Obscure Histories, Jr.
OH, Jr. is the home of interdisciplinary curricula that teaches history along with real world skills.
Obscure Histories officially filed for 501(c)3 status on 7 August 2023.
The History Documentary Curriculum
Learn to write, edit, and produce history documentary videos
For students 5th-grade and up. A first-of-its-kind curriculum, elective, or extracurricular program.
Real World Skills + History
How does the curriculum align with your state's ELA & SS standards?
Download the state by state guide below.
The ESSENTIALS CURRICULUM
Students make a 2-3 minute history video with images, music, onscreen text, & narration.
SKILLS TAUGHT
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Project Ideation
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Research Practices
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Source Evaluation
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Narrative Construction
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Storytelling
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Script Writing for Education
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Video Editing Skills
The ADVANCED CURRICULUM
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Everything from the ESSENTIALS Curriculum
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Storyboarding
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Production Techniques (Handbook incl.)
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Audio recording
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Basic shot set-up
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Basic lighting set-up
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Interviewing set-up (in person & online)
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Production forms, like shot log, video releases, etc.
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Download the
FREE MINI-LESSON
on Narrative Structure
THE PILOT DOCUMENTARY
8th-grade students in a Chicago school were taught the OH, Jr. History Documentary Curriculum by their school instructors and Dr. Rovang.
Using the curriculum, the students put together this incredible documentary in a limited amount of time. We are so proud of their strong voices and this impressive piece!
REVIEWS FOR THE PILOT DOC CURRICULUM
"The Obscure Histories Jr curriculum was easy to follow and adapt to our needs within the classroom. It provided clear steps about the process of creating a documentary and hands-on activities for students to practice real world applicable skills. We are looking forward to using it both in the classroom and as an extracurricular activity next year!"
—Ms. Fox, Assistant Principal
"I enjoyed being able to learn about everything that goes on behind the scenes and be able to understand everything that goes into creating a documentary. I especially liked the part where we could work together and create something using the tips and skills we learned. Being able to learn about how to make a documentary allowed me to open my eyes to the different careers in filmmaking and get a chance to try something new."
—Itzel, 8th Grade
"As our final project in 8th grade social studies, our students chose to create a documentary about the vibrant art and murals in the Pilsen Neighborhood in Chicago. The Obscure Histories Jr. Program helped bring the students' vision to life! From building a script to production techniques, Obscure Histories Jr gave our 8th graders an opportunity to fully engage in a hands-on learning experience with the artwork in their surrounding community!"
—Mr. MacDonald, Social Studies
Check out our Mini-Lesson on Narrative Structure!
Narrative Structure is UNIT 2 in the Curriculum
Google Slides with notes
Activities
Template
COMING SOON: More Options for the History Documentary Curriculum
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Guided lesson plan with example topic
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Explanatory videos for each module to accompany slides
ObscureHistories, Jr.
GET IN TOUCH
dana at obscurehistories.com