Compare Two Historical Accounts
Find what two fictional records agree about and a question they cannot resolve.
Supplied materials
- Paper and a pencil, or say your answers aloud.
Learn the idea
Historical inquiry compares sources, asking who made them, when, and what they could observe. Two sources that agree on one detail can support that detail more strongly, but agreement does not make every claim in either source certain.
Use two invented records from a fictional town. A, a visitor’s diary dated June 12: “I crossed the bridge today. Workers were painting its rails blue.” B, a work note dated June 12: “Two workers painted bridge rails blue this morning. Painting will continue tomorrow.” These are original practice sources, not real historical artifacts.
- Make columns for source A, source B, and shared information.
- Record the source type and date for each.
- Find a detail both sources directly support.
- Name something neither source tells, such as the bridge’s opening date.
See the method in action
Both sources report blue paint on bridge rails on June 12. Only B supplies a worker count and a plan for tomorrow. A does not prove the painting was finished.
Check your reasoning
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See the answer and explanation
Workers painted bridge rails blue on June 12.
Both records mention workers painting the bridge rails blue on June 12. Neither gives an opening date or says all painting was finished; B actually describes a plan to continue.
Take it further
Ask whether painting did continue on June 13. The plan in B is not evidence that the planned work happened. Identify a dated June 13 work record or photograph as possible additional evidence, while checking its authenticity in a real investigation.
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