The Art of Historical Inquiry

Adapted from Nicole Gilbertson – World History Project – UCI

Inquiry:A close examination of something,

in order to search for information or truth.

By the end of this lesson:

You will know what a source is.

You will know the difference between a primary and a secondary source.

You will understand how a historian uses a source to gain information. 

You will have some idea about how to analyze a source.

You will be able to see the information that can be gained from a picture source

What are Historical Sources?

An historical source is something that tells us about History. It is evidence.

It may be a document, a picture, a sound recording, a book, a film, a television program, or an object.

Can someone give me an example of a type of document?

2 main types of historical sources: Primary Sources and Secondary Sources

Primary source = something that originates from the past Secondary source = something that has been written (or made) recently, about the past

Examples

Applying your knowledge…

Go to: http://historyonthenet.com/Lessons/sources/primarysecondary.htm

Complete the online lessons

If you have ANY questions – raise your hand and I will come around to assist you!

What have we learned?

Primary Source AnalysisHow do historians approach a primary source?

What questions do they ask the primary source?

What’s great is that “using primary sources

allows us not just to read about history,

but to read history itself.”

From Pages in History (Smith)

Study the source I have passed out to you and your partner:CONTENT:

Describe what you see in detail to each other

CITATION: Who created the text?When was the text created?

CONTEXT:What was going on in the world when the text was created?

CONNECTIONS: Can the source be linked to other things you already know or have learned about?

COMMUNICATION:How does the source express point-of-view?

– Circle or highlight words or images that provide EVIDENCE of emotion or persuasion

CONCLUSION:How does this source contribute to our understanding of history?

We call these the 6 C’s.

If we get in the habit of asking ourselves these6 questions when looking at historical

sources – we will begin to THINK like Historians!