Study guide: What Our Notes Can Tell Us
Use dates, observation scope, and answerable questions to make evidence-based claims.
Ideas to explain in your own words
- Use a fictional dated record to support a narrow claim.
- Order three complete fictional observations and keep their claims narrow.
- Explain why observations from different places may have different scope.
- Match a question to information supplied by a source.
Watch your reasoning
- The note reports three wagons at that place and time. It gives no ownership information, bridge construction date, or complete town count.
- April 8 is the latest supplied date. Building the room is not reported at all.
- The records concern different locations. Neither claims to count the whole fair.
- The decision line supplies the round table. It has no feelings, votes, or purchase information.
A worked review example
Separate a Source from a Guess: Supported: Rae reported seeing three wagons beside the bridge on May 3. Unsupported: every town resident owned a wagon. Put Records in Time Order: “April 6: green sign on door; April 7: two signs on table; April 8: red sign on door. Ada reports the red door sign on April 8. I cannot tell when the red sign was first attached.” Compare What Two Observers Could See: “Jae reports four at the west gate and Ren two at the east gate, both at 10 am. That is six reported bicycles beside the two gates together, not necessarily six in the whole fair.” Ask a Question a Record Can Answer: “What table was chosen? The card records the round table. Did Cal like that choice? The card does not say; being present does not tell me Cal’s feelings or vote.”
Make a practice plan
- Try the supplied lesson problems without looking at the answers.
- Compare your method with the worked examples and explain any correction.
- Use the new review cases, then complete the transfer task on paper or in your own document.