Historical Thinking SkillS YOU NEED TO MASTER!

Skill 1 - Development and Processes 
Identify and explain historical developments and processes

• identify a historical concept, development, or process
• explain a historical concept, development or process

Skill 2 - Sourcing and Situation 
Analyze sourcing and historical situation of primary and secondary sources 

• identify a source's point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience
• explain the point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience of a source
• explain the significance of a source's point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience, including how these might limit the use(s) of a source. 

Skill 3 - Claims and Evidence in Sources 
Analyze arguments in primary and secondary sources

• Identify and describe a claim and/or argument in a text-based or non-text-based source
• identify the evidence used in a source to support an argument 
• compare the argument or main ideas of two sources
• explain how claims or evidence support, modify, or refute a source's argument

Skill 4 - Contextualization 
Analyze the contest of historical events, developments, or processes 

• identify and describe a historical context for a specific historical development or process
• explain how a specific historical process is situated within a broader historical context

Skill 5 - Making Connections
Using historical reasoning processes (comparison, causation, or CCOT) analyze patterns and connections between and among historical developments and processes. 

• identify patterns among or connections between historical development or processes
• explain how a historical development or process relates to another historical development or process.

Skill 6 - Argumentation
Develop an argument 

• make a historically defensible claim
• support and argument using specific and relevant evidence 
  • describe specific examples of historically relevant evidence 
  • explain how specific examples of historically relevant evidence support an argument 
• use historical reasoning to explain relationships among pieces of historical evidence 
• Corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument using diverse and alternative evidence in order to develop a complex argument.  This argument might:
  • explain nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables 
  • explain relevant and insightful connections within and across periods
  • explain the relative historical significance of a source's credibility and limitations
  • explain how or why a historical claim or argument is or is not effective

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Reasoning ProcesseS YOU NEED TO MASTER! 

These are the processes you will have to work through, using the historical thinking skills, when responding to essay prompts or discussing topics in class.   These are the cognitive operations you use to apply the historical thinking skills discussed above. 

​Comparison 

• describe similarities and/or differences between different historical developments or processes 
• explain relevant similarities and/or differences between specific historical developments or processes
• explain the relative historical significance of similarities and/or differences between different historical developments and processes

Causation 

• describe causes and/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 how a relevant context influenced a specific historical development or process
• explain the relative historical significance of different causes and/or effects

Continuity and Change Over Time (CCOT)

• 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