How do Historians Create Accounts Unit 1 Lesson 4 How do Historians Create Accounts of Past Events?

How did you create your ‘account’ of the first day of school How did you create your ‘account’ of the first day of school? What did you use?

Perspectives on the Past How might you create an account of an event that happened before you were born?

What do we use to learn about the past? Make a list with a partner. ACTIVITY What do we use to learn about the past? Make a list with a partner.

Historical Evidence

If you had to create a historical account of the 7th grade experiences of one of your parents, what kind of evidence would you look for?

Possible Evidence Interview your parent. Interview your grandparents Interview a classmate or teacher of your parent. Photographs Records like a yearbook or report card

Would you trust all the information you got??? Why? Why not?

ACTIVITY Take notes as we discuss the next slides.

Types of Sources When Historians study an event, they use sources related to the event Historians classify the sources they use in two categories called: Primary Sources Secondary Sources

Primary Sources Characteristics Firsthand information about an event

Primary Sources Characteristics Firsthand information about an event Includes words, images, or objects created by persons directly involved in an event

Primary Sources Examples: Physical/Material remains: buildings, roads, tools, weapons, coins, tapestries, pottery, battle sites, clothing Geographic records: maps, charts, place names Visual records: drawings/paintings, photographs Written records: letters, diaries, memos, laws, books, reports, trials, public meetings, inscriptions on buildings, receipts, email

Checking Your Understanding Imagine you are a historian who wants to know what American Middle School students learned in school from 1950-2000. Which of the following would be considered Primary Sources? Interviews with people who went to middle schools or taught middle school in the 1980s State laws about education requirements in the 1970s A report written by a historian in 2010 Textbooks used in schools in the 1960s

Checking Your Understanding Imagine you are a historian who wants to know what American Middle School students learned in school from 1950-2000. Which of the following would be considered Primary Sources? Interviews with people who went to middle schools or taught middle school in the 1980s State laws about education requirements in the 1970s A report written by a historian in 2010 Textbooks used in schools in the 1960s

Secondary Sources Characteristics Contain second hand information Created by people who were not eyewitnesses to the event Descriptions of events that include analysis or interpretation of primary sources to describe a past event

Secondary Sources Examples: A written analysis of old firsthand interviews about an event A book that describes an event written many years after the event

Checking Your Understanding Imagine you are a historian who wants to know what American Middle School students learned in school from 1950-2000. Which of the following would be considered Secondary Sources? An interview with the neighbor of a person who was a middle school teacher in the 1950s An article written in 2010 about middle school in 1960s A final exam from a social studies class in 1980 A textbook about the history of middle school education

Look At the Usage of the Source The difference between a Primary Source and Secondary Source is how the historian uses the source.

Look At the Usage of the Source For example, when studying what students learned in middle school from 1950 to 2000 a textbook used in that time period is a Primary Source—it’s firsthand material. A textbook is also a Secondary Source about the events written about in the textbook—it explains events long after they happened.

HOMEWORK

ACTIVITY Compare and contrast your list and your partner’s list.

ACTIVITY These two sources talk about people working in the factories of England in the 1830s.

ACTIVITY These two sources talk about people working in the factories of England in the 1830s.

ACTIVITY Read the two sources and then answer the questions about them.

ACTIVITY How do we know if we can trust sources like these? How can we know if the information is accurate?

Which Source Is Best? A primary source is not necessarily better than a secondary source because not all primary sources are of equal value in helping a historian study an event. How does a historian decide which sources are the most accurate when studying an event?

Which Source Is Best? A Historian does three things when examining a source: Distinguishes between Facts and Opinions Checks for Internal Consistency or Contradictions Checks for External Consistency or Contradictions – Corroboration

Fact or Opinion A fact is something that is true about a subject and can be tested or proven Look for clues such as: " 56% of....”, or “The President attended...“ An opinion is what someone thinks about that subject. Look for clues such as: "I believe...", "It's obvious...", or "They should...“

Fact or Opinion A fact is something that is true about a subject and can be tested or proven An opinion is what someone thinks about that subject.

Fact or Opinion Which part of the following statement is fact? Which part is opinion? How do you know? Records show that most middle schools require students to take social studies; however, they should also require foreign languages.

Internal Inconsistencies or Contradictions Internal - Within a single document Contradiction - the facts presented cannot all be true; they clash with each other Inconsistency - the facts are presented differently, which may raise questions about the source’s accuracy

Internal Inconsistencies or Contradictions Internal - Within a single document Contradiction - the facts presented cannot all be true; they clash with each other Inconsistency - the facts are presented differently, which may raise questions about the source’s accuracy

Internal Inconsistencies or Contradictions Which might be less accurate? Why? A diary entry states that John went to school on Monday, and then later says that John and Mary went to school on Monday. A diary says that John went to school on Monday, and then later states that John never went to school.

External Inconsistencies or Contradictions External - When comparing multiple documents Contradictions – facts in the two sources are at odds with each other and both cannot be true Inconsistency – factual details are presented differently, which may raise questions about each sources’ accuracy

External Inconsistencies or Contradictions External - When comparing multiple documents Contradictions – facts in the two sources are at odds with each other and both cannot be true Inconsistency – factual details are presented differently, which may raise questions about each sources’ accuracy

External Inconsistencies or Contradictions Which is less accurate? A diary entry states that John went to school on Monday. An interview with another student indicates that John and Mary went to school on Monday. A diary says that John went to school on Monday, but school attendance records show that John never went to school.

Example: There was internal consistency in the document because it first stated that the car accident happened at 10 AM and then later stated that it happened between breakfast and lunch.

Example: There was external consistency among the documents because one witness report stated that the blue truck ran the red light while another witness report stated that the light had been red for a while when the blue truck entered the intersection.

Checking for Accuracy A Historian does three things when examining a source: Distinguishes between Facts and Opinions Checks for Internal Consistency or Contradictions Checks for External Consistency or Contradictions – Corroboration

Checking for Accuracy A Historian does three things when examining a source: Distinguishes between Facts and Opinions Checks for Internal Consistency or Contradictions Checks for External Consistency or Contradictions – Corroboration

ACTIVITY Imagine a person found this letter in their attic. How would you know if its information was accurate?

ACTIVITY 1. Identify each sentence as a statement of fact or opinion. 2. Conduct an internal check. Are their any contradictions. Where? What line numbers? 3. Conduct an external check. Find five facts that you could check or corroborate using other sources.

Do you trust this source? Why or why not? ACTIVITY Do you trust this source? Why or why not?

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