A Living History Classroom: Using Re-Enactment to Enhance Learning - Mark Daniels

This article describes a visit by the author in colonial - era kit to a special ed class in addition to providing some general tips about using living history in the classroom. This piece also emphasizes that living history is very versatile as an educational tool and can be applied across the curriculum! For example, he writes: "When reading a Greek tragedy in a literature class, students could take turns reading from a podium and wearing a toga (a white bed sheet draped over their shoulders); this may help set the tone and better convey the message" (Daniels, 2010). This too is a form of living history and shows how this method of learning can apply even outside of the traditional history classroom. However, he does also warn against using this method too often, for it will then lose effectiveness. He concludes by remarking that educators are limited only by their "imagination and resources" (Daniels 2010), which further shows just how versatile living history is as an educational tool.  

Historical Reenactment and Living History: A Guide for Teachers - Shelby Anderson

This short piece from the Imperial War Museum in London describes some steps to get a reenactor in a classroom and how to organize such a visit. It also provides example of several questions to ask to get the conversation started, such as "“Can you tell us about ____ item you are wearing and what it does?” “What might a typical day for ____ person be like?”" (Anderson, 2023) which helps to provide a framework for setting up a lesson involving living history so it feels less overwhelming to plan.  

“You could See it [the Past] in your Mind”: What Impact might Living History Performance Have on the Historical Consciousness of Young People?

This article analyzed two groups of British schoolchildren who experienced living history at two separate historic sites where they learned about Medieval British history - The Tower Of London and the Museum Of London. It also discusses two different types of approaches one could take to living history: first person and third person interpretation, as well as the relative successes and failures of each kind as reported by the students and teachers after the fact. The article also states an example of how the living history elements brought history as a whole closer to the students: "Elements of the performance, however, helped them to “think that [medieval people] were really people” " (Jones 2014) which shows how this method may be employed to connect with students, especially if the event being taught is highly unfamiliar to them. 

10 Ways to Make History Come Alive in Your Classroom

This article lists several strategies that can be used to incorporate living history in the classroom, including using "Reenact events" (Parlett, n.d.) and "Explore real photographs"(Parlett, n.d.). While the exploration of photographs is less hands on than dressing up or using real historical artifacts in the classroom,  it still provides a direct connection to the past which students can analyze. Furthermore, it may be simpler for a teacher to get copies of primary source photographs for use in a lesson, or perhaps they could teach the photographs one day and invite a reenactor later on and compare them to what the students saw in the photographs.    

A Patriot Loyalist Debate at Fort Montgomery State Historic Site

This video is a staging of a debate between a patriot and a loyalist on the issue of taxation during The American Revolution. If an educator cannot bring in reenactors in person, this video offers a suitable alternative and will still offer an engaging way for students to understand the arguments that led to the breakout of war between the US and Britain that is more memorable than simply reading about those conversations from a textbook.