Historical Research Capabilities

Historical Thinking Standard Four & Alignment to the Common Core
Historical Thinking Standard
 Common Core Standards

*RH=Reading History

*RI=Reading Informational Text
Standard Four: Historical Research Capabilities

  1. Formulate historical questions from encounters with historical documents, eyewitness accounts, letters, diaries, artifacts, photos, historical sites, art, architecture, and other records from the past.
  2. Obtain historical data from a variety of sources, including: library and museum collections, historic sites, historical photos, journals, diaries, eyewitness accounts, newspapers, and the like; documentary films, oral testimony from living witnesses, censuses, tax records, city directories, statistical compilations, and economic indicators.
  3. Interrogate historical data by uncovering the social, political, and economic context in which it was created; testing the data source for its credibility, authority, authenticity, internal consistency and completeness; and detecting and evaluating bias, distortion, and propaganda by omission, suppression, or invention of facts.
  4. Identify the gaps in the available records, marshal contextual knowledge and perspectives of the time and place, fill in the gaps deductively, and construct a sound historical interpretation
  5. Employ quantitative analysis in order to explore such topics as changes in family size and composition, migration patterns, wealth distribution, and changes in the economy.
  6. Support interpretations with historical evidence in order to construct closely reasoned arguments rather than facile opinions.
 Key Ideas and Details

RH 6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

RH 11-12.3: Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.

Craft and Structure

RH 9-10.6: Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RH 11-12.8: Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.

RH 11-12.9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

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