Investigating History is on its way! The full curriculum for grades five, six, and seven will be available for use next year. The supports and resources below can help you, your school, or your district prepare to adopt and use Investigating History in the 2023-24 school year:
The first Investigating History units for grades five, six, and seven are now available! Register here to learn more and gain early access to these just-released materials.
This guide is designed to help schools and districts make more informed and thoughtful choices about the Investigating History adoption process, as well as to support their ongoing planning and implementation work by highlighting areas where they may need to invest additional time, resources, and/or attention. It draws on the experiences of schools who piloted Investigating History to lay out the conditions that are critical to Investigating History's long-term success and provide a self-assessment tool that schools and districts can use to determine the extent to which each condition currently exists.
Certified providers have received training in the Investigating History curriculum and instructional approach and received DESE approval on their professional development offerings. We strongly recommend that districts partner with a certified professional development provider in order to leverage these providers' existing expertise in Investigating History's content, pedagogy, and design.
Next year, DESE will offer two free professional learning opportunities to support teachers and administrators with Investigating History:
Teacher Professional Learning Communities: These virtual professional learning communities are intended to provide a collaborative space for grade-alike teachers to learn together and support one another as they implement the Investigating History curriculum. Each professional learning community will be led by an experienced Investigating History Fellow who has experience using the curriculum in their classroom, but participants will also be an important source of support for each other as they address common challenges and share new approaches they're trying, collaboratively analyze student work, and prepare for upcoming lessons and units.
Investigating History Leaders' Network: This in-person network is designed for school and district leaders who are supporting Investigating History in their districts-recognizing the critical role they play in supporting their teachers' success with these new materials. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the Investigating History instructional approach and analyze some of the pedagogical shifts that Investigating History may require of teachers, collaborating with context-alike colleagues to share successes and problem-solve challenges over the course of the year.
These sample materials and lesson plans are intended to help educators make informed decisions about adopting Investigating History by providing information about the curriculum's scope and sequence as well as examples of its key instructional features and pedagogical approach.
DESE has established partnerships with approved print vendors to help districts easily procure copies of teacher and student materials. Detailed ordering instructions will be available on this page by July.
Have additional questions? Please email InvestigatingHistory@mass.gov .
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906
Voice: (781) 338-3000 TTY: (800) 439-2370
Disclaimer: A reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.