1802 engraving

13. Haitian Revolution

14. Lear letter

15. History Lab Model, more detail,
compare with lesson plan
● Hook with visual or text
● Establish context
● Pose organizing question
○ Focus on history concept
○ Engage students
● Students Interpret Documents
○ Individually or jigsaw
○ Mark it up!
○ Conclusions
○ Discuss
● Check in (formative)
○ Students use evidence
○ Feedback
● Product (Summative)
Ideas drawn from Bruce Lesh and Stanford
History Education Group (SHEG)

16. Students constructing historical
knowledge

17. History Lab Theory and Practice
Informed by:
Lendohl Calder, “Uncoverage: Toward a Signature Pedagogy for the History Survey"
Bruce Lesh, Why Won't You Just Tell Us the Answers?
Bruce VanSledright, The Challenge of Rethinking History Education
Stanford History Education Group
Powerful and Authentic Social Studies (PASS) program of the NCSS
Sam Wineburg, “Crazy for History”

18. Haitian Revolution
Informed by:
The L'Ouverture Project