Evaluation a Source
Are all historical sources equally trustworthy? How might the reliability of a historical document be affected by the circumstances under which it was created? In this activity, students sharpen their ability to source documents and learn to think critically about what sources provide the best evidence to answer historical questions.
Sourcing
Sourcing asks students to consider who wrote a document as well as the circumstances of its creation. Who authored a given document? When? For what purpose? This poster reminds students before reading a document to ask:
• Who wrote this?
• What is the author’s point of view?
• Why was it written?
• When was it written? (A long time or short time
after the event?)
• Is this source believable? Why? Why not?
• Who wrote this?
• What is the author’s point of view?
• Why was it written?
• When was it written? (A long time or short time
after the event?)
• Is this source believable? Why? Why not?