One of the most widely shared misconceptions among young people is that there can be one ‘true’ story of the past and that the value of any given interpretation depends on how closely it approximates to this ideal account. Enabling students to recognise that what historians are actually doing when they write about the past is advancing a series of claims – presenting and defending an argument – will help them not only in handling different interpretations but also in improving their own writing. 

While some historians’ arguments are obvious (and often more engaging because of it) others are much more subtle; the persuasive techniques obscured by a dispassionate tone. Unpicking the techniques used in both cases – exposing the processes by which the arguments are constructed and empowering students to evaluate them in relation to the evidence presented (and perhaps withheld) – can not only bring the subject alive, but also enliven and enrich students’ own accounts. The materials in this section demonstrate a variety of ways in which teachers have made historical argument visible to young people and encouraged and equipped them to join in.

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