Historical Thinking Skills Vocab

Continent

• Large land mass, e.g., Africa, Asia

• Small island, e.g., Hawaii

• Body of water, e.g., Atlantic Ocean

• Mountain range, e.g., Himalayas

Artifact

• Object made by humans, often historical

• A natural object found in nature

• A type of ancient currency

• A modern technological device

Opinion

• Personal belief not based on proof

• A statement that can be proven true or false

• A fact that is universally accepted

• A hypothesis that requires testing

Context

• Background information for understanding

• A specific event or situation

• A summary of key points

• A detailed analysis of data

Archaeologist

• Studies human history by examining artifacts and remains

• Studies the behavior of living organisms

• Analyzes geological formations and processes

• Researches ancient languages and scripts

Bias

• Favoring one side unfairly

• Being neutral in a discussion

• Evaluating all sides equally

• Making decisions based on facts

Fact

• Statement proven true or false

• A personal belief or opinion

• An unverified claim

• A hypothesis that is yet to be tested

Credibility

• Quality of being trusted or believed

• A measure of physical strength

• The ability to perform complex calculations

• A type of financial investment

Geographer

• Studies Earth's features and human interaction

• Studies animal behavior and habitats

• Analyzes weather patterns and climate change

• Researches historical events and their impacts

Historian

• Studies and writes about past events

• Analyzes current political trends

• Creates fictional stories

• Designs architectural structures