Historical Reading Questions Students should be able to . . . Prompts Skills This author I author's position on historical event is the of view? What Identify probably believes… author’s point Sourcing was it written? Why think the was it written? and evaluate author's purpose in When Identify audience is… (Before reading this source believable? Why? Why producing document Is document) not? Based on the sourcing information, I predict this author what author will say BEFORE Predict will… reading document I this document do/don’t trust source's believability/ Evaluate because… trustworthiness by considering genre, audience, and author's purpose. I already know that _ is happening at else was going on at the time context/background information to draw What Use Contextualization this was written? more meaning from document this time… was it like to be alive at this What time? From this document I would guess historical context from document(s) Infer that people at this time were things were different back then? What feeling… What things were the same? that document reflects one Recognize moment in changing past This document might not give me the whole picture because … that words must be Understand understood in a larger context I think the author chose these words claims does the author make? claims about event What Identify author’s Close Reading because they make me evidence does the author use What feel… to support those claims? evidence/reasoning author uses to Evaluate support claims The author is trying to convince is this document make me feel? How me… words or phrases does the What (by using/saying…) author use to convince me that choice; understand that Evaluate author’s word he/she is right? language is used deliberately information does the author What leave out? This author do other pieces of evidence what is true by comparing What Establish agrees/ disagrees with… Corroboration say? documents to each other I finding different versions of the This document was written Am story? Why or why not? disparities between two earlier/later than the Recognize other, so… pieces of evidence are most accounts What believable?
Historical Reading Skills Questions Students should be able to . . . Prompts Sourcing (Before reading document) What is the author’s point of view? Why was it written? When was it written? Is this source believable? Why? Why not? Identify author's position on historical event Identify and evaluate author's purpose in producing document Predict what author will say BEFORE reading document Evaluate source's believability/ trustworthiness by considering genre, audience, and author's purpose. This author probably believes… I think the audience is… Based on the sourcing information, I predict this author will… I do/don’t trust this document because… Contextualization What else was going on at the time this was written? What was it like to be alive at this time? What things were different back then? What things were the same? Use context/background information to draw more meaning from document Infer historical context from document(s) Recognize that document reflects one moment in changing past Understand that words must be understood in a larger context I already know that _ is happening at this time… From this document I would guess that people at this time were feeling… This document might not give me the whole picture because … Close Reading What claims does the author make? What evidence does the author use to support those claims? How is this document make me feel? What words or phrases does the author use to convince me that he/she is right? What information does the author leave out? Identify author’s claims about event Evaluate evidence/reasoning author uses to support claims Evaluate author’s word choice; understand that language is used deliberately I think the author chose these words because they make me feel… The author is trying to convince me… (by using/saying…) Corroboration What do other pieces of evidence say? Am I finding different versions of the story? Why or why not? What pieces of evidence are most believable? Establish what is true by comparing documents to each other Recognize disparities between two accounts This author agrees/ disagrees with… This document was written earlier/later than the other, so…