1. ARGUMENT VALUES + EVIDENCE + REASONING THESIS + EVIDENCE + COMMENTARY
THINKING
VALUES
+ EVIDENCE
+ REASONING
ARGUMENT
THESIS
+ EVIDENCE
+ COMMENTARY
EXPRESSING

2. ARGUMENT: The center of the study of history
The BHS view of HISTORY
History IS the story of the past, BUT…
To make sense and meaning of the story, we need to consider that all history has been recorded and reported by SOMEBODY. That means history really is an ARGUMENT about what happened in the past.
HISTORY therefore needs to be:
How we understand & give meaning to what happened and has been reported
It is necessarily interpretive
It requires methods and practices to critique, analyze, and give meaning
Diagram

3. VALUES – Shared beliefs about what is right, good, meaningful, and acceptable
They refer to larger ideas. A “mindset” which all things are judged against
We will consider the values of the people involved in the historical situation, the values of the reporters or recorders, and the values of those critiquing
We will use values to look for bias, (un) hidden agendas, a point of view, a frame of reference, etc.
Sometimes they are stated and intended, but often they are assumed or subtle (must be inferred)
The involved, the reporter, the author, and the reader may not even be aware of the use of values
We will focus on 5 values pairs to give meaning to our arguments this year
Diagram

5. EVIDENCE
Evidence— specific information used for reporting and supporting historical arguments
Facts; Statistics; “Other” forms of information
A necessary goal for giving meaning to historical argument is EVALUATING evidence
Evidence selection
why did the reporter or recorder select specific evidence? What purpose was it intended to serve? Was evidence left out? Why
What evidence can you use to give meaning to arguments?
Look for:
Relevance, Reliability, Strength, Corroboration
Diagram

6. Reasoning can be used to link parts of historical arguments.
REASONING – Ways of thinking which can be used to give meaning to historical arguments
Reasoning can be used to link parts of historical arguments.
Values-Evidence, for instance
We will work with three Categories
Comparison—Drawing conclusions or developing understanding based on how one idea or event is (un)like another.
Includes alike and difference comparisons. AKA historical analogies.
Cause-Effect—Reasoning used to analyze why events happened and make connections between events or ideas.
Generalization—Reasoning used to draw conclusions about a whole based on part(s) of the whole.
Diagram

7. Thinking  Expressing This is how we think about history at BHS.
It is a model for how we want to approach and give meaning to what we learn.
There also is an EXPRESSING side of the equation
Expressing is what YOU will DO with the information