HISTORY: Studying Sources

An EXTRACTION question challenges the student to get as much out of the source as they can.

Typical questions:

• What can we learn from Source A about...?
• What does Source D tell us about...?

TO DO:

• Write down at least 3 things the source tells you

• Write down what you can infer, if there are any messages, or if the source is trying to create an impression by making you think in a certain way

• Write down what the source tells you about when it was created, the situation in which it was created and/or what the source tells you about the author

A SIMILARITY/DIFFERENCE question asks a student to compare and contrast a number of sources.

Typical questions:

• Do the sources agree about...?
• In what way do Sources A and B differ about...?

TO DO:

• HOW - compare simple things, e.g. what they agree/disagree on,  and similarities/differences in tone, approach, message etc.

• WHY - look at the label on the source, e.g. who wrote it, when, in what context or situation and why it was written

• Wherever possible use quotes from the source to back up your points

• Make a conclusion summing up how and/or why they are similar or different

RELIABILITY questions want students to judge how accurate and reliable a source is.

Typical questions:

• How accurate is Source C as a source of information...?
• How reliable is...?

TO DO:

• Find out if the source is biased or exaggerated by looking at the language used. See if the source gives you an accurate picture and compare to other sources

• Look at the label to find out who wrote it and when. Work out if the author is well respected or has motive to lie

• Back up all of your points with evidence in your conclusion

UTILITY questions ask how useful a source is.

Typical question:

• How useful is Source D to a Historian studying surgery in the Middle Ages?

TO DO:

• QUALITY and QUANTITY - How much information it gives you and how reliable it is

• See if it is the type of information you need in relation to the question

• Look at sufficiency - see if the source gives you the whole story and identify its limitations and explain what it is used for

• Say whether you can trust the source, who wrote it, and why

• Remember the source reveals a lot about something, whether it is the individual's opinion or the organisation that produced it

CONCLUSION questions usually ask students to debate a particular issue and to use the sources to back up the conclusion they come to.

Typical questions;

• Use all the sources to debate...
• Do all the sources agree that public health improved at different times for different reasons?

DO TO:

• Look through all the sources with the question in mind
• Remember the sources have been selected to support both sides of the argument
• Make sure you account for accuracy and reliability in your conclusion