Historical Thinking

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Source

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Where information comes from. A source can be a book, a diary, a photo, an article, or even an interview.

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Primary Source

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A piece of evidence created during the time being studied or by someone who experienced the events firsthand. Examples: a diary entry, a speech, a newspaper from the event, or an old photograph.

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Secondary Source

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Something created after the event by someone who did not experience it. Examples: a textbook, a website summary, or a history documentary.

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Sourcing

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Asking questions about a source: Who made this? When was it made? Why was it made? This helps us figure out how useful the source is.

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Bias

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When someone shows their personal opinion or feelings in a source, instead of only facts. Bias doesn’t make a source useless, but it changes how we understand it.

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Context

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The background information that explains what was happening at the time a source was created. Context helps us understand why people thought or acted the way they did.

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Credibility

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How trustworthy a source is. If a source is based on evidence and is made by someone who knows about the topic, it’s more credible.

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Perspective

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The point of view of the person who created the source. Everyone sees events differently depending on their experiences, beliefs, or position in society.

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Corroborate

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To check multiple sources to see if they agree. If different sources say the same thing, the information is more trustworthy.

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Purpose

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The reason why a source was created — to inform, to persuade, to record events, or to entertain.