How teachers can conduct historical reenactments in their own schools

Childhood Education, Summer 2001 by Morris, Ronald Vaughan

Benefits to the Learner

Historical reenactments, as in role-playing activities, are flexible enough to reflect students' interests and to capitalize on local resources. Although no research has been conducted specifically on reenactment programs, many researchers have pointed to the benefits of dramatic experiences, which share some elements with reenactments (Fines & Verrier, 1974; Goalen & Hendy, 1993; Kanas, 1994; Morris, 1998; Taylor, 1992). Historical reenactments are valuable because they offer opportunities for students to synthesize information, role play, discover what people valued at a given point in time, and participate in re-created historical events.

Dramatic reenactments offer multiple ways for students to learn and organize content and skills, benefits that were given prominence in standards published by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) (1994). Another NCSS document (1993) describes five key features of social studies teaching: learning must be meaningful, integrative, value-based, challenging, and active. Reenactments can incorporate all five of these elements.

Strategies for Reenactment

The content of reenactments should be tied to the National Council for the Social Studies Standards (NCSS, 1994). Post-reenactment discussion questions can be related to one or more of the standards (see Figure 2). By incorporating the NCSS standards in an educational reenactment, students do more than just experience what life in the past may have been like; they can examine content and related issues. Reenactment must have definite goals with strong ties to academic objectives.

An ideal topic for a reenactment is an event that had a significant impact. You may want to select events that are part of local history, which gives you potentially greater access to people who are knowledgeable resources. Good topics will have documentation (found in museums, archives, and libraries), but little or no previous interpretation. The information from museums, archives, and libraries provides the background information students use to develop their own interpretations through reenactment. As they do so, they will learn particularly useful strategies for illustrating conflict and cooperation between people, as well as demonstrating contrasting points of view.

As preparation, the teacher may travel to historical sites, visit museums, and view professional reenactments. Local and state historical societies are helpful. In the case of New France, the available resources included the Tippecanoe County Historical Association, Fort Ouiatenon, Fort Niagara, Old French House, and Fort Michilimackinac. Other valuable assets ineluded local high school French teachers, university French professors, and reenactors. Next, the teacher should locate sources of accurate information for presenters to study and use, after which the students begin reading on the subject. A detailed plan may be submitted to the administrator.

To help offset some of the expenses associated with reenactments, teachers may want to apply for grants from the state humanities council, arts council, or a state department of education, to name a few possibilities. Contributions from families, or gathered through a fundraiser, are other solutions. Museums or local civic or historical groups also may be able to make donations.