History // Historical Thinking

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

Ages
8 to 10
Type
Thinking skill
Builds on
5 topics
Leads to
4 topics

Quick check

When the learner looks at a historical document, photograph, or account, do they ask who created it and what that person's reasons or point of view might have been?

Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.

Topic // Mastery

What mastery looks like

What a learner can do once this topic is secure.
  • Wineburg sourcing heuristic
  • Teaching Historical Thinking Using Primary Sources (Library of Congress)

Topic // Map

Where this fits

What to learn first and what this topic opens up, with the reason for each link. Required links come first.
  • RequiredMust come first
  • HelpfulHelps, but not essential

Before this

5 topics
  • Different Accounts of the Same EventRequired

    Historical Thinking // Ages 6 to 8

    Sourcing — asking who made this and why — is the analytical tool for explaining why accounts of the same event differ

  • Vocabulary: historical thinkingRequired

    Historical Thinking // Ages 6 to 10

    Evaluating a source requires 'primary source', 'secondary source', 'bias' vocabulary

  • Reading between the linesHelpful

    English // Reading Comprehension // Ages 5 to 10

    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 MotivesHelpful

    English // Reading Comprehension // Ages 7 to 10

    Asking who made a source, when, and why — and interpreting what that means — requires the inference skills developed in English reading comprehension

  • Understanding WhyHelpful

    Learning to Learn // Learning to Learn // Ages 8 to 9

    Sourcing is elaborative interrogation applied to historical documents — asking not just what it says but why it was made

You are here

Questioning Historical Sources

Ages 8 to 10 // Thinking skill

Leads to

4 topics
  • Checking Sources Against Each OtherRequired

    Historical Thinking // Ages 8 to 10

    Corroborating across sources requires first knowing how to evaluate each source individually through sourcing

  • Evidence Versus InterpretationRequired

    Historical Thinking // Ages 10 to 11

    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 LifeHelpful

    Ancient Greece & Rome // Ages 9 to 11

    Historical Thinking source evaluation skills underpin Greek/Roman evidence evaluation

  • Modern Archaeology and Egyptian EthicsHelpful

    Ancient Egypt // Ages 10 to 12

    Critically evaluating modern archaeological methods and the ethics of who owns artefacts applies the sourcing habit to contemporary historical practice

History // Historical Thinking

More in Historical Thinking

All 7 topics