Thinking Like a Historian

Thinking Like a Historian Make observations from Page 119 in History Alive!

When? Chronological Order - Dates in order of when the event happened Timelines – A diagram that shows the order of events within a period of time Sections evenly spaced Labels events

Blocks of Time Periods – a portion of time Eras – period of time marked by certain characteristic Decades – 10 years Century – 100 years

Timelines We use dates B.C. = before Christ A.D. = anno Domini In Latin – means “the year of the Lord” To date events that happened BEFORE the birth of Christ (or B.C.), historians count backward from A.D. 1 (there is no year 0) To date events after the birth of Christ (or A.D.), historians count forward, starting at 1 A.D. B.C.E. and C.E. – Common Era

Turn to page 533 in Ancient Civilizations Timelines Turn to page 533 in Ancient Civilizations

Brainstorm your personal timeline! Timelines Brainstorm your personal timeline!

Primary Sources What is a PRIMARY SOURCE? A primary source is direct evidence of an event, idea, period or development. It is an oral or written account from ACTUAL PARTICIPANTS or OBSERVERS of an event THEY WERE THERE Examples: Official documents Speeches and interviews Diaries and letters Autobiographies Advertisements and posters Physical objects (tools, dishes, art, photographs, statues, videos or pictures)

Secondary Sources What is a SECONDARY SOURCE? A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources The person writing/creating it WAS NOT THERE They did not witness the event with their own eyes Examples: A journal/magazine articles that interpret previous findings A history textbook

How Do I Tell the Difference? Primary source: the person had to be there at the time the event happened Secondary source: studies and interprets the primary source