Historical Thinking Evaluating Sources

What is the best definition of historical thinking?

• The study of past events.

• The ability to describe, analyze, evaluate, and construct diverse interpretations of the past.

• Using thought or reasoning to justify an event or opinion.

• The ability to identify patterns within a group of facts or rules to determine outcomes.

Which is not a reason that we historians use historical thinking?

• Investigate historical questions

• Evaluate multiple perspectives

• Memorize important dates and people

• Make historical claims backed by evidence

Match the following historical thinking skills to their definitions.

• Analyzing and asking questions of a document

• Contextualization

• Using the 5 Ws to consider the creation of the source

• Close Reading

• Understanding a document in relation to time and place of creation

• Sourcing

• Comparing and contrasting different sources

• Corroboration

Reorder the following based on what you should do during each close read. (Which is Close Read #1? #2? #3?)

• Evaluate the author's claim and its credibility. Corroborate with other sources.

• Look at titles and headings, as well as images, captions, graphs, and tables.

• Determine the main idea, as well as the key details. Take note of unknown vocabulary.

The following definition describes which type of source?

An immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic/event, from people who had a direct connection with it.

• Primary Source

• Secondary Source

The following definition describes which type of source?

A source that was created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events

• Primary Source

• Secondary Source

Which is NOT an example of a primary source?

• Diary

• Letter

• Textbook

• Interview

Which is NOT an example of a secondary source?

• Newspaper article

• Article critiquing a piece of art

• Book about the French Revolution

• Biography of George Washington

In order to answer the historical question, What was the layout of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz?, two sources were used. Which source would be the MOST trustworthy?

• Interview with 80 year-old Holocaust survivor in 1985

• Map of concentration camp found in Nazi files

In order to answer the historical question, What happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn?, two sources were used. Which source would be the MOST trustworthy?

• High school history textbook from 1985.

• Newspaper account from the day after the battle in June 1876.