Event Details
Designing Historical Inquiries is a 2-day experiential professional development workshop that offers 7-12 educators practical strategies for facilitating student-led historical research. Participants will learn how to help students develop their own inquiry question and gather, interpret, and evaluate sources. Museum staff will lead sessions on how to search for and engage with digital sources from the State Historical Society of Iowa.
- Explore how to stage an inquiry and guide students in developing their own questions for research.
- Visit the Research Center and explore digital sources for student research, including:
- Ancestry
- Census Records
- Newspapers
- Photographs
- Historical Maps
- And more!
- Get a behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s historical collections and learn how to access the Iowa History Collections Catalog with your students.
- Get free resources to support student inquiry in your classroom!
Workshop Agenda:
Thursday, June 25, 2026
Time | Description |
8:00 – 8:30 | Welcome, Introductions, & Overview |
8:30 – 9:30 | Session I – Doing Student-Led Historical Inquiry Explore how to help your students develop compelling questions and plan historical inquiries. |
9:30 – 9:45 | Break |
9:45 – 11:45 | Session II – Ancestry and Census Records in the Research Center Engage in hands-on activities to learn about how to use Ancestry and digital Census records. |
11:45 – 12:45 | Lunch Lunch is on your own. There are restaurants near the museum, and a refrigerator and microwave on-site. |
12:45 – 2:30 | Session III – Newspapers in the Research Center Learn about how to use digitized newspapers to explore research topics. |
2:30 – 2:45 | Break |
2:45 – 3:45 | Session IV – Work Time on Student-Led Project Brainstorm a plan for implementing student-led inquiry in your classroom. |
3:45 – 4:00 | Debrief & Depart |
Thursday, June 26, 2026
Time | Description |
8:00 – 8:15 | Welcome Back & Overview |
8:15 – 10:15 | Session I – History Mystery & Collections Tour Participate in an activity describing objects from the museum’s collection and go on a tour. |
10:15 – 10:30 | Break |
10:30 – 11:30 | Session II – Photographs in the Research Center Explore digitized photograph collections and learn how to include them in student research. |
11:30 – 12:30 | Lunch Lunch is on your own. There are restaurants near the museum, and a refrigerator and microwave on-site. |
12:30 – 2:00 | Session III – Historical Maps in the Research Center Learn how to access and interrogate historical maps, then explore the map collection. |
2:00 – 2:15 | Break |
2:15 – 3:30 | Session IV – Work Time & Exhibit Exploration Time to work on developing a plan to implement a student-led inquiry and explore the museum. |
3:30 – 4:00 | Debrief & Depart |
Required Text
- None
Outcomes and Objectives
- To improve instruction with inquiry, primary sources, and historical thinking skills
- To develop a plan to implement a student-led inquiry project in the classroom
Evaluation
- Using what is learned about inquiry, primary source analysis, historical thinking skills, and digital sources from the Society, participants will create a plan to implement a student-led inquiry project in the classroom. The plan should incorporate a resource from the State Historical Society of Iowa and connect to relevant grade level Iowa standards for the teaching context. The lesson is due by Sunday, July 12, 2026 at 11:59 PM.
Course Requirements
- Credit seekers must attend both days of the in-person workshop, actively participate in class, and complete a plan to implement student-led inquiry that demonstrates their understanding of best-practice learning strategies for inquiry and social studies.
Instructor & Contact Information:
Rachel Hansen, rachel.hansen@iowa.gov, State Historical Society of Iowa
Registration Details
Participants must register by June 22, 2026. Registration is required to attend.