90656 Student Guide

HISTORY NCEA LEVEL 3

3.3 ANALYSE AND EVALUATE EVIDENCE IN HISTORICAL SOURCES

STUDENT GUIDE

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This achievement standard involves:

1. Demonstrating an understanding of historical ideas and/or recognising differences in points of view.

2. It also requires analysis of historical relationships indicated by the evidence

3. Making valid judgement(s) about the usefulness and/or reliability of the evidence.

Assessment will be based on historical sources.

Examples of sources are

a document,

pictures,

graphs, articles,

speeches, cartoons,

etc.

You are given one hour do complete this standard in the external exams

You will be given a page to answer each question. This means you are expected to answer in paragraph form and in depth. You should get a total of

SIX questions, two for each of the THREE skills identified above.

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The Standard

Achievement Achievement with Merit Achievement with

Excellence

Demonstrate an

understanding of historical

ideas and/or differences in

points of view indicated by

the evidence.

Demonstrate an informed




the evidence.


and perceptive




the evidence.

Analyse historical

relationships indicated by

the evidence provided.

Provide an informed

analysis of historical



Provide an informed and

perceptive analysis of

historical relationships

indicated by the evidence

provided.

Make valid judgement(s)

about the usefulness and/or

reliability of the evidence.

Make valid and informed

judgement(s) about the

usefulness and/or reliability

of the evidence.

Make valid, informed and

perceptive judgement(s)



Explanatory Notes

1 Historical ideas may include: social class, religion, power and leadership, authority and

dissent, colonialism etc, in an historical context and derived from evidence within the

sources.

2 Students will be expected to establish historical relationships between cause and effect,

past and present, the specific and general, and continuity and change.

3 Students will be required to make valid judgement(s) about the quality of evidence by:

distinguishing fact from opinion

recognising specific points of view, bias and propaganda

being aware of the limitations of a single piece of evidence

considering the reliability, validity and usefulness of evidence.

4 Informed means that the learner is expected not only to interpret the materials correctly

but also to use their own knowledge to support that interpretation.

5 Perceptive means insightful understanding of the nature of evidence in relation to the

historical setting and/or the historical process.

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General method of source analysis

1. Before you read the sources make sure that you note the background, or provenance,

of the sources.

Origin:

Who wrote or made the source? Is he or she likely to have a thorough or superficial

knowledge of the subject? an overview or a limited view of the topic? a biased or an

objective view? Is he or she a politician? a soldier? an officer? a housewife? a

revolutionary? a trade unionist? a pacifist? How does this matter?

2. As you examine each source, look for the main idea expressed in the source.

Motive: Why was it written or made? What is the purpose or motive? This helps to

indicate what the source is reliable for, and therefore how it is useful. Is the motive to

persuade? to analyse? to explain? to excuse? to describe?

Audience: Who is it for? scholars? a small group of politicians? the newspaper reading

public? a member of a family or a friend? Is it meant for publication or is it private?

Content: What is in the source? details, examples, analysis, opinion? Could you use

the source as evidence ?

3. Ask yourself why this source has been included.

Reliability: Reliable for what? Reliability is limited by the range and accuracy of the

content; no source is completely reliable for everything! Is it corroborated by other

sources?

Usefulness: Useful for what? What does the source tell you? In what ways could you

use the source as evidence?

4. Think about all the sources (together if you are given a group of sources)

Do they build up a picture? Are they like pieces of a jigsaw? Can you see how they

corroborate, or support, each other? Or do they present contrasting or contradictory

ideas? How does this affect their reliability?

5. Remember! No source can give a complete picture of a complex issue.

But does each source give a vivid or detailed picture of one aspect of the topic?

Look at: Questions to ask:

TITLE of the source

Look at the title

BODY of the source

What kind of source is it?

What is the nature of the source?

Note the details. What is the content?

What is the motive?

AUTHOR / PUBLICATION

/ DATE

Look at the provenance.

Who is the audience?

What is the perspective?

Only after doing all of the above can you answer:

For what is the source reliable?

How can this source be used? What claim can it help to prove?

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Demonstrate an understanding of historical ideas and/or

recognising differences in points of view. Historical Ideas could include:

Social class, religion, power and leadership, authority and dissent, colonialism etc, in an

historical context and derived from evidence within the sources

You will be asked to use evidence from one or more sources to illustrate a main idea relevant

to the topic. For example main ideas relevant to the England option could include:

The role of women in society

Religion and the state

The power of monarchy / the role of personal monarchy

Monarchs relationship with the governing class

Popular Belief

An example question:

Refer to Sources A1 and A2. Use evidence from both these sources and your own

knowledge to show the roles expected of women in early modern English society.

Recognising differences in points of view

You could be asked to explain different viewpoints on issues or people using the resources

provided. These views will often show bias of some kind. It is important you clearly explain

the different viewpoints using evidence from the source to support your explanation.

Integrating your own knowledge is important for ‗Excellence‖.


Refer to Sources B1 and B2. Use evidence from both these sources and your own

knowledge to explain, in your own words, differences in viewpoints about Oliver

Cromwell.


Excellence

Demonstrate an




the evidence.





the evidence.


and perceptive




the evidence.

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Analysis of historical relationships indicated by the evidence

Students will be expected to establish historical relationships between:

cause and effect,

past and present,

the specific and general,

continuity and change.

Cause and Effect relates to how one event(s) can cause another. The question will clearly

identify what the cause and effect and is and the source(s) will provide you with some

information to use. You will be expected to use your own knowledge as well

Past and Present relates to the links between events/people/ideas from the past and the

present (time of the topic). Again the question will provide you with the specifics.

The Specific and General relates to how the general and specific link together. For example,

how a general idea can lead to specific actions or events.

Continuity and Change relates to the links between stability / permanence and short or long

term change.


Historians are interested in the historical relationship of cause and effect (both

immediate effects and those of a more lasting nature). With reference to Source C

and your own knowledge, explain, in your own words, why Charles I and the Short

Parliament were not able to work together, and what the effect of this was.


Excellence

Analyse historical



Provide an informed

analysis of historical



Provide an informed and

perceptive analysis of

historical relationships

indicated by the evidence

provided.

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Make valid judgement(s) about the usefulness and/or


Students will be required to make valid judgement(s) about the quality of evidence by:

distinguishing fact from opinion

recognising specific points of view, bias and propaganda

being aware of the limitations of a single piece of evidence

considering the reliability, validity and usefulness of evidence.

Evaluating the Source of information (item of evidence)

• It is necessary to examine the source in great detail.

• Always consider provenance first, and then look at the content in terms of the intended

audience and motive.

• Once this analysis has been completed it is then possible to make judgements about

first the reliability and then the usefulness of the source.

PRIMARY QUESTIONS SECONDARY QUESTIONS TO AID EVALUATION

1. Provenance

What is the origin of the source?

Who made the source?

When and where was it made?

• Do you recognise the name?

• Was the maker a participant?

• What was his or her role? Was the maker an expert?

• Due to his or her position, is bias likely?

• Is the bias likely to be deliberate or unintentional?

• Was it made at the time of, or after, the event?

• If there is a delay, how is it significant?

• Is the publisher important for indicating bias, or not?

What is the nature of the source?

What is the source?

• Is it primary or secondary?

• What is the kind of source - letter, cartoon, statistical

data, etc.?

What is the content of the

source?

• What is the intentional content - that which the maker

meant to include?

• What is the unwitting, or unintentional, content of the

source?

• What is the point of view of the maker of the source?

• Is the content biased?

• If it is biased, is this intentional?

Intended Audience

For whom was the source made?

• Was it private - a private diary or personal letter?

• Was it meant for publication? How do you know?

• If so, was it for an individual, a small group of experts,

or a wide audience?

Motive

Why was the source made?

• What is the purpose or motive? To convince, inform,

condemn, give a balanced view, express feeling and

emotions, express an opinion?

• How does the format of the source indicate purpose

and perhaps bias?

• How is this done? What language or images are used—

humorous, extravagant, emotive, logical, matter-of-fact,

balanced, descriptive?

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What is the perspective of the

source?

• Using your knowledge of who made the source and

why, consider the position or perspective of the source.

• Does it represent a particular country's position? A

class position? A political party's position?

• How do you know? Consider the use of emotive

language; is the information presented one-sided?

Is the source reliable? • Is the source complete or incomplete?

• In what way is the source limited? Does it lack clarity,

detail, understanding? Is it from a narrow point of

view?

• In what way is it biased? Is it propaganda, or not?

• Do other sources corroborate, or support, it or not?

• Do other sources contradict it, or not?

• For what is the source reliable? For what is it

unreliable?

Is the source useful? • What does the source tell you? How can you use what

the source tells you to explain some aspect of the past?

• Remember! Usefulness is different from reliability and

depends on reliability. Reliability has to be worked out

first.

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How useful is the Source?

All sources are useful in some way. The main thing when looking at a source in a History

examination is to work out if it is useful for answering the question you have been set.

Here are some key questions to ask yourself when examining a source:

1. Is the source relevant to the topic or question? An examiner is unlikely to set a source that

is completely pointless. However on multiple source questions not all sources will be

useful for all of the questions.

2. What information does it give which is useful in answering the questions set?

3. Does this information give you a complete picture or are there still some gaps and

questions unanswered?

4. Where does the source come from? What is the purpose of the source? What is the

significance of the author? Date? Type of Source? How relevant is it, i.e. what is the

provenance of the source and its content?

Type of

Source

Usefulness Limitation Questions

Soldier‘s

accounts,

interviews and

oral evidence:

First-hand

experience

How good are our memories? Are they reliable?

What happens as time goes by? Can you

generalise from one account? Do we choose to

forget some things or to exaggerate?

Memoirs Provides

information about

an event.

Usually written after the event. Motive for writing?

May defend the author‘s decisions? May

exaggerate role?

Newspapers Contemporary

accounts of

important events.

They take sides. Sometimes leave out important

facts. No direct censorship in WWI but likely to be

patriotic. Do not always tell the truth. May

exaggerate. Try to influence what people think.

Novels/poems Novels and poems

are well

researched by

writers.

Did the writer witness the events? Are they trying

to be factual or adding things to make the story

more interesting? What were the reasons for

writing: to entertain, to put over a message or a

point of view, to educate people?

Photographs,

sound and film

Show or allow you

to see/hear what

an event was like.

Why was it taken? How much does it show? Can

you generalise from it? Does it tell the truth or is it

somebody‘s point of view?

Government

and Official

statistics

Officially collected

by government.

How were they collected? Are they accurate? Are

they trying to prove something? What do they

hide?

Politicians‘

speeches

Provides

information about

what they thought.

Purpose? Who is being addressed and why?

Propaganda

and posters

Gives government

and other groups

point of view.

Purpose? How is the point made visually? Who was

it designed to appeal to?

Cartoons Shows

contemporary

humour/opinion.

What is the point being made? Who drew it and

why?

Diaries Gives a

contemporary and

first hand account.

Why did the person keep a diary? Did they mean it

to be read? Are details left out? What do we learn

about the diarist from what he has written?

Letters Basic information Why written? To whom?

Biographies Primary

information about

key events

Why was it written? Did the biographer know the

person? Have they told the whole story? Did the

writer have access to all the sources they needed?

Art Provides Why was it painted? We are seeing somebody‘s

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somebody‘s

opinion.

view of what happened. Is a message being put

across?

Is a Source reliable?

A reliable source is one that you can trust. All sources, reliable or otherwise ‗tell you

something‘! This is not the same as usefulness. Sometimes what appears to be a completely

unreliable source can still turn out to be useful.

So... a source will never be completely useless or even unreliable – it

depends what you want to use it for. That‘s why you will often be asked to compare the reliability of two sources.

There are some essential questions to ask yourself when evaluating sources:

1. WHO wrote/painted the source? (Were they biased?)

2. WHEN did they write/paint it? (WARNING – primary evidence is not

always better than a secondary source.)

3. WHY did they write/paint it? (Are they trying to tell you something?) 4. DOES the source support your own knowledge of an event?

Sources that Disagree

Examiners like to ask the question “do Sources B and C support the view shown by

Source A?” They are asking you to compare sources to see if they have the same opinion.

They rarely do! Don‘t just describe the sources to the examiner because this just shows how

they disagree and not why! This type of question is not about reliability or usefulness – just why the different sources do not have the same opinion.

Type of Source How reliable is it?

Written Sources It is important to know if the writer witnessed the events they are

writing about at that time. If they did not did they have all of the

relevant facts and opinions before they wrote their information

down? Is the writer biased? Was the writer speaking their mind

freely? Is the author trying to persuade people to share their view?

If the source an opinion typical of others at the time?

Drawing/painting

Did the artist paint what actually happened or have they painted

their opinion of the event. If it is an opinion then might it have been

painted to persuade people to agree with the artist‘s point of view?

Could the picture be a product of the artist‘s imagination?

Cartoons These are often deliberately exaggerated and in many cases simply

unreal e.g. Winston Churchill portrayed with the body of a bulldog.

In such cases it is clear that that the picture itself is not ―reliable‖ so

you will have to consider whether the message of the picture is

reliable (did Churchill have bulldog qualities?). Does the message

accurately reflect the generally held opinion of the person, event or

thing?

Photographs

The camera sometimes lies! However it is very unlikely that

―doctored‖ photos will appear in exam papers. Staged photographs

will often appear! Think of the ‗Homeless‘ photograph of British

people during the Blitz staged by the government. Consider also the

motive of the person who may have staged the photograph.

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A sample question:

Refer to Sources E1 and E2. Evaluate the usefulness and / or the reliability of the evidence in

these sources to an historian studying Mary Stuart.

Achievement Achievement with Merit Achievement with Excellence

Make valid judgement(s)



Make valid and informed

judgement(s) about the

usefulness and/or reliability

of the evidence.

Make valid, informed and

perceptive judgement(s)



WHAT THE EXAMINER SAID- 2006 Candidates who achieved this standard most commonly demonstrated the following

skills and / or knowledge:

ability to understand the ideas or points of view and the historical relationships

contained in the sources

ability to show that they could make a valid judgement about the usefulness or the

reliability of the evidence contained in the sources

ability to examine the source material carefully and ensure that they had deliberately

answered the questions ie students could gain Achieved through close analysis of the

source material they were given without necessarily bringing in their own knowledge.

Candidates assessed as Not Achieved commonly lacked the following skills and / or

knowledge:

ability to complete the paper or address a bracket of questions ie a or b, c or d, e or

f. Regardless of the quality of the answers they did complete, these students could

not achieve the standard

ability to focus on the identification and explanation of different points of view and on

the evaluation of the usefulness and reliability of evidence ability to make judgements

about the usefulness and / or reliability of the evidence contained in the sources.

Many of the candidates who failed to achieve this standard did so because of their

weak answers to questions (e) and (f), where they simply transferred information

from the sources rather than made a judgement about the usefulness and / or


It may be unwise for candidates to leave this part of the examination until the end, as it

requires far more than the ‗short answer‘ section that the Bursary Examination required. It is

crucial that teachers deliberately teach the skills required by this standard and integrate these

skills into their courses when they are dealing with source material.

Candidates who were awarded Achievement with Merit or Achievement with

Excellence commonly demonstrated the following additional skills and / or

knowledge:

ability to integrate relevant and accurate material from their own knowledge into their

answers. Teachers need to specifically teach this skill if they expect their students to

gain a high grade.

sophisticated understanding, in the case of Achievement with Excellence, of the

source within its historical context. They also showed an ability to be concise, with

their answers clearly directed at the question, rather than being overly lengthy.

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HINTS AND TIPS

To gain Merit or Excellence you must make use of the evidence contained in the resource and

your own knowledge which puts the source in context.

Answers should be carefully written and concise.

Make sure you don't ignore the instructions 'in your own words'.

Make sure you show how the evidence is relevant to the question. It is not enough merely to

repeat evidence.

1. Clearly point out the MAIN OR KEY IDEA of the source. This should be in your topic

sentence. This could be done by paraphrasing the source IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

2. Then place the source or sources in the historical context. This makes you INFORMED.

Going beyond the obvious points and bringing out less evident points also makes you

INFORMED.

3. Then add something else to make yourself PERCEPTIVE. This could be done by

commenting on:

o what is being said in the source;

o the author of the source and looking at issues of reliability or bias;

o whether the source is primary or secondary and the key issues around this;

o tone and reason for the source being written.

4. Read the date of the resource carefully - the date of publication does not necessarily

mean that a resource was written in that year.

5. Take note of whether the source is primary or secondary. Remember a source found in

a secondary book can still be primary.

6. Remember the pitfalls of secondary sources. Historians can provide different

explanations of the same event as a result of different interpretations of primary

resources.

7. Remember the pitfalls of primary sources:

o they can often be patchy and give an incomplete picture of events;

o they may be biased and give prejudiced or one sided version of events;

o they may be so influenced by personal feeling that they are difficult to generalise

upon.

8. Remember all sources are useful but not all are reliable.

9. What is the intent of the source - is it a personal letter, a publication, a piece of

propaganda, an official document?

10. Reliability can be verified by checking other sources.

11. Take note if the author of a source is a contemporary of the person or event being

written about.

12. Remember to refer to the source directly eg H.G Robley; British officer's painting of a

haka with muskets at Maketu, c1865, ATL Timeframes.

13. You must refer to all the sources if more than one is provided to comment on.

14. Annotate the source on the exam paper - highlight key short quotes, identify people,

underline the date etc. 15. Take your time to read the resources and PLAN your answer very carefully.

90656 Student Guide

Documents

usefulness of evidence

nature of evidence

quality of evidence

historical setting andor

historical process

historical context

usefulness andor reliability

single piece of evidence