Designing Student-Led Historical Inquiries for 7-12

Designing Historical Inquiries is a 2-day experiential professional development workshop that offers 7-12 educators practical strategies for facilitating student-led historical research. Participants will learn how to help students develop their own inquiry question and gather, interpret, and evaluate sources. Museum staff will lead sessions on how to search for and engage with digital sources from the State Historical Society of Iowa. Workshop Agenda: Thursday, June 25, 2026 Time Description 8:00 – 8:30 Welcome, Introductions, & Overview 8:30 – 9:30 Session I – Doing Student-Led Historical Inquiry Explore how to help your students develop compelling questions and plan historical inquiries. 9:30 – 9:45 Break 9:45 – 11:45 Session II – Ancestry and Census Records in the Research Center Engage in hands-on activities to learn about how to use Ancestry and digital Census records. 11:45 – 12:45 Lunch Lunch is on your own. There are restaurants near the museum, and a refrigerator and microwave on-site. 12:45 – 2:30 Session III – Newspapers in the Research Center Learn about how to use digitized newspapers to explore research topics. 2:30 – 2:45 Break 2:45 – 3:45 Session IV – Work Time on Student-Led Project Brainstorm a plan for implementing student-led inquiry in your classroom. 3:45 – 4:00 Debrief & Depart Thursday, June 26, 2026 Time Description 8:00 – 8:15 Welcome Back & Overview 8:15 – 10:15 Session I – History Mystery & Collections Tour Participate in an activity describing objects from the museum’s collection and go on a tour. 10:15 – 10:30 Break 10:30 – 11:30 Session II – Photographs in the Research Center Explore digitized photograph collections and learn how to include them in student research. 11:30 – 12:30 Lunch Lunch is on your own. There are restaurants near the museum, and a refrigerator and microwave on-site. 12:30 – 2:00 Session III – Historical Maps in the Research Center Learn how to access and interrogate historical maps, then explore the map collection. 2:00 – 2:15 Break 2:15 – 3:30 Session IV – Work Time & Exhibit Exploration Time to work on developing a plan to implement a student-led inquiry and explore the museum. 3:30 – 4:00 Debrief & Depart Required Text Outcomes and Objectives Evaluation Course Requirements Instructor & Contact Information: Rachel Hansen, rachel.hansen@das.iowa.gov, State Historical Society of Iowa