Teaching History’s Mysteries for Engaged Learning

Recent polls over the last decade have shown that the most popular subjects in school are generally Math, English, Reading, and, of course, Physical Education. However, if History were approached differently in the classroom rather than being taught straight out of textbooks, it would eclipse most other subjects in popularity in no time!

How History Is Often Taught
Unfortunately, at most grade levels, History is presented to the students as dates and historical documents that need to be remembered. The meat and potatoes of the topics are covered in dryly inexpensive textbooks that often will not spend nearly enough time on certain exciting parts of History that are not as well known. A student’s imagination needs to be provided the spark that will have them researching topics independently. Moreover, with the amount of material available online through documents, websites, and videos, monotonous textbooks are no longer needed if an educator has the right idea about detailing History in exciting ways. 

Focus on the Mystery of History
Every child and adult loves a good mystery. One of my guilty pleasures back in the day was the television show Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack. There is a reason it received good ratings and has been on the air for more than 30 years. A good mystery will capture a person’s attention and drag them down the rabbit hole as they become more curious with every word. 

This is how History should be presented in the classroom! Furthermore, every topic in History has mysteries that surround it. 

Examples of History’s Mysteries

• While there are plenty of History mysteries to choose from, these topics could provide an educator or a parent a good starting point for their children. When did the first people arrive in America? After all, Native Americans came from somewhere else before they landed here. Who were indeed the first people living here?
• How did Hernan Cortes and his 400 Spanish adventurers conquer the Aztec empire with 25 million people, including a military of more than 200,000 soldiers? 

• What happened with the lost colony of Roanoke? Where did the people go? Moreover, what does CROATAN, the only word carved into the fort’s gate, even mean?

• What evil deeds transpired for America to be under new rule as more and more land was taken from the Native Americans? In an age where parts of History are being revisited, this could be a topic to cover in junior high and high school. 

• Did President Franklin D. Roosevelt know the attack at Pearl Harbor would happen, and did the government purposely not provide a warning since they were interested in joining the war? Would this act have the American people fully supporting it?

• Who knew John F. Kennedy was going to get assassinated on that fateful day? It is fascinating that Kennedy’s own family holds government agencies responsible for not just John’s death but also Robert’s as well. 

• Did the battle at the Gulf of Tonkin event take place? This was the final act that supposedly happened that had the United States enter the Vietnam War. However, there is evidence that the battle did not happen, as explained to the American people. 

Again, this is just a tiny sampling of a few of History’s mysteries. There are plenty more to choose from on just about every major historical event that has taken place. 

We Can Help!
If you have children who would love to learn more about History’s mysteries, iAchieve has both in-person and online tutors that could assist them in their quest for knowledge. We offer professional tutors for all subjects and would be happy to help your child take a closer look at History’s mysteries. 

If you are an educator that would like to learn new ways to present lessons in the classroom, iAchieve also provides professional development. We would be happy to deliver professional development to specific educators or the whole teaching staff

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