Thinking like a historian
Two accounts, one event: where do they disagree?
Why do two reliable accounts of the same event say different things?
Watch first
An English teaching video on this topic from Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
What you need
Tick each one as you find it — 0 of 3 ready.
Plan the fair test
- Change: Which account you are reading
- Measure: The facts, causes and people each one includes or leaves out
- Keep the same: The same event, the same four questions asked of both accounts
Objectives this evidences
- Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims
- Understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources, and how and why historians have interpreted the past in different ways
Do it, one step at a time
Step 1 of 5
- Step 1. Pick one event you have studied this year, such as the execution of Charles I or the 1833 Abolition Act.
- Step 2. Read both accounts and list the facts they agree on.
- Step 3. List every point where they differ: dates, numbers, causes given, who is named, who is left out.
- Step 4. For each difference, decide whether it is an error, a difference of emphasis, or a genuine disagreement about cause.
- Step 5. Write a paragraph judging which account you would use in an essay, and say why - not which one is 'right'.
What should happen
Most differences turn out to be emphasis and selection rather than error. Historians choose what to include, and that choice is the interpretation.
Think about: If both accounts are accurate and still disagree, what does that tell you about the phrase 'the facts speak for themselves'?
Write up your result
A sentence or two is enough to save it.
The lessons behind this practical
Each one opens with the same short film, and the film has a written transcript underneath if reading is easier than watching.
Now the quiz for this topic
Questions come from the lessons behind this practical, so nothing is asked that has not been taught.
Quiz
Thinking like a historian quiz
4 questions from the lessons in this stage. No timer, and you can try again as many times as you like.