Download Studying History

Studying History
Investigating Cultures
The Study of the Past
• We are who we are because of what the
people did in the past.
• Every step we take in technology, science,
education, literature, and all other fields
builds on what people did long ago.
What is History?
• History is the study of the events and
peoples of the past.
– Historians want to know how people lived long
ago and why they did the things they did.
– Historians try to learn about the problems
people faced and how they found solutions.
– Historians study the past to understand
people’s culture.
What is Culture?
• Culture is the knowledge, beliefs,
customs, and values of a group of
people.
• This refers to what we eat, what we wear,
how we worship, how we govern, etc…
We are not as different as you might think!
Fields of Study
Historians
They use many
methods to study the
past, especially
written records.
Archaeologist
Archaeology is the
study of the past
based on what was
left behind.
Fields of Study
Anthropologist
Anthropology is the
study of culture and
the people of the
world
Geographers
Geography is the study
of the Earth’s
physical/human
features
Other Fields of Study
• Sociology – examines the trends and patterns of
human behavior such population rate, literacy
rate, marriage, size of families, demographics
and other boring things…blah, blah, blah
• Geologist – studies rock formations and layers of
the Earth.
• Paleontologists – studies the remains of living
things.
• Political scientist – studies government
Historians
• Historians use many methods and sources
of information, especially documents that
can be used to prove facts and understand
what happened long ago.
• Documents include records from
governments, courts, schools, churches,
businesses and other groups.
• Other sources could include letters,
journals, and photographs.
Primary and Secondary Sources
• Historical documents are classified into
two types: Primary and Secondary
• Primary sources are accounts of events by
an eyewitness, somebody who actually
saw the event.
• Secondary sources are accounts of events
by people who did not actually see the
event but heard of it perhaps through the
eyewitness but not necessarily.
Archaeologists
• Archaeologists explore where people once
lived, worked, and fought.
• They look for items that were left behind
such as jewelry, dishes, weapons, streets,
buildings or even towns…still looking for
Atlantis
• They examine the objects they find to
learn about the past and offer possible
clues to how life was long ago.
Artifacts and Fossils
• The objects archaeologists examine are
divided into two categories: Artifacts and
fossils.
• Artifacts are the remains of objects
created by people
• Fossils are the remains of the actual living
thing…yuck!!
Anthropology
• This is the main branch of science that
deals with the study of human cultures
• The work of historians, sociologists,
geographers, political scientists, and
archaeologists contribute to the
understanding of culture.
So…why study history?
1. History teaches you about yourself.
2. History teaches you about others.
3. History teaches us about the world we live in.
4. Also, it’s part of the 6th grade curriculum and
you really have no choice 