Best Practice 
Source Analysis - Argument Development - Reasoning 

The Analyzing Historical Evidence and Historical Reasoning skills represent skills that students *should* be familiar with.  As part of our curriculum design, my department spirals this specific vocabulary and skill development into all instruction from Grade 6 forward. 
Analyzing Historical Evidence:
Primary Sources:
  • Describe historically relevant information and/or arguments within a source.
  • Explain how a source provides information about the broader historical setting within which it was created.
  • Explain how a source's point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience might affect a source's meaning.
  • Explain the relative historical significance of a source's point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience.Evaluate a source's credibility and/or limitations.
Secondary Sources:
  • Describe the claim or argument of a secondary source, as well as the evidence used.
  • Describe a pattern or trend in quantitative data in non-text-based sources.
  • Explain how a historian's claim or argument is supported with evidence.
  • Explain how a historian's context influences the claim or argument.
  • Analyze patterns and trends in quantitative data in non-text-based sources.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of a historical claim or argument.

 Argument Development:
  • Make a historically defensible claim in the form of an evaluative thesis.
  • Support an argument using specific and relevant evidence.
  • Use historical reasoning to explain relationships among pieces of historical evidence.
  • Consider ways that diverse or alternative evidence could be used to qualify or modify an argument.

Reasoning Skills:​

Contextualization
  • Describe an accurate historical context for a specific historical development or process.
  • Explain how a relevant context influenced a specific historical development or process.
  • Use context to explain the relative historical significance of a specific historical development or process.
Comparison
  • Describe similarities and/or differences between different historical developments or processes.
  • Explain relevant similarities and/or differences between specific historical developments and processes.
  • Explain the relative historical significance of similarities and/or differences between different historical developments or processes.
Causation
  • Describe causes or effects of a specific historical development or process
  • Explain the relationship between causes and effects of a specific historical development or process.
  • Explain the difference between primary and secondary causes, and between short- and long-term effects.
  • Explain the relative historical significance of different causes and/or effects.

Continuity and Change Over Time
  • Describe patterns of continuity and/or change over time.
  • Explain patterns of continuity and/or change over time.
  • Explain the relative historical significance of specific historical developments in relation to a larger pattern of continuity and/or change