U1- Lesson 4: How Do Historians Create Accounts of Past

Events?
Big Ideas of the Lesson
Historical events happen once and then disappear. Since we cannot study
historical events directly, historians rely on whatever evidence the event has left behind.
Historians analyze this evidence (primary and secondary sources) for accuracy.
Two ways to evaluate the accuracy of a source are by exploring internal consistency
and external consistency.
Internal consistency means that the facts within the source do not contradict each
other.
External consistency means that the facts within the source can be corroborated
against other sources.

Lesson Abstract:
This lesson continues introducing the students to the type of thinking involved in doing history.
Students consider how it is possible for historians to create representations or accounts of events
in which they were not present or that happened thousands of years before they were even born.
They learn that history is an evidentiary discipline and that historians use evidence to support
most of the claims they make in their accounts. They revisit the distinction between primary and
secondary sources and explore why historians must carefully read, analyze, and interpret all
evidence they use. This lesson focuses on two such forms of historical analysis, internal and
external validity -- or corroborating sources.
Content Expectations: 7 H1.2.1; H1.2.2; H1.2.3; H1.2.4
Common Core State Standards: RH.6-8.1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10; WHST.6-8.9 and 10
Key Concepts
corroborating
evidence
history
primary sources
secondary sources