Building a Personal and Intimate Connection to the Past

Of the Tier 1 historical thinking methods presented in the Historical Methods document, the one that appeals to me the most as a teacher and a person is "building a personal and intimate connection to the past." As I think of think of the writing my students will do, I absolutely love the idea of students making personal connections to history. It makes the whole difference between loving history, or finding it dreadfully boring. We already try to do this by reading historical fiction that matches the time period we are studying. When we got ready to study the Columbian Exchange, the kids were so excited I was shocked! They felt connected because of a book we were reading. When it comes to writing narratives, it would be excellent to put themselves in the shoes of a historical figure and write from their perspectives. This would help to strengthen that personal and intimate connection.