ES 1 – How useful question Standard Grade History

How to begin…  Always start off by saying:  Source A is useful to a certain extent  If you don’t do this you’ll lose a mark at credit level

How useful questions – THE HAND WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHY? HOWEVER?

WHEN?  Look at the date above the source.  When was the source written – at the time of the event? After?

WHEN?  If the source was written at the time – useful as it was written at the time of the event  If it was written after – still useful as it was written with the benefit of hindsight

WHO?  Is the person writing the source well informed/ an expert?  Is he/she an eyewitness?

WHO?  Who produced the source and why is this useful?

WHO?  A few possibilities:  Historian  Eye-witness  Government

WHO?  A few possibilities:  Historian - expert  Eye-witness – saw what was happening  Government - expert

WHAT?  What information is in the source?  What does the source tell us that helps answer the question?

WHAT?  You must give a specific example from the source  Source A tells us that…  No example = no mark

WHY?  Why is this person writing this source?  What does he/she want us to know about?

WHY?  Written by a historian – purpose is to inform us about…  Written by government – could be propaganda to encourage people to do something  Written by an eye- witness – could be to inform us of events

HOWEVER…  What is missing from the source?  You must use your own recall here

HOWEVER…  Is there something about the topic in the question which the source doesn’t mention?  (There is always something!)

Source C is a poster produced by the British Government in 1917 Source C 1.How useful is Source C as evidence of women’s contribution to the war effort in WW1? How Useful Practice

Lesson Starter  Source A was produced by the British Government in  How useful is Source A as evidence of how the government encouraged soldiers to fight in WW1?