Appendix A

Peter Felten, "Inquiry, Image and Emotion in the History Classroom, Academic Commons (Dec. 2008)
Appendix A: Template on reading historical sources

Novice Intermediate Advanced

On what features of the source does the reader focus? Focus on information Focus on information but some attention to meaning and context Focus on context and meaning, not information

Little or no attention to perspective / author Notice the perspective/author of the source at some point during the reading Significant attention to perspective/author of the source throughout reading

Little or no attention to what is missing Superficial attention to what is not in the source Significant attention to what is not in the source (not just what is there)

Little or no attention to the type of source, or treats all sources the same Superficial attention to how to read this kind of source Significant attention to the type source it is (speech, photo, etc.), and how to read this kind of source

What questions will the reader likely ask (and consider most important) while reading the source? What are the facts contained in the source? What are the facts contained in the source, and what might they mean? What is the context and subtext of the source?

Is the source "factual" or is it "biased"? Who created the source, and how does that "bias" the source? Who created the source, and why was the source created?

Do the facts in this source confirm or contradict what I already know? What is surprising or unexpected in the source's content or meaning?

What facts are missing or not known in this source? What is missing from or not known about the content or context of the source?

What kind of source is this? What type of source is this, and what does that tell me about how to read it

	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced
On what features of the source does the reader focus?	Focus on information	Focus on information but some attention to meaning and context	Focus on context and meaning, not information
	Little or no attention to perspective / author	Notice the perspective/author of the source at some point during the reading	Significant attention to perspective/author of the source throughout reading
	Little or no attention to what is missing	Superficial attention to what is not in the source	Significant attention to what is not in the source (not just what is there)
	Little or no attention to the type of source, or treats all sources the same	Superficial attention to how to read this kind of source	Significant attention to the type source it is (speech, photo, etc.), and how to read this kind of source
What questions will the reader likely ask (and consider most important) while reading the source?	What are the facts contained in the source?	What are the facts contained in the source, and what might they mean?	What is the context and subtext of the source?
	Is the source "factual" or is it "biased"?	Who created the source, and how does that "bias" the source?	Who created the source, and why was the source created?
		Do the facts in this source confirm or contradict what I already know?	What is surprising or unexpected in the source's content or meaning?
		What facts are missing or not known in this source?	What is missing from or not known about the content or context of the source?
		What kind of source is this?	What type of source is this, and what does that tell me about how to read it