David C. McCullough, author of 1776

In other words, when you wonder what is going on and what we need to do about it, the people who have some clue are the ones who know their history. The rest are just hoping for the right interpretation.

Think of it on a personal level. Let's say John had a bad hamburger:

Chronology - Last week John had a bad hamburger. (So -- why is that important?)

Cause and effect - Last week, John had a bad hamburger, and that made him feel sick. (So - what did you learn from that?)

Analysis - Last week, John had a bad hamburger, and that made him feel sick. That burger joint was not a good place to eat. (So what should he do about it?)

Impact - Last week, John had a bad hamburger, and that made him feel sick. That burger joint was not a good place to eat. Therefore, I will not go there.

Some people say experience is the best teacher (except people who work on bombs - I don't recall that I've heard one of them say that). On the other hand, it hurts a lot less to learn from other people's mistakes.

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

George Santayana

This definitely applies to 8th grade history class. Summer school or another year . . . .