Analyzing Sources
One of the most daunting tasks in the NHD process is analyzing sources. When looking at a source you will decipher their content and information about the source. This is an important step because this is how you determine the significance of your topic in history. This page contains resources that will help you in your source analysis step of your project.
Impact and Legacy When considering legacy you will need to look carefully at the impact on society and change over time. Legacy is what is left behind for future generations. While reading your sources look for evidence of your topics impact and legacy. Here are some questions to consider as you examine your sources:
1 What change or objective did they set in motion? 2 How did they set out to change the world? 3 Did they succeed? 4 What did they leave behind for future generations? As you examine impact and legacy focus on three types of impacts; cultural, political, and economic. 1 Cultural - A chance that "could be social or cultural, affecting a society’s way of thinking or way of acting." 2 Political - An political impact should be a change that led "to new legislation or to a new government taking charge." 3 Economic - An economic impact should affect "how goods are produced, bought and sold, or how much or how little a society has to spend on such items." Information comes from the NHD Theme Sheet |
CCS Analysis Recommendations
S.O.A.P.S. Tone Analysis for Primary Source Documents
S - What is the subject of the piece? What is the general topic or idea of the piece? O - What is the occasion? What are the time, place, and setting of the piece? A - Who is the audience? To whom is this document directed? P - What is the purpose or reason that this document was written? S - Who is the speaker? Who is the voice that tells the story? Tone - What is the tone of the piece? What emotions describe the piece? How do they feel? Why should you use SOAPS Tone? "The SOAPS Tone strategy may appear to be somewhat formulaic and rigid, but it helps students, especially novice writers, to clarify and organize their thoughts prior to writing. It provides a specific structure for the text. By the time students have finished answering the SOAPSTone questions, they will have an outline of what they think, where they are going with their ideas, and why they are writing." - CollegeBoard AP Website |