Historical Interpretations: based on Understanding historical interpretations means asking students to step back and appreciate the processes of the discipline of History itself. In many cases, this is a skill we do not expect of students until they are much older as the contextual knowledge required is so great. It is also important to note that historical interpretations here refer to conscious reflections on the past, deliberate attempts to make sense of past events, and should not be confused with sources or personal views. Historical interpretations are everywhere. Every piece of historical writing is an interpretation of some sort. The past is not fixed but CONSTRUCTED through interpretations. It is possible to draw INFERENCES from interpretations of the past, just like with historical sources. INFERENCES will reveal the MESSAGE of a particular interpretation. The APPROACH of an author must always be considered. This means considering their VIEWPOINT, PURPOSE, AUDIENCE and EVIDENCE chosen to build their interpretation. Historical interpretations must be understood on their own terms. This means thinking about the CONTEXT in which they were created and what conditions and views existed at the time. Lacking Understanding Emergent Developing Mastered Mastered The past is seen as knowable and Interpretations are therefore understood to be Signpost 1 interpretations of particular Identifying Y7 Y8 Y9/10+ the past are all just viewpoints and Interpretation constructions of the different ways of past. relating the same events. The messages and Inferences are not main points of an drawn from interpretation are Signpost 2 interpretations. identified. This is Inferences from Y7/8 Y9 Y10+ Information may done through Interpretations be extracted from reference to the an interpretation. interpretation itself. An interpretation is seen as the product of a particular Accounts of the author. The past are either APPROACH of the used uncritically or author is identified are seen as and an Signpost 3 accurate versions understanding is Evaluating Y8 Y9/10+ of the past shown of the Interpretations viewpoint of the containing author, their mistakes either – purpose, their deliberate (bias) or intended audience accidental. and the evidence they have chosen to use. Understanding that Interpretations are the context of an Signpost 4 seen as views on historical Interpretations in Y9/10+ the past but are interpretation is Context often more not understood in important than the
Historical Interpretations: based on Understanding historical interpretations means asking students to step back and appreciate the processes of the discipline of History itself. In many cases, this is a skill we do not expect of students until they are much older as the contextual knowledge required is so great. It is also important to note that historical interpretations here refer to conscious reflections on the past, deliberate attempts to make sense of past events, and should not be confused with sources or personal views. Historical interpretations are everywhere. Every piece of historical writing is an interpretation of some sort. The past is not fixed but CONSTRUCTED through interpretations. It is possible to draw INFERENCES from interpretations of the past, just like with historical sources. INFERENCES will reveal the MESSAGE of a particular interpretation. The APPROACH of an author must always be considered. This means considering their VIEWPOINT, PURPOSE, AUDIENCE and EVIDENCE chosen to build their interpretation. Historical interpretations must be understood on their own terms. This means thinking about the CONTEXT in which they were created and what conditions and views existed at the time. Lacking Understanding Emergent Developing Mastered Mastered Signpost 1 Identifying Interpretation The past is seen as knowable and therefore interpretations of the past are all just different ways of relating the same events. Y7 Y8 Y9/10+ Interpretations are understood to be particular viewpoints and constructions of the past. Signpost 2 Inferences from Interpretations Inferences are not drawn from interpretations. Information may be extracted from an interpretation. Y7/8 Y9 Y10+ The messages and main points of an interpretation are identified. This is done through reference to the interpretation itself. Signpost 3 Evaluating Interpretations Accounts of the past are either used uncritically or are seen as accurate versions of the past containing mistakes – either deliberate (bias) or accidental. Y8 Y9/10+ An interpretation is seen as the product of a particular author. The APPROACH of the author is identified and an understanding is shown of the viewpoint of the author, their purpose, their intended audience and the evidence they have chosen to use. Signpost 4 Interpretations in Context Interpretations are seen as views on the past but are not understood in Y9/10+ Understanding that the context of an historical interpretation is often more important than the
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