Hands-on History: Bring History Alive in the K-6 Classroom

Hands-on History is a 2-day experiential professional development workshop designed to give K-6 teachers strategies to deliver best-practice, highly engaging historical thinking skills in their classrooms. Through inquiries of historical artifacts at the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines, teachers will learn from museum experts about how to bring history alive for young learners. Workshop Agenda: Wednesday, June 10, 2026 Time Description 8:00 – 8:30 Welcome, Introductions, & Overview Meet museum staff and fellow participants through an interactive primary source activity. 8:30 – 10:00 Session I – Think Like a Historian Learn strategies to implement hands-on historical thinking skills with sources. Practice identifying primary and secondary sources, learn a bellringer strategy, do a gallery walk, and use the Question Formulation Technique. 10:00 – 10:15 Break 10:15 – 11:45 Session II – Goldie’s History Kits Learn how to teach Iowa history through inquiry, primary sources, and literacy with Goldie’s History Kits. Explore 15 themed kits and 67 primary source sets aligned to the Iowa Social Studies Standards. 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 – History of Photography in the Research Center Go to the Research Center for hands-on practice analyzing how photography has changed over time. 2:30 – 2:45 Break Lunch is on your own. There are restaurants near the museum, and a refrigerator and microwave on-site. 2:45 – 3:45 Session IV – Mock Field Trip Explore the museum exhibits by participating in field trip activities designed for elementary students. 3:45 – 4:00 Debrief & Depart Review takeaways from the day and review the lesson plan requirements. Thursday, June 11, 2026 Time Description 8:00 – 8:15 Welcome Back & Overview Review the objectives for the day and the lesson plan requirements. 8:15 – 10:00 Session I – Analyze That! Practice a primary source analysis strategy out in the museum exhibits. Use the “Analyze That!” protocol to investigate a document, photograph, audio recording, video, cartoon/illustration, map, and an object. 10:00 – 10:15 Break 10:15 – 11:45 Session II – Timeline of Technology in Collections Storage Go behind the scenes in the Collections Storage space to explore historical objects that are not on exhibit. Create timelines of historic phones and computers. 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 – 1:45 Session III – History Mystery Investigate objects from the museum collection to reveal their Iowa stories. Learn how to bring the history mystery protocol to life in your own classroom. 1:45 – 2:00 Break 2:00 – 3:30 Session IV – Mini Museum Project & Work Time Build a model of a historical artifact and learn exhibit best-practices from museum staff. You will also have time to explore the exhibits and work on your lesson plan. 3:30 – 4:00 Debrief & Depart Share out your lesson plan ideas and take a brief survey. Outcomes and Objectives Evaluation Course Requirements Instructor & Contact Information: Rachel Hansen, rachel.hansen@das.iowa.gov, State Historical Society of Iowa