How do historians find out what happened in the past?

When asked this question during our last social studies unit, Dylan answered: "They use primary sources. They use what they find out to find out other things. They pause and they think, 'What is this?' and 'What else could it be?' and then they turn it into a question and answer it."

Piper added, "The way they use primary sources is they listen to stories that are passed down from generation to generation from people who were there or whose ancestors were there. They also use other sources to fit in with the primary sources they have. It's kind of like a puzzle--to fit in all the pieces."

Waseya made a different comparison when she said, "Usually answering one question brings up another question so they have more to uncover. They're like detectives in a way."

Owen pointed out that "they can find out from someone who kept telling their grandchildren who could tell the historians--or who could be the historians." I liked that--recognizing that each of us may be the one passing on stories that become part of history, or we may become the historians ourselves!