Reading to Understand: Why the History of Spain Transforms Our Students’ Present

At Alegra, we believe that reading does more than inform — it shapes judgement. That’s why we have designed a Reading Project on the History of Spain which, rather than focusing on the accumulation of facts, teaches our students to think historically. Integrated into the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and culminating in the IB Diploma Programme (DP), the project aligns reading maturity with the complexity of the past, turning each historical period into a demanding and fascinating dialogue with the present. The result? Students who can distinguish facts from opinions, who ask sharper questions, argue with evidence, and engage in calm, thoughtful dialogue. As they progress, we see our students grow into articulate young women — informed, reasoned, and respectful voices in the world.

The reading sequence moves through major historical periods, and in each, we work on specific Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills from the IB framework. At the beginning (MYP 1), we move between Antiquity and the first Christian kingdoms: everyday life, and the legacies of law, language, and urbanism help students organise timelines, make simple inferences, and naturally distinguish between what happened and what is said to have happened.

Later (MYP 2), we explore the pluralism of medieval Iberia, with its cities, networks of knowledge, and tensions. Here, research takes centre stage: students compare sources, detect perspectives, and understand how culture flourishes through exchange.

At the crossroads of the seas (MYP 3), from the late Middle Ages to the early Modern Age, students analyse expansion, alliances, and the limits of power. They learn to compare intentions with structures, continuity with change, and to appreciate unforeseen consequences.

The 19th century (MYP 4) brings revolutions, constitutions, and the birth of the modern State. It is the moment for historiographical synthesis and argumentative writing based on primary sources.

At the start, it is natural to notice small “gaps” or imbalances in concepts, definitions, and approaches. This initial “bump” is not a flaw — it’s part of intellectual growth, evident when moving from memorisation to nuanced reasoning. We support this process with clear scaffolding — progressive glossaries, model examples, transparent rubrics, guided rereading — and a carefully sequenced structure that adjusts depth to the real needs of each group.

For this reason, we consider it essential to broaden the current curriculum — to enrich it with comparative approaches, source analysis, close reading, and nuance work that standardised systems, constrained by time or testing formats, often overlook. This expansion is not an accessory; it is the key to helping our students build solid, meaningful knowledge — enabling them to engage with the complexity of the present and the uncertainty of the future. We educate for life, not merely for exams.

History, when read well, also strengthens understanding of coexistence and intercultural dialogue — fundamental in an international school like ours. For a student born in Spain, learning her country’s history builds an identity with roots, clarifies recurring debates, and provides the language of citizenship to assess both the successes and the errors of politics.

For an international student — a true asset in Alegra’s diverse community — it becomes a cultural gateway: it opens doors to linguistic nuance and turns travels and museum visits into experiences full of meaning. For all our students, history provides common ground — a shared language for respectful debate. And once again, evidence lies at the heart: when two perspectives clash, we ask for proof and reasoning. This habit reduces unproductive emotional reactions and raises the level of dialogue in all contexts.

At the end of the journey, what we celebrate most is not the ability to recite dates, but intellectual serenity. Those who understand where they come from are less easily surprised by what they see — and they decide better. That is the deeper purpose of our History of Spain Reading Plan: to cultivate critical thinking that links mind and heart. Because reading the past with calm, accuracy, and empathy is not an academic luxury — it is a school of citizenship for the present.

And there — in that blend of knowledge, evidence, and dialogue, with room for initial doubt and a curriculum rich enough to capture nuance — we see something greater than academic success flourish: we see young people growing into individuals capable of understanding, reasoning, and standing by their principles. In short, true citizens of their time, called to make a deep and positive impact on the world they inherit.

Militza Hernández
Head of Academics at Alegra School