Historical Thinking Skills

The story your grandfather tells you about his experience during the Korean War.

• Primary

• Secondary

A letter written by George Washington to his mother about the latest developments in the Revolutionary War

• Primary

• Secondary

Your US History textbook or an encyclopedia.

• Primary

• Secondary

Your high school diploma.

• Primary

• Secondary

A photograph of you and your friends at your 8th birthday party.

• Primary

• Secondary

A mummy from ancient Egypt.

• Primary

• Secondary

What does contextualization mean?

• Considering what other sources on the topic say about the event. This is done to see where multiple sources agree and disagree about what happened.

• After reading the source, this asks you to decide what the author is saying, how he or she is saying it, what evidence the author provides for the claims he or she makes.

• The first thing historians do when looking at a piece of evidence is find out who created it, when it was created, and what the purpose of the document was.

• This asks you to locate the document in time and place. Seeking out what other events were going on in the world that might have influenced the event.

What does sourcing mean?

• Considering what other sources on the topic say about the event. This is done to see where multiple sources agree and disagree about what happened.

• After reading the source, this asks you to decide what the author is saying, how he or she is saying it, what evidence the author provides for the claims he or she makes.

• The first thing historians do when looking at a piece of evidence is to find out who created it, when it was created, and what the purpose of the document was.

• This asks you to locate the document in time and place. Seeking out what other events were going on in the world that might have influenced the event.

What does close reading mean?

• Considering what other sources on the topic say about the event. This is done to see where multiple sources agree and disagree about what happened.

• After reading the source, this asks you to decide what the author is saying, how he or she is saying it, what evidence the author provides for the claims he or she makes.

• The first thing historians do when looking at a piece of evidence is to find out who created it, when it was created, and what the purpose of the document was.

• This asks you to locate the document in time and place. Seeking out what other events were going on in the world that might have influenced the event.

What does corroborate mean?

• Considering what other sources on the topic say about the event. This is done to see where multiple sources agree and disagree about what happened.

• After reading the source, this asks you to decide what the author is saying, how he or she is saying it, what evidence the author provides for the claims he or she makes.

• The first thing historians do when looking at a piece of evidence is to find out who created it, when it was created, and what the purpose of the document was.

• This asks you to locate the document in time and place. Seeking out what other events were going on in the world that might have influenced the event.