Fifth Graders Historical Role Play

Fifth graders investigated the Indian Removal Act through the perspectives of Native Americans, merchants and landowners, members of the Andrew Jackson Administration, and missionaries in a historical role play activity this week. As students engaged with the issue from multiple viewpoints, they essentially were experiencing history. At this heightened level of involvement, not only did 5th-graders learn about significant historical events, but they also flexed their critical thinking skills by comparing and analyzing key decisions “in real time.”

 

During role play activities such as this one, students discover underrepresented voices from history and investigate why certain perspectives are excluded or ignored. They learn to hold another person’s point of view in their portrayal of the historical character. Developmentally, students begin to see beyond the “black and white” of life decisions. “Even the clearest moral decisions [become] complex,” says Brian Stark, 5th grade teacher.

 

While debriefing with his students, Brian observed the excitement of students who had pushed beyond their scope of experience and into another perspective. Presenting history in this manner exposes the foundations of systems in place today and challenges students to think critically about the “decisions whose result we already know,” says Brian.