1. Historical Detective Skills Handbook Detective In Training: ______________________________

2. Step 1: A good detective knows the first step in solving a case is to locate witnesses, or sources of information, from which information about the crime/case can be gathered. Example: If a bank were robbed, the detective would seek to gather information about the crime from sources such as: Locate Sources of Information * tellers waiting on people * security guards * customers * bank manager As a historical detective, you will need to locate sources of information which can provide you with information about a historical event.

3. There are two types of sources of information a historical detective can locate to gather evidence from. A primary source is a source of information, which was created at the time an event took place. Example: The Declaration of Independence A secondary source is a source of information, which was created after an event took place, and is based on a primary source of information. Example: The American Nation textbook

4. Step 2: Just as a detective interviews witnesses and gathers information in order to begin to understand the details of the robbery, the Historical Detective collects facts and details from their primary and secondary sources about the historical event they are investigating. Evidence includes things like: Gather Evidence * Names* Dates * Quotes* Key Terms * Definitions* Facts/Details

5. Step 3: the evidence you have gathered from your sources. Detectives must determine, once evidence has been gathered from witnesses, how the information they have collected agrees and disagrees with each other. Just like different witnesses to a bank robbery might give details that aren’t exactly the same, primary and secondary sources might contradict each other about the details of a historical event. The Historical Detective must recognize how these sources of information are similar and different. Corroborate

6. Step 4: Just as the detective investigating the bank robbery needs to understand the order in which events occurred during the crime, the Historical Detective must determine the order in which events took place in a historical event. Putting events in chronological order allows the Historical Detective to see when one event took place in relation to another. First ………. Second………Third ………. Chronology (Chronological Order)

7. Step 5: Many times, isolated facts or details make no sense when they are looked at on their own.. Events must always be understood in the context of which they took place to understand why they happened. Putting events in context allows the Historical Detective to understand why things happened and how one event influenced and brought about another. Putting Events in Context Consider this statement: Anne Frank, a teenage girl, hid in the attic of a house for many years….. Why would a teenager and her family ever do this? It sounds strange, until you consider it in context. It was because she and millions of other Jews like her were being hunted down and killed by the Nazi’s in World War II. She and her family were hiding to avoid being captured and killed.

8. Step 6: Use gathered facts and details as evidence to make your argument and support your conclusion. Coming Soon: Your first historical mystery to investigate…. Did Pocahontas save the life of Captain John Smith? State Your Conclusion