Thinking Like a Historian Boot Camp

Is it primary or secondary?

A model created by a student in your class of the Great Pyramids in Egypt

• Primary

• Secondary

Is it primary or secondary?

The copy of the U.S. Constitution in the back of your history textbook.

• Primary

• Secondary

Is it primary or secondary?

A video recording of the attack on the Twin Towers in September 2001. The video was uploaded to YouTube and shown to your class in 2021.

• Primary

• Secondary

Is it primary or secondary?

An article from Wikipedia about President John Adams.

• Primary

• Secondary

Is it primary or secondary?

The paragraph in your textbook about the Iroquois Confederacy.

• Primary

• Secondary

Is it primary or secondary?

A photograph of you and your friends at the upcoming Halloween Dance.

• Primary

• Secondary

Is it primary or secondary?

The information from a museum tour guide who shows you an exhibit of the Terracotta Warriors from ancient China and shares facts with you.

• Primary

• Secondary

Matt is researching factories in the early 1800s. In order to get the best idea possible, he looks at a painting of the town that centered around a clothing factory in 1832, he reads a journal entry from one of the women who worked in the factory, and he watches a video on the History Channel about factory life in the early 1800s. He plans to compare the sources and see where they agree.

Which method of thinking like a historian is Matt participating in?

• Sourcing

• Contextualization

• Corroboration

• Close Reading

Sally is studying the American Revolution in her U.S. History class. She is looking at a painting that was created by Paul Revere about the Boston Massacre. She knows that Paul Revere witnessed the account so his painting is a primary source. She decides to do some more researching about Revere BEFORE she studies the painting. She discovers that he may have been exaggerating in his drawings. She decides that they may not be able to trust his source completely because it is biased.

Which historical thinking method is Sally practicing?

• Sourcing

• Contextualization

• Corroboration

• Close Reading

John is looking into the history of German immigration into New Jersey. He wants to know why they decided to move to this state, so he decides to look at what else was going on that might have affected the immigration. He looks at what life was like in Germany, he also looks at what was happening in New Jersey that might have attracted the immigrants.

Which method of historical thinking is John doing?

• Sourcing

• Contextualization

• Corroboration

• Close Reading