Historical Scene Investigation Project (H.S.I.)

About H.S.I.

The Historical Scene Investigation Project (HSI) was designed for social studies teachers who need a strong pedagogical mechanism for bringing primary sources into their classroom. With the advent and accessibility of the Internet, many libraries, universities and government agencies are housing their historical documents online. Simultaneously, there has been a push in K-12 history education to give students experiences that more closely resemble the work of a real historian. The National Center for History in the Schools (NCHS) provides standards challenging teachers to design experiences in which students:

• raise questions and to marshal solid evidence in support of their answers
• go beyond the facts presented in their textbooks and examine the historical record for themselves
• consult documents, journals, diaries, artifacts, historic sites, works of art, quantitative data, and other evidence from the past, and to do so imaginatively--taking into account the historical context in which these records were created and comparing the multiple points of view of those on the scene at the time (National Center for History in the Schools, 1996, p. 14.)

H.S.I. helps educators achieve these standards by gathering unique primary resources and corresponding activities that teachers may use from the convenience of their classrooms.

{Check out H.S.I.s OPEN CASES }