Separate a Source from a Guess
Use a fictional dated record to support a narrow claim.
Supplied materials
- Paper and a pencil, or say your answers aloud.
Learn the idea
A source is a piece of evidence, such as a letter, photograph, or record. A source can show some things while leaving other questions unanswered. A firsthand note may tell what one person saw; it does not automatically tell what everyone saw.
Here is an invented practice source, not a real historical record: “Town notebook, May 3: I saw three wagons beside the bridge this morning. —Rae.” It records Rae’s observation on one morning. It does not list every wagon in town or describe tomorrow.
- Read the invented note and find its date.
- Underline what Rae says they saw.
- Write one sentence that the note supports.
- Name one question the note cannot answer.
See the method in action
Supported: Rae reported seeing three wagons beside the bridge on May 3. Unsupported: every town resident owned a wagon.
Check your reasoning
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See the answer and explanation
Rae reported three wagons beside the bridge that morning.
The note reports three wagons at that place and time. It gives no ownership information, bridge construction date, or complete town count.
Take it further
Add a new invented note: “May 4: I saw one wagon beside the bridge.” The two notes report different observations on different mornings; they do not prove that two wagons were destroyed.
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