1. Historical Thinking and Skills
Unit 1:
Historical Thinking and Skills

2. Key Vocabulary
Primary Sources - Original records of the event under investigation; a document which describes an event by its witnesses or first recorders
*Come from the original author, speaker, or creator
*Give a view from the people who were there and lived ?it at that time it took place

3. Examples: Letters Diaries/Journals Notes Speeches Videos Maps
Audio Recordings

4. Secondary Sources - Writings and interpretations that historians make about events that happened in the past (after the event)
Restatements of events written by a second-party author

5. Examples: Biography Text Book Encyclopedias Articles/editorials
Non-fiction Books

6. SECONDARY SOURCE:
*Often offer analysis or an interpretation of an event
*Authors of secondary-source information documents will use primary sources in their research
*Both primary and secondary sources can reflect opinions as well as facts

7. Credibility (Authors/source/qualifications/Etc
Credibility (Authors/source/qualifications/Etc.) - A source that is believable, persuasive, convincing, easy to accept as true, trustworthy and believable
The FOUR Criteria for Credibility:
1) Sourcing: What do we know about the author/creator? When was it created? Who's P.O.V/bias?
2) Context: what else is happening at that time?
[There were a bunch of common dates in wallet]
3) Corroboration: to confirm; verify; or give support to. Looking at other sources to confirm or rebuke
(lawyer: divorce, death, friend, lawsuit???)
( Call the phone #'s)
4) Accuracy and Internal Consistency of the source
Are facts correct? Is the message or perspective consistent?
( ATM receipt but NO debit card???????)
( There was NO home Indians home game on 8/25/14)

8. Bias - point of view; perspective
-Preference for one thing over another
-Basing your evaluation of a team on your personal liking for its players rather than on its past performance is an example of bias
-Example, in a band competition, you may think one band is better than the opposing one because some of your friends are members of that band
-Biased sources contain more opinions than facts

9. Who is the author or creator & their background?
What would be some ways you could identify if something ?is bias or propaganda and ultimately credible?
Who is the author or creator & their background?
What are the author’s qualifications?
Does the source contain opinions or facts?
Does the source contain only one point of view?
Accuracy and internal consistency of the source?