What is a primary source?

• an artifact, a document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, a recording, or other source that was created at the time of study

• created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events researched

• prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair

• an educated guess based on evidence & prior knowledge

What do historians mean when they talk about "evidence"?

• a written document

• something that is usual, typical, or standard

• the available body of facts and primary sources that help determine what happened in the past & why

• the beliefs, customs, and art of a particular society, group, place, or time

What is a secondary source?

• an artifact, a document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, a recording, or other source that was created at the time of study

• something created later by someone who did not experience it first-hand or participate in the events researched

• prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair

• an educated guess based on evidence & prior knowledge

Think about H.I.P.P.O.

What kind of "H" (Historical Context) questions do we ask about sources? Select all that fit with that category.

• What type of source is it?

• What was the creator's goal?

• When was the source created?

• What other events or experiences prob. affected the author's perspective?

Think about H.I.P.P.O.

What kind of "I" (Intended Audience) questions do we ask about sources? Select all that fit with that category.

• How does the broader context affect our analysis of the source?

• Was the speaker talking in front of his fans or his critics?

• Did the creator mean for this to be shared with everyone?

• How does it impact our understanding of the source if the creator was trying to sell papers?

Think about H.I.P.P.O.

What kind of "P" (PURPOSE) questions would we ask of a source?

• Do we know why this footage was recorded?

• Do the participants on camera know they're being filmed?

• Where was this source created?

• Does the author/creator identify with the audience?

Think about H.I.P.P.O.

What kind of "P" (POINT-OF-VIEW) questions would we ask of a source?

• Do we know the the gender, age, ethnicity, or anything else about the creator?

• Does the author/creator seem to have strong feelings about the topic in question?

• What was this person's (the creator's) role in society?

• How does this source represent the era in which it was created?

If students are able to:

Understand how context/ background information influences the content of the document

• Recognize that documents are products of particular points in time

• Sourcing

• Contextualization

• Corroboration

• Close Reading

Which term means how a person sees an event? (their point of view)

• values
• opinion
• perspective
• fact

What should you do when you contextualize sources? 

• Determine when and where the document was created. 
• Determine which document is more reliable. 
• Determine the language(words, phrases, images, symbols) that is used in the document. 
• Determine the author of the document