History is a Discipline, not a content.
Empowering students through disciplinary thinking is at the core of our resources and assessments. Where the various contents within social studies can silo us, the disciplinary thinking skills inherent to our classes can unite us.
Free Resources
Our Curriculum is Historian Approved
Thinking Nation asks expert historians to review our curriculum before it is used in the classroom. We believe that students should engage with history in a way that mirrors the conversations happening at the scholarly level. Also, by including expert historians in the curriculum-writing process, we can build a better bridge between secondary classrooms and the university.
As a nonprofit, Thinking Nation cannot serve students without the generosity of others.
We're especially grateful for the scholars who have given their time and expertise to making our resources stronger.
Dr. Carol Berkin Baruch College (Emeritus) Dr. James Merrell Vassar College (Emeritus) Dr. Denver Brunsman The George Washington University Dr. Paul Cheney The University of Chicago Dr. Pearl Young University of Houston-Clear Lake Dr. H. Paul Thompson, Jr. North Greenville University Dr. Benjamin Gross Jacksonville State University Dr. Jennifer Cullison California State University, Stanislaus
Dr. Manisha Sinha University of Connecticut Dr. Katlyn Carter University of Notre Dame Dr. Marc Van De Mieroop Columbia University Dr. J.B. Mayo University of Minnesota Dr. Vincent J. Cannato University of Massachusetts Boston Dr. Robert Elder Baylor University Dr. Sheen Rajmaira California State University, Channel Islands Dr. Alicia Jackson Covenant College Dr. Sean Jacobson University of North Alabama
Dr. Curtis Austin Arizona State University Dr. James Walvin University of York (Emeritus) Dr. Nadya Williams University of West Georgia Dr. Lily Anne Welty Tamai California State University, Channel Islands Dr. Benjamin Foreman The Master's University - IBEX Dr. Michael Kazin Georgetown University Dr. Andrew Robertson Lehman College Dr. John Fea Messiah University Dr. Adam Seagrave Arizona State University
Causation
Comparison
Contextualization
Continuity and Change over Time
Life is complicated, and understanding that nothing has a singular cause reveals that. Students who can identify causes can identify solutions. Teaching causation in the history classroom is imperative for this skill to develop throughout students’ lives. This way, they can correctly identify the causes of their own historical moment and how to best improve it.
Causation
Comparison
Contextualization
Continuity and Change over Time
If our students are equipped to compare similarities and differences, they will be much stronger in assessing their communities around them—both local and global. Furthermore, the historical thinking skill of comparison breeds empathy by not simply showing how things are different, but what they have in common. This skill is necessary in any civic environment. Causation
Comparison
Contextualization
Continuity and Change over Time
Nothing happens in a vacuum. To understand any person, place, or event, one must understand what surrounds them—the context. The more that students see context as vital to understanding the past, the more equipped they are to understanding the context of the present. Learning to look for context helps students become empathetic listeners, seeking to gather more relevant information before jumping to conclusions. Causation
Comparison
Contextualization
Continuity and Change over Time
To best understand history, it may be helpful to see the past as many histories. That is, there is not one simple story to describe the past. Rather, the past is filled with changes. Of course, even within the many changes that have taken place, there remain some continuities. Thus, recognizing patterns and trends, and where those patterns and trends end, is a key skill in civic and social life.
Our Curated Research Papers are aligned to the Common Core, influenced by content standards, and written with AP courses in mind.
Aligned to the Common Core
In order to best serve students in all of their courses, we align our CRP rubrics to the Common Core. This way, students are better prepared for the writing requirements of all classes as well as the demands of high-stakes testing.
Influenced by Teacher's scope and sequence
Teachers' scope and sequences have guided which topics are covered in our CRPs so that Thinking Nation can be efficiently integrated into what teachers are already doing.
Aligned to AP Courses
Both the content and skills of our CRPs are put together with AP courses in mind. More students are equipped for the rigors of Advanced Placement with an earlier introduction to the types of thinking and writing AP courses demand.
