Thinking Like a Historian Vocabulary and Skills

First-hand accounts of an event created by eyewitnesses or first recorders at the time of the event

• Sourcing

• Primary Source

• Secondary Source

• Historical Context

accounts of events created at a later date and by someone who was not present at the event

• Corroboration

• Frame of Reference

• Thesis Statement

• Secondary Source

examining the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “why” of a document

• Sourcing

• Contextualizing

• Corroboration

• Point of View

taking into consideration how the author was influenced by when and where the document was produced

• Historical Context

• Close reading

• Contextualizing

• Secondary Source

the circumstances of the time in which an event occurred or in which an author lived that may have influenced his/her point of view

• Contextualizing

• Sourcing

• Corroboration

• Historical Context

comparing different sources in order to 1) gain a more accurate account of the past, 2) evaluate the validity of a source, and/or 3) consider multiple perspectives

• Corroboration

• Secondary Source

• Thesis Statement

• Point of View

Critically examining significant details and language patterns of a text in order to develop a deep understanding of the author’s claims or point of view

• Interpretation

• Close reading

• Primary Source

• Contextualizing

an opinion or perspective presented by the author of a document, influenced by the author’s personal circumstances

• Context

• Thesis Statement

• Interpretation

• Point of View

the personal attributes and life experiences of an author that may have influenced his/her point of view

• Frame of Reference

• Interpretation

• Close reading

• Thesis Statement

the action of explaining the meaning of something.

• Contextualizing

• Interpretation

• Frame of Reference

• Thesis Statement