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Historical Thinking Skills

Historical Thinking Skills. For History Students. Skills. Sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, close reading, multiple perspectives We will ask questions of the documents to understand where it came from and what we can learn from it

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Historical Thinking Skills

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  1. Historical Thinking Skills For History Students

  2. Skills • Sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, close reading, multiple perspectives • We will ask questions of the documents to understand where it came from and what we can learn from it • The questions we ask require use of several skills at once

  3. Sourcing • Asking questions about the who, what, where, and why of the creation of a document • This should begin before reading a document • What is the identity of the author? • When was the document created? • Who is the intended audience for the document? • What is the author’s purpose? • Is this source valid? Why or why not?

  4. Contextualization • Placing the document in the place and time of its creation • What was happening at the time that influenced this document? • Is the document part of an existing debate or controversy (a political election, debate over slavery, war between nations, etc…) • What ideas, language or assumptions of the time are apparent in this document? Notions about race, gender, ethnicity, etc…

  5. Corroboration • Comparing different accounts, or multiple perspectives, to gain an accurate picture of the past • Where would I look to find sources to confirm or refute this story? What do other pieces of evidence say? • Am I finding different versions of the story, event, or debate? Why or why not? • What do secondary sources say about the issue in question? Do they agree with the documents? Why or why not? • What pieces of evidence are most believable? Why?

  6. Close Reading • Consists of two separate but complementary practices: • 1. Students apply reading strategies to discern meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases • 2. Students read between the lines to discover clues about motives, agenda, tone, and other ideas from the author

  7. Close Reading • What words or phrases are unfamiliar? What do they mean? Look to discover the meaning of these words using either reading strategies or additional sources • What is the tone of the document (angry, sarcastic, desperate, authoritative)? • What important claims does the author make? • What is the author hoping to achieve with this document?

  8. Considering Multiple Perspectives • A form of corroboration • Involves consciously comparing multiple sources to consider why different people or groups might view the same event differently • Where do the sources agree and disagree? • If they differ, why? • What individual or group not represented in these sources might have a different opinion?

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