Questioning Historical Sources
Before trusting a historical source, ask: who made this, when, and why? — the answers shape how much weight the source should carry
Typical age: 8–10 years
“When your child looks at a historical document, photograph, or account, do they ask who created it and what that person's reasons or point of view might have been?”
0 / 2 mastered
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Needs first
- Different Accounts of the Same EventREQUIRED
Sourcing — asking who made this and why — is the analytical tool for explaining why accounts of the same event differ
- Reading between the lines
Interrogating historical sources with critical questions builds on the skill of asking and answering questions about key details in non-fiction texts
- Inferring Characters' Feelings and Motives
Asking who made a source, when, and why — and interpreting what that means — requires the inference skills developed in English reading comprehension
- Vocabulary: historical thinkingREQUIRED
Evaluating a source requires 'primary source', 'secondary source', 'bias' vocabulary
- Understanding Why
Sourcing is elaborative interrogation applied to historical documents — asking not just what it says but why it was made
Unlocks next
- Modern Archaeology and Egyptian Ethics
Critically evaluating modern archaeological methods and the ethics of who owns artefacts applies the sourcing habit to contemporary historical practice
- Evidence Versus InterpretationREQUIRED
Distinguishing evidence from interpretation requires sourcing skill — you must understand who made the evidence and why before you can see that interpretations are layered on top
- Evidence for Greek and Roman Life
Historical Thinking source evaluation skills underpin Greek/Roman evidence evaluation
- Checking Sources Against Each OtherREQUIRED
Corroborating across sources requires first knowing how to evaluate each source individually through sourcing