Grades 6-8

Learning about historical significance

Overview
This lesson is one of a series that introduces six historical thinking concepts developed by Peter Seixas of the
University of British Columbia. Each lesson supports teachers in using a video to introduce one of the concepts. The
videos are available at http://www.tc2.ca/videos.php. The lessons are available in different versions for grades 6-8
and grades 9-12.

This lesson’s written materials and seven-minute Historical Significance video offer an engaging way to introduce
the concept of historical significance to students in grades 6-8. By comparing internment events during the First
and Second World Wars, the video raises the question: What and who should be remembered in history?

Historical significance

The past consists of everything that ever happened to everyone everywhere, but we cannot remember or learn it
all. Consequently, at the core of the study of history are questions about what events and people from the past
are important and why they are important. In other words, when considering historical significance we ask: What
and who should be remembered, researched and taught? Historians, authors and educators must select what and
whom to study, decide what details to include in their descriptions and determine how important these events and
people are in relation to other aspects of the past.

Objectives

Students will understand that:

• historical significance depends on three criteria:
- how notable the event was at the time
- how widespread and lasting the consequences of the event were
- how symbolic or representative of historical issues or trends the event were1
• what is historically significant to one group of people is not necessarily significant to others

1
These criteria reflect those presented in the video. In the 2014 edition of Teaching Historical Thinking they have been altered
slightly in an attempt to simplify them. Teachers can choose which criteria they are most comfortable teaching.

This resource was developed with contributions from:

BC
HERITAGE
FAIRS
Internment Canada

www.tc2.ca © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium

Learning about historical significance

Activities

BEFORE THE VIDEO

Consider personally significant events

Open by asking students to consider events of significance in their personal lives and/or school experience. Ask for
a few examples from the class. A possible response might be something like, “When I started school, my parents
got divorced and my family moved to a new city.” With a partner, invite students to list five or six important events
in their lives. Discuss with students what criteria or factors they considered. Possible responses include “had a big
personal impact”, “it changed things”, “looking back it was a turning point”. Record these factors or criteria for
future consideration. Confirm that students understand that while many events have happened in their lives, not
all events are equally important and that what is personally significant to one person, may not be to another.

Introduce the need for judgment

Explain to students that deciding on the importance or significance of historical events is a judgment made by
historians, textbook writers, teachers and students. Ask students if the personal or school events they wrote in their
notebooks should be included in a book of their lives or in the school yearbook. Ask for a few suggestions of what
students would include and what they would exclude and why.

Consider different perceptions of significance

Help students understand that judgments about significance may depend upon
Student
activity

who is considering the event. For example, people in a particular city, province
sheet
Name: ___
For whom _________
Use the is it signifi _________
following cant? _________

or country may judge an event as very important, while people elsewhere may
and peo scale of ___
ple listed significan
below. ce to det
ermine wh
o ought
Scale of to know
significan about the
ce events

judge it to be unimportant. Ask students to think of events or people associated

Who wo
uld judge
Global it signifi
cant?
Most eve
ryone in
National the world

with their city or region that individuals living in the area might consider
should kno
Most eve w about
ryone in it
Regional about it the countr
y where
it occurr
Most eve ed should

significant (e.g., when their city was founded, who was mayor) but that
ryo know
Individual should stu ne in the region
dy it or who
belongs
Only the to a spe
des cific gro
Not at all know abo cendants and up(s)

individuals in other provinces or countries may not. Introduce the following

significan ut it family of
t the people inv
No one olved nee
needs to d
remember
it

categories and ask students to consider the scale of significance of the events How sig

1.
nificant
are
these eve
nts and
Canada people?
becoming

listed on the activity sheet, For whom is it significant? 3.

2. British Co
The first
a nation
lumbia join
person to
ing Canada
4. The person go into
outer spa
who inv ce
5. The curren ented the
computer

• Global: Most everyone in the world should know about it

t Prime
6. Women Minister
receiving of Canada
7. the right
The invent to vote
ion of gu in nation
8. The invent npowder al electio
ns for the
ion of per first tim
fume e

• National: Most everyone in the country where it occurred should know Student
informati
on sheet

about it Event #1
Canada
Internme
nt in Ca
nada
was involv
in Canada ed in a ma
who had jor war.
considere arrived, When it

• Regional: Most everyone in the region or who belongs to a specific

d enemies or whose started,
English of Cana ancestor there we
as their da. Many s had arrive re 171 000
register main lan of these d, from people livi
Learning
about histo with the guage. Du people ha countries ng
rical sign
res police an ring the d been that we
ifiult war, 80 re
000 of the born in Canada
cance
ed in fine d report

group(s) should know about it

s or even back to se and spo
impri
5
sonment. the m as oft ind ividuals ke
Almost 800 © 2014, en as on were for
The Criti
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0 of the king Con nth. Failur
taken to se Canadia sortium
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one of 24 n reside ca ort
aliens.” internme nts, includ
The gover nt ing 81 wo
individua nment too camps across Ca men and
ls to wo k all of the nada an 156 childr

• Individual: Only the descendants and family of the people involved need required rk for litt ir prope d were he en, were
that peop le pay an rty and ld witho
le worki d, in som money. ut trial as
to do dif ng on all e cases wit It forced ma “en emy
ficult wo governm hout an ny of the
land. rk includ ent projec y pay eve se
ing build n thoug
ing roads ts
and railwa were to be paid. h the law

know about it Some of

of labou
the intern
r and no
ment cam
ps closed
ys, and cle
aring tre
They we
es and roc
re made
ks from
meant tha t enough after a cou
t the int workers ple of yea
without ernees we to keep rs becau
their fam re loane them run se there
d out to ning. was a sho

• Not at all significant: No one needs to remember it

them to ilies. They private com This demand for rtage
do. Othe were for workers
people live r camps ced to wo panies an also
d as lon remained rk at wh d sent all
g as six yea in opera atever job across Ca
rs in the tion until s the com nada
se camps. 18 month pany ne
s after the eded
war ende
d; some
Event #2
There we
re 23 224

Learn about internment in Canada

involved people of
in an int a particula
considere ernation r cultural
d to be al war. Th group livi
Canada an enem ese peop ng in Ca
and many y of Cana le or the nada wh
spoke En da. More ir ancestor en we be
publicly s were fro

Ask students to consider the significance of two historical events in Canada.

question glish as than ha came
ed their ma lf of the m a cou
register the loyalt in langu se peop ntry
with the y of the age. Du le had be
police. se Canadia ring the en born
ns and all war, the in
A year lat over the Pri me Minis
er, thousa age of 16 ter

Without revealing the identity of the events described (WWI Ukrainian homes. nds of ind were for
They we ividuals ced to
over to re allowe of this pa
the autho d to tak rticular
Some we rities wh e on e suitcase gro up were
re made ere it wa each. Th ordered
over 18 to live in s sold and e rest of to leave the

internment and WWII Japanese internment), invite students to examine the

were sen cow barns used to their pro ir
surround t to work for a tim pay for perty wa
in road e. Many the costs s turned
ed by ba camps, on families of their
housing rbed wir farms or were sep internme
out of tha e. They to Prison arated wh nt.
to ghost t wage. were pa
towns, to Twelve tho id a small er of Wa en men

descriptions on the student information sheet, Internment in Canada. As a

usand wo wa ge, and r (PO W) camps
were set live in con forced to
free once ditions un men, chi pay for
the war suitable ldren an food an
Learning was ende for the bit d elderly d
about histo d; others ter winter were tra
rical sign
ificance were de s. Some nsported
ported to of these

class, read the passages. Check for student understanding as you read.
their cou people
ntry of ori
gin.
© 2014
, The Criti
cal Thin
king Con
sortium

www.tc2.ca 2 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium

Learning about historical significance

Offer an initial assessment Student

activity
sheet

Ask students to offer their initial thoughts about whether both events, one event Before vie
wing vid
eo
Are they
historica
Name: ___
lly signifi
cant?
_________
_________
_________
___
Is event

or neither event are historically significant enough to be included in textbooks

#1 signifi
our nation cant eno
al histor ugh to be
y? part of
□ Yes Is event
#2 signifi
our nation cant eno
Reasons □ No al histor ugh to be

on Canadian history. Invite students to consider the criteria for judging historical
for your y? part of
decision □ Yes
Reasons □ No
for your
decision

significance that were discussed earlier, and to record their initial thoughts on the
top half of the activity sheet, Are they historically significant?

During vie
wing of
video

DURING THE VIDEO Record add

on the sig
itional fac
nificance
tors (criter
of the two
ia) and evi
historica
dence in
the video
l events? that are
useful in decidin
g

Discuss each section

Arrange for students to view the video, Historical SIgnificance. Pause the
video at each of the three questions posed by the presenter (at approximately
Learning

2:44, 3:29 and 4:25 minutes). Discuss each question and review vocabulary if
about histo
rical sign
ificance

7
© 2014,
The Criti
cal Thin
king Cons

necessary. At each stage, encourage students to record additional thoughts

ortium
www.tc2.
ca

on the bottom half of the activity sheet, Are they historically significant? Discuss new
criteria that will help them decide the significance of the two historical events they’ve read about. Ask
students to suggest which of the two written descriptions was about the internment of Ukrainians during WWI,
and to provide evidence for their suggestion (Event #1). Event #2 describes the internment of Japanese during
WW II. If possible, provide students with multiple opportunities to view the video.

AFTER THE VIDEO Student

activity
sheet
Name: ___
Rating an _________
Event: ___ event’s _________
_________ significan _________
_________ ce ___
_________
Criteria _

Analyze a historical event How not

time:
able it wa
s at the
Not at all
significan
t
1
2
3
4
5
Significan
Was it not ce

Using evidence from the video and the student information sheet, invite students
iced at the 1
as having Evidence: 2 very sign
importanc time 3
4
ificant
How lon e? 5
g did it
operate exist or
?

to analyze the historical significance of Event #1, The WWI internment of How wid
esp
lasting the read and
consequen
were: ces Significan

Ukrainians, using the activity sheet, Rating an event’s significance. Students may
ce
1
How dee Evidence: 2
ply felt wa 3
s it? 4
How wid 5
espread
was it?
How last

find it helpful to underline sections of the written description that address the
ing were
effects? its

How sym
bolic it is:
How has
it Significan
memorial been

criteria for historical significance.

ce
ized? 1
Evidence: 2
Does it rep 3
4
historical resent a 5
issue or
trend?

Considerin
g the

Form and share judgments

□ Not at ratings abo
all signifi ve, this
□ Individ cant: No event is:
ually sign one nee
ificant: On d remem
about the ly the des ber the
event event
□ Region cendents
and fam

Ask students in pairs or small groups to discuss the question: Is the internment
ally sign ily of the
affected ifi can t: Most eve people inv
should kno ryone in olved sho
□ Nation w about the region uld know
ally sign the event or who
□ Global ificanSamt: Eveple respon belongs
ly signifi ryone in se to the spe
cant: Mo the countr cific gro

of Ukrainians in WWI worthy of inclusion in Canada`s national history? Ask

st everyo y where up(s)
ne in the it occurr Name: ___
Reasons: worldRat ed sho uld know ___
Event: Uk sho
ing
uldan
kno
_________
about the
rainian int eve
w nt’s
about ___
event ____________
sigthe
nifieve
cannt
ernment ce ___
in World
War I

them to consider the reasons for their judgments and to share them with
Criteria

Learning
about histo How 1
rical signifinot
cancabl Not at all 2
time: e e
it was at significan 3

the class. Focus attention on the reasons presented rather than seeking
the t 4
Sig8nifican 5
Was it not ce © 2014
iced at the 1,
The Criti
very sign
as having Evidence: 2 Thinking
cal
importanc time 3 ortium
Cons
4
ificant
How lon e? • people
www.tc2.
ca 5
g did it interred

agreement among students. If appropriate, share the reasonable but not

operate exist or • over had ruined
? 8,000 inte lives
• people rred
supported
it
How wid
esp
lasting the read and

definitive ratings and supporting evidence found on Sample response: Rating an were:
How dee
consequen

ply felt wa
ces

s it?
Significan
Evidence:
ce
1
2
3
4
How wid • it imp 5

event’s significance.
espread
was it? acted the
How last • the whole cou
ing were camps and ntry
effects? its • familie the inte
s are stil rnees wer
of familie l affect e from
ed by wh all across
How sym s and the at happen Canada
bolic it is: deaths ed: the
of over break-ups
How has 100 inte
it Significan rnees
memorial been ce
ized? 1
Evidence: 2
Does it rep 3
4
historical resent a • it is 5

You may wish to discuss whether the internment of Japanese people in WWII is
issue or rememb
trend? • Canada ered
treating
are talk minorities
ing about badly in
• this today the pas
was the t is som
first tim ething we

worthy of inclusion in Canada`s national history, based on a similar analysis of Considerin e this hap
pened to
g theratings abo Canadians
□ Not at
all signifi ve, this
□ Individ cant: No event is:
ually sign one nee
ificant: On d remem
ber the

this event. Discuss with students if, and why, their assessment differed before
about the ly the des event
event cendents
□ Region and fam
ally sign ily of the
affected ifi can t: Most eve people inv
should kno ryone in olved sho
□X Nation w about the region uld know
ally sign the event or who

and after watching the video. Give students time to write individual responses
event ifican t: Every belongs
everyone to the spe
in the cou cific gro
□ Global ntry wh up(s)
ly signifi ere it occ
cant: Mo urr
st everyo ed should
Reasons: ne in the know abo
The inte world sho ut the

before sharing some samples with the class.

rnment uld know
interned of Ukr abo ut the event
: it affect ainians in
treatme ed man y people WWI is the fi
nt of min all across rst time
orities, the cou that lots
which is ntry. Als of Canadia
Learning a part of o, it can ns were
about histo our his represent
rical sign tory tha Canada’s
ificance t people poor
are still
thinking
9 about.
© 2014,
The Criti
cal Thin
king Cons
ortium
www.tc2.
ca

www.tc2.ca 3 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium

Learning about historical significance

Rank significance
Student
activity she
et

Rank the

As an optional activity, invite students to use the sheet, Ranking

events in Ranking Name: ___
order of historical _________
their hist significan _________
orical sign ce _________
1 ificance. ___
Give rea
Not at all sons for
significan 2 each rating

historical significance, to analyze more than one event. You may wish
t as well as
your final
Criteria 3 ranking.
How not Event: 4
able it wa
the time s at Event: 5

to have students compare Ukrainian internment in WWI and Japanese

1 2 3 4 very sign
Evidence: 5 1 Event: ificant
2 3
Evidence: 4 5 Event:
1 2
How wid 3 4
espread Evidence: 5 1

Internment in WWII using evidence from the description. In groups

2 3
and lasting Evidence: 4 5
the 1 2
consequen 3 4
ces were Evidence: 5 1 2 3
Evidence: 4 5 1 2 3

invite students to rank the events` significance and to share their

How sym Evidence: 4 5
bolic of 1 2
historic issu 3 4
es or tre 1 Evidence: 5
it is nds 2 3
Evidence: 4 5 1 2 3 4

rankings with the class. Focus on the reasons students give for their
Evidence: 5 1 2 3
Ranking Evidence: 4 5
(1 throug 1 2
1st – mos
t significan h 4): 3 4
4th – leas t □1 st □2 nd Evidence: 5
t significan □3 rd □4 th
t □1 st □2 nd

rankings rather than reaching a common conclusion. Accept student Event: ___
_________
_______ is
MOST sign
□3 rd □4 th
□1 st □2 nd
□3 rd □4 th
□1 st □2 nd
□3 rd □4 th
ificant bec

responses that do not rank one event as more or less significant than
ause:
Event: ___
_________
_______ is
LEAST hist
orically sign
ificant bec
ause:

another, provided justification is given. Learning

about histo
rical signi
ficance

10
© 2014,
The Critic
al Thinking
Consortiu
m www
.tc2.ca

Assess for understanding

In order to assess whether students are beginning to develop an understanding of historical
signficance, consider the following activities.

• Listen to student conversations when they are asked to discuss historical significance. Are they using criteria
and evidence in their conversations?

• When students justify their ranking of the two events orally, note whether they use the criteria effectively to
justify significance. Do they choose powerful and relevant pieces of evidence to support their justifications?

• Examine student use of the activity sheets Rating an event’s significance and Ranking historical significance.
Have they selected accurate and relevant evidence? Do their ratings reflect an understanding of the evidence?

• At a later date, when students are once again asked to determine historical significance of an event or person,
do they continue to consider the criteria discussed during this lesson?

TAKING IT FURTHER

The following activities might be used to further develop the concept of historical significance.

• Regularly assess the relative significance of parallel events or people (for example, invention of the printing
press and the computer; the industrial and digital revolutions; the Black Death and HIV/AIDS; Generals Wolfe
and Montcalm; explorers Champlain and Cartier).

• Assess the significance of a current or recent event (for example, 9/11, death of a famous person) using the
agreed-upon criteria. Encourage students to anticipate how views about what is significant may change over
time (in the future and also looking back to past events).

• Ask students to examine a section of their textbook (or other resource) to determine which events or people
are more or less significant.

• Take note of the events included in a textbook account of a historical period, conduct independent research on
several other important events from that period. Determine which, if any, of the supplemental events should
be included in the textbook account.

• From a set of primary or secondary sources, ask students to select 5-10 significant events from a historical period
(for example, Medieval Europe, ancient civilizations, New France). Ask students to use these events as the basis
for a two-paragraph “textbook” account of the period.

www.tc2.ca 4 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium

 Student activity sheet Name: _________________________________

For whom is it significant?

Use the following scale of significance to determine who ought to know about the events
and people listed below.

Scale of significance Who would judge it significant?

Global Most everyone in the world should know about it

National Most everyone in the country where it occurred should know

about it
Regional Most everyone in the region or who belongs to a specific group(s)
should study it
Individual Only the descendants and family of the people involved need
know about it
Not at all significant No one needs to remember it

How significant are these events and people?

1. Canada becoming a nation
2. British Columbia joining Canada
3. The first person to go into outer space
4. The person who invented the computer
5. The current Prime Minister of Canada
6. Women receiving the right to vote in national elections for the first time
7. The invention of gunpowder
8. The invention of perfume

Learning about historical significance 5 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
 Student information sheet
Internment in Canada

Event #1
Canada was involved in a major war. When it started, there were 171 000 people living
in Canada who had arrived, or whose ancestors had arrived, from countries that were
considered enemies of Canada. Many of these people had been born in Canada and spoke
English as their main language. During the war, 80 000 of these individuals were forced to
register with the police and report back to them as often as once a month. Failure to report
resulted in fines or even imprisonment.

Almost 8000 of these Canadian residents, including 81 women and 156 children, were
taken to one of 24 internment camps across Canada and were held without trial as “enemy
aliens.” The government took all of their property and money. It forced many of these
individuals to work for little pay and, in some cases without any pay even though the law
required that people working on all government projects were to be paid. They were made
to do difficult work including building roads and railways, and clearing trees and rocks from
land.

Some of the internment camps closed after a couple of years because there was a shortage
of labour and not enough workers to keep them running. This demand for workers also
meant that the internees were loaned out to private companies and sent all across Canada
without their families. They were forced to work at whatever jobs the company needed
them to do. Other camps remained in operation until 18 months after the war ended; some
people lived as long as six years in these camps.

Event #2
There were 23 224 people of a particular cultural group living in Canada when we became
involved in an international war. These people or their ancestors were from a country
considered to be an enemy of Canada. More than half of these people had been born in
Canada and many spoke English as their main language. During the war, the Prime Minister
publicly questioned the loyalty of these Canadians and all over the age of 16 were forced to
register with the police.

A year later, thousands of individuals of this particular group were ordered to leave their
homes. They were allowed to take one suitcase each. The rest of their property was turned
over to the authorities where it was sold and used to pay for the costs of their internment.
Some were made to live in cow barns for a time. Many families were separated when men
over 18 were sent to work in road camps, on farms or to Prisoner of War (POW) camps
surrounded by barbed wire. They were paid a small wage, and forced to pay for food and
housing out of that wage. Twelve thousand women, children and elderly were transported
to ghost towns, to live in conditions unsuitable for the bitter winters. Some of these people
were set free once the war was ended; others were deported to their country of origin.
Learning about historical significance © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium
 Student activity sheet Name: _________________________________

Are they historically significant?

Before viewing video

Is event #1 significant enough to be part of Is event #2 significant enough to be part of
our national history? our national history?
□ Yes □ No □ Yes □ No

Reasons for your decision Reasons for your decision

During viewing of video

Record additional factors (criteria) and evidence in the video that are useful in deciding
on the significance of the two historical events?

Learning about historical significance 7 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
 Student activity sheet Name: _________________________________

Rating an event’s significance

Event: _______________________________

Criteria 1 2 3 4 5
Not at all significant Very significant
How notable it was at the Significance 1 2 3 4 5
time:
Evidence:
Was it noticed at the time
as having importance?
How long did it exist or
operate?

How widespread and Significance 1 2 3 4 5

lasting the consequences
were: Evidence:

How deeply felt was it?

How widespread was it?
How lasting were its
effects?

How symbolic it is: Significance 1 2 3 4 5

How has it been Evidence:
memorialized?
Does it represent a
historical issue or trend?

Considering the ratings above, this event is:

□ Not at all significant: No one need remember the event
□ Individually significant: Only the descendents and family of the people involved should know
about the event
□ Regionally significant: Most everyone in the region or who belongs to the specific group(s)
affected should know about the event
□ Nationally significant: Everyone in the country where it occurred should know about the event
□ Globally significant: Most everyone in the world should know about the event

Reasons:

Learning about historical significance 8 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
 Sample response Name: _________________________________

Rating an event’s significance

Event: Ukrainian internment in World War I

Criteria 1 2 3 4 5
Not at all significant Very significant
How notable it was at the Significance 1 2 3 4 5
time:
Evidence:
Was it noticed at the time
as having importance? • people interred had ruined lives
• over 8,000 interred
How long did it exist or
operate? • people supported it

How widespread and Significance 1 2 3 4 5

lasting the consequences
were: Evidence:
How deeply felt was it? • it impacted the whole country
• the camps and the internees were from all across Canada
How widespread was it?
• families are still affected by what happened: the break-ups
How lasting were its
of families and the deaths of over 100 internees
effects?

How symbolic it is: Significance 1 2 3 4 5

How has it been Evidence:
memorialized?
• it is remembered
Does it represent a • Canada treating minorities badly in the past is something we
historical issue or trend?
are talking about today
• this was the first time this happened to Canadians

Considering the ratings above, this event is:

□ Not at all significant: No one need remember the event
□ Individually significant: Only the descendents and family of the people involved should know
about the event
□ Regionally significant: Most everyone in the region or who belongs to the specific group(s)
affected should know about the event
X Nationally significant: Every everyone in the country where it occurred should know about the
□
event
□ Globally significant: Most everyone in the world should know about the event

Reasons: The internment of Ukrainians in WWI is the first time that lots of Canadians were
interned: it affected many people all across the country. Also, it can represent Canada’s poor
treatment of minorities, which is a part of our history that people are still thinking about.

Learning about historical significance 9 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
 Student activity sheet Name: _________________________________
Ranking historical significance
Rank the events in order of their historical significance. Give reasons for each rating as well as your final ranking.
1 2 3 4 5
Not at all significant Very significant
Criteria Event: Event: Event: Event:
How notable it was at 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
the time Evidence: Evidence: Evidence: Evidence:
How widespread 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
and lasting the Evidence: Evidence: Evidence: Evidence:
consequences were
How symbolic of 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
historic issues or trends Evidence: Evidence: Evidence: Evidence:
it is
Ranking (1 through 4): □1st □2nd □3rd □4th □1st □2nd □3rd □4th □1st □2nd □3rd □4th □1st □2nd □3rd □4th
1st – most significant
4th – least significant
Event: ___________________ is MOST significant because:
Event: ___________________ is LEAST historically significant because:
Learning about historical significance 10 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
 Self-assessment rubric Name: _________________________________

Assessing understanding of historical significance

Rate your level of understanding for each aspect using the following scale:
1 2 3 4 5
Complete confusion Total understanding

In rating your understanding consider the extent to which you are able to:
• accurately explain the relevant concept(s) in your own words
• give specific and informative examples and evidence to support your ideas

Aspect of understanding Ratings

I understand what it means to Level of understanding: 1 2 3 4 5
determine historical significance. Evidence/explanation:

I can determine the historical

significance of an event, person
or development based on the
following criteria:
• How notable it was at the time Level of understanding: 1 2 3 4 5
Evidence/explanation:

• How lasting and widespread Level of understanding: 1 2 3 4 5

the consequences were Evidence/explanation:

• How symbolic of historical issues Level of understanding: 1 2 3 4 5

and trends it is Evidence/explanation:

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