History Is Fun: How to Teach History Without a Textbook

History can seem like a long list of dates and events disconnected from our everyday lives. That’s why kids tend to be less interested in learning it, making teaching it challenging for instructors. However, teaching history can be a gratifying and enriching experience.

History helps us understand how the world has changed and how different societies have developed. While many history books can give us a greater appreciation for the diversity of human experience, knowing how to teach history without a textbook can be even more rewarding.

How to Make History Fun

How history is taught can significantly affect a student’s interest in the subject. If history is taught in a dry and dull way, relying heavily on the textbook as its primary source, it can be less interesting and engaging for the students.

On the other hand, history can be presented engagingly and interactively. Connecting the past to current events and the students’ lives can be much more interesting and relevant to them.

Teachers must be creative – including understanding how to teach history without a textbook – to make history come alive for their students and show them its relevance to their lives.

Another way to make history more interesting and fun is to find a specific topic or period that the students are particularly interested in and focus on that. You might also try connecting past events with movies or television shows they watch today. This can help the students see history and how it has shaped our world.

It is entirely possible to learn how to teach history without a textbook, and it is even more enjoyable. Here are a few ideas:

Use Primary Sources

Instead of using a textbook, consider using primary sources such as letters, diaries, newspapers, government documents, and photographs to teach history. Have students analyze and interpret them to understand what life was like during a particular period.

These sources provide a direct connection to the period being studied and can give students a more accurate understanding of the events and people of the past.

To use primary sources to teach history, you can follow these steps:

Identify the primary sources you want to use. You may find primary sources at a local library, archive, or museum, or you may be able to access them online.
Determine the purpose of your lesson. What do you want your students to learn from the primary sources? What historical events or themes do you want to emphasize?
Analyze the primary sources. Have your students closely examine the sources and consider the following questions: Who created the source? When was it made? Why was it created? What can we learn from the source?
Contextualize the primary sources. Help your students understand the historical context in which the sources were created. What was happening in the world at the time? How might this have affected the people who created the sources?
Use primary sources to tell a story. Have your students use the primary sources and the information they’ve gathered to create a narrative of the historical events or themes you’re focusing on.
Reflect on what was learned. Have your students consider how the primary sources have deepened their understanding of history and how they might use primary sources in their own research in the future.

Use Multimedia Resources

Many multimedia resources, such as educational videos, documentaries, and podcasts, can be used to teach history. These resources can be a great way to engage students and bring the events of the past to life.

Here are a few tips for how to teach history without a textbook but with videos or documentaries instead:

Choose videos/documentaries that are appropriate for your student’s age group and that cover the historical events or periods you want to teach.
Watch the video/documentary together, pausing to discuss and ask questions.
Use the video/documentary as a starting point for further research and discussion. Encourage students to dig deeper into the topic by finding additional information from other sources.
Use the videos/documentaries to get students thinking critically about history. Encourage them to consider different perspectives and to ask questions about what they see and hear.
Have students create their own videos/documentaries by researching a historical event or person and creating a presentation using video, photos, and other media.

Here are some YouTube videos to help you teach history:

Use Interactive Activities

Many interactive projects can be used to teach history, such as role-playing, debates, games, and group study. These activities can help students learn about and understand historical events in a more hands-on and engaging way.

Role-playing: Have students assume the roles of historical figures and act out key events or debates. This can help students better understand the perspectives of people from different periods.
Simulation games: Create a game that simulates a historical event or period. This can be as simple as using cards to represent different actions or decisions.
Debate: Organize a debate in which students take on the roles of historical figures and argue for or against a particular position.
Group projects: Have students work in small groups to research and present on a particular historical topic or event.

Overall, the key is to find activities that engage students and help them see history as more than just a series of dates and events.

Go On Field Trips

Field trips, such as visits to historical sites and museums, can be a great way to teach history because they allow students to experience history in a hands-on and immersive way. Here are a few tips for teaching history with field trips:

Start by finding a historical site or event that is relevant to the topic you are studying. This could be a museum, a battlefield, or a historic building.

Plan ahead and make sure you have permission to visit the site. It’s also a good idea to research the site and list specific things you want your students to see and do.

Consider creating a pre-trip lesson plan to help students understand the context and significance of the site. This could include a reading or presentation on the history of the location.

During the field trip, encourage students to ask questions of local authorities and engage with the historical artifacts and exhibits. You might also consider having them complete a worksheet or other activity to help them reflect on what they learned.

Follow up the field trip with a post-trip lesson or activity to help students reinforce what they learned. This could include a writing assignment or group discussion.

Field trips can be a fun and effective way to teach history, but planning and ensuring the trip is well-structured and aligned with your teaching goals is essential.

Bring in Guest Speakers

You can invite experts or people with firsthand experience to share their stories and provide a different perspective.

Here are a few tips for finding and inviting guest speakers to teach history:

Research potential speakers: Look for historians, professors, or other experts in the field who may be available to join your session. You can also consider contacting local museums or historical societies for speaker suggestions.
Determine the focus of the talk: Consider what specific topic or period of history you would like the guest speaker to cover. This will help you find a speaker who is knowledgeable in that area.
Contact the speaker: Reach out to potential speakers by email or phone to invite them to speak at your session. Be sure to give them details about the event, including the audience’s date, time, and education level.
Plan the event: Once you have secured a guest speaker, plan the event together. This may include setting up any necessary equipment the speaker may need.
Follow up: Thank the guest speaker for their time and contributions after the event. You may also want to follow up with students to gather feedback on the event and see if there are any areas for improvement.

Introducing fresh faces to a study session can improve the learning environment. This can be done periodically at each meeting with a different topic.

Read Biographies and Historical Fiction

Reading biographies and historical fiction can be a great way to learn about history and gain a deeper understanding of the studied period. Both can offer insight into the period’s social and cultural aspects and suggest the characters’ thoughts and motivations. It can also help bring past events to life in a way that dry historical texts may not.

That being said, it is essential to remember that historical fiction is just that — fiction. While it may be based on actual events and people, the plot and characters may be fictionalized or altered for storytelling. It is always a good idea to do additional research and verify the accuracy of the historical details presented in a historical fiction work.

If you are interested in how to teach history without a textbook, it may be helpful to complement your reading of historical fiction with primary sources (e.g., documents and artifacts from the period), secondary sources (e.g., scholarly books and articles about the period), and documentaries. These sources can help provide a more well-rounded and accurate understanding of the historical events and people being studied.