4. Dealing with evidence: tertiary sources

Dealing with Evidence: Tertiary Sources (textbooks and encyclopedias)
The 100 & 200 Level [Comprehend/Recognize/Interpret/Apply]

Extract and use evidence and context from tertiary sources to answer historical questions.

Operations commonly required for this component

Possible Assessment Examples

a. Comprehend the difference between secondary and tertiary sources.

a. Give students an excerpt coming from each a secondary and tertiary source. Have them list the differences.

b. Recognize the limitations of tertiary sources.

b. Ask students to list what they could and could not do with a tertiary source.

c. Identify the major course themes as they appear in tertiary sources.

c. Allow students to identify a major course theme (or themes) in a couple of paragraphs from a tertiary source.

d. Identify the framing narratives of tertiary sources.

d. Ask students to compare the same material as covered in two or three different textbooks or encyclopedias. Have them identify the "story" each one is telling.

e. Extract and use evidence and context from tertiary sources to answer historical questions.

e. Give students a historical problem and ask them to figure out what evidence they could get from a tertiary source that would help them solve it. (For a detailed example, see Appendix 6.)