Evaluating Historical Sources

Evaluating Historical Sources. • Overview

For this assessment, imagine you represent your company at a service organization dealing with one of these two issues: facing economic change or engaging civil rights. Your supervisor has asked you to research information related to the history of this issue for your organization to help new employees and volunteers understand it better. Your job is to put together a list of credible sources related to a topic of your choice and then use your problem-solving and agility skills to evaluate them using the Evaluating Historical Sources Worksheet [DOCX].

Preparation

Complete the following:

Step 1: Choose Your Topic

Choose a topic and narrow its focus. Think about whoyou want to focus on and what event or challenge you want to focus on. For example, your topic could compare the challenges faced by farmers during the Great Depression with the challenges they faced during the 2008 recession.

Economic Change:

1. What if the bottom falls out? o How can you prepare for and protect yourself from bad times based on lessons learned from the Great Recession of 2008 or the Great Depression?2. What happens when the workplace changes? o How can people adjust when the workplace changes? What lessons can we learn from America’s Industrial Revolution, the new economy of the 1950s, or the Information Age?

Civil Rights:

3. Women. o What strategies were used and what lessons can we learn from the struggles women faced in the late 1800s–early 1900s or the 1960s and 1970s for engaging and understanding current and future women’s rights issues?4. African Americans. o Considering past struggles such as Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era or the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s for African American civil rights, what lessons can we learn about the best strategies for protecting civil rights now and in the future?5. Native Americans. o How can lessons learned from events or policies such as the Trail of Tears, the Indian Removal Act, or the Dawes Act be used to address the challenges Native Americans face today?6. Immigrant Groups. o Based on lessons learned from immigration policies in the late 1800s and early 1900s, how can present-day immigration issues be addressed?

Step 2: Identify Resources

Review the History Presentation Resource List [DOCX]. Choose two sources from the list that correspond to your topic. Some of the items in the resource list are collections, so you’ll have to dig a little deeper to find a specific source that matches your topic.

Step 3: Research

Conduct your own research to locate two additional sources relevant to your topic. The additional sources should be resources from the Capella library or credible websites. For help finding sources on the Internet and in the Capella library, review the Finding Primary and Secondary Sources page on the General Education Information Research Skills Library Guide. To ensure you are finding quality sources, refer to the Capella library’s Think Critically About Source Quality resource page.

Instructions

Use the Evaluating Historical Sources Worksheet [DOCX] to complete the following steps. Be sure to answer each question in the worksheet for each source.

Step 1: Identify quality primary and secondary sources related to a historical topic.

Step 2: Identify key elements of each source, including the author, date, and main idea.

Step 3: Describe the biases and perspectives of the authors of each source.

Step 4: Explain why each source is or is not credible.

Step 5: Write in a well-organized and concise manner that adheres to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Additional Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.• Citations: Include a complete citation for each source. Review current APA Style and Format guidelines for more information on how to cite your sources.• Number of references: Your paper should include at least four properly cited sources, two primary and two secondary.• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 1: Analyze historical records to determine credibility and validity. o Identify quality primary and secondary sources related to a historical topic.o Identify key elements of each source, including the author, date, and main idea.o Describe the biases and perspectives of the authors of each source.o Describe key facts presented in each source.o Explain why each source is or is not credible.• Competency 4: Address assessment purpose in a well-organized manner, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences. o Write in a well-organized and concise manner that adheres to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.

WORKSHEET

Evaluating Historical Sources Worksheet

Use the four sources (two primary, two secondary) you located for this assessment to complete this worksheet. Your four sources should focus on one of two topics: facing economic change or engaging civil rights. For each source, first provide a formatted citation, as shown in the sample citation below. Double click into the citation box to type your citation. Then answer each question about that source. Respond to questions 3–8 in complete sentences.

Sample formatted citation:

DuBois, W. E. B. (1903). W. E. B. DuBois critiques Booker T. Washington. [Essay]. Retrieved from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/40

Citation for Source 1:

1. What type of source is this (primary or secondary)? 2. When was it written?3. Why was it written?4. What is the main idea or takeaway?5. Was the writer present at the time of the events he or she was writing about?6. Does the writer seem neutral? Why/why not?7. What are some of the key facts presented?8. Explain why this source is credible.

Citation for Source 2:

9. What type of source is this (primary or secondary)? 10. When was it written?11. Why was it written?12. What is the main idea or takeaway?13. Was the writer present at the time of the events he or she was writing about?14. Does the writer seem neutral? Why/why not?15. What are some of the key facts presented?16. Explain why this source is credible.

Citation for Source 3:

17. What type of source is this (primary or secondary)? 18. When was it written?19. Why was it written?20. What is the main idea or takeaway?21. Was the writer present at the time of the events he or she was writing about?22. Does the writer seem neutral? Why/why not?23. What are some of the key facts presented?24. Explain why this source is credible.

Citation for Source #4:

25. What type of source is this (primary or secondary)? 26. When was it written?27. Why was it written?28. What is the main idea or takeaway?29. Was the writer present at the time of the events he or she was writing about?30. Does the writer seem neutral? Why/why not?31. What are some of the key facts presented?32. Explain why this source is credible

Evaluating Historical Sources Scoring Guide

Evaluating Historical Sources Scoring Guide

Criteria

Non-performance

Basic

Proficient

Distinguished

Identify quality primary and secondary sources related to a historical topic.

Does not identify quality primary and secondary sources related to a historical topic.

Identifies primary and secondary sources, but not all the sources are related to a particular historical topic or they are not all credible.

Identifies quality primary and secondary sources related to a historical topic.

Identifies quality primary and secondary sources related to a historical topic and cites each source with minimal errors.

Identify key elements of each source, including the author, date, and main idea.

Does not identify key elements of each source, including the author, date, and main idea.

Identifies key elements of some but not all of the sources, or elements are missing from some of the sources.

Identifies key elements of each source, including the author, date, and main idea.

Clearly identifies all key elements of the sources (who, what, when, why) using specific examples.

Describe the biases and perspectives of the authors of each source.

Does not describe the biases and perspectives of the authors of each source.

Describes the biases and perspectives of the authors of some but all of the sources.

Describes the biases and perspectives of the authors of each source.

Describes the biases and perspectives of the authors of each source and provides specific examples.

Describe key facts presented in each source.

Does not describe key facts presented in each source.

Describes key facts presented in some but not all sources, or facts are missing from some of the sources.

Describes key facts presented in each source.

Describes key facts presented in the sources with specific examples.

Explain why each source is or is not credible.

Does not identify why each source is or is not credible.

Identifies why some sources are or are not credible but does not provide a full explanation for all of them.

Explains why each source is or is not credible.

Explains why each source is credible or is not credible using specific examples.

Write in a well-organized and concise manner that adheres to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Does not write in a well-organized and concise manner.

Writing is unclear, wordy, or disconnected, with errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Writes in a well-organized and concise manner that adheres to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Organizes content so clarity is enhanced and all ideas flow logically and smoothly. Writes concisely, precisely, and directly, with nearly flawless adherence to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Evaluating Historical Sources

 

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