Name:

Period:

The Great Leap Forward Analysis Packet

Directions: Use the graphic organizers and questions in this packet to

guide your analysis of the six primary sources in the “Great Leap
Forward Primary Source Packet.” Use evidence from the sources to
complete the organizers and answer all of the questions. Look for
evidence to answer the question, “Was China’s Great Leap Forward a
Success or a Failure?”

Once you finish the first six worksheets, do not move on to the
“Weighing the Evidence” worksheet. We will debrief as a class before
you work on the final worksheet at the end of the lesson. The “Weighing
the Evidence” graphic organizer will help you organize the evidence that
you need to answer the exit slip questions.

Packet Contents: Six (6) SCCC worksheets for the documents, one (1)
“Weighing the Evidence” worksheet.

*Note: The questions within the graphic organizers in this packet have been
adapted from the “Historical Reading Skills” handout created by Sarah Whelan and
Sharon Leon for Loudoun County Public Schools TAH Grant, June 2008*
 Document A
Sourcing
 Who is the author? Can you make any
judgements about them?
 When was this document created?
 What kind of source is this?
 What are the author’s intentions?
 Is this source reliable? Why/why not?

Contextualizing
 Under what circumstances was this
document created (i.e. formal
government meeting, private
discussion, etc.)?
 What was occurring in the
surrounding society as this document
was created?
 Who was the audience?
 What were the popular attitudes about
the topic addressed in the document?

Close Reading
 What are the main ideas of the
document?
 Who are the people in the document?
 What key words do you notice?
 What is the overall message of the
source?

Corroborating
 What other sources does this
document agree with? Disagree with?
 What argument does this document
support?
 How is the style/audience of this text
similar or different from the others?
 Which documents are more reliable?
 Document B
Sourcing
 Who is the author? Can you make any
judgements about them?
 When was this document created?
 What kind of source is this?
 What are the author’s intentions?
 Is this source reliable? Why/why not?

Contextualizing
 Under what circumstances was this
document created (i.e. formal
government meeting, private
discussion, etc.)?
 What was occurring in the
surrounding society as this document
was created?
 Who was the audience?
 What were the popular attitudes about
the topic addressed in the document?

Close Reading
 What are the main ideas of the
document?
 Who are the people in the document?
 What key words do you notice?
 What is the overall message of the
source?

Corroborating
 What other sources does this
document agree with? Disagree with?
 What argument does this document
support?
 How is the style/audience of this text
similar or different from the others?
 Which documents are more reliable?
 Document C
Sourcing
 Who is the author? Can you make any
judgements about them?
 When was this document created?
 What kind of source is this?
 What are the author’s intentions?
 Is this source reliable? Why/why not?

Contextualizing
 Under what circumstances was this
document created (i.e. formal
government meeting, private
discussion, etc.)?
 What was occurring in the
surrounding society as this document
was created?
 Who was the audience?
 What were the popular attitudes about
the topic addressed in the document?

Close Reading
 What are the main ideas of the
document?
 Who are the people in the document?
 What key words do you notice?
 What is the overall message of the
source?

Corroborating
 What other sources does this
document agree with? Disagree with?
 What argument does this document
support?
 How is the style/audience of this text
similar or different from the others?
 Which documents are more reliable?
 Document D
Sourcing
 Who is the author? Can you make any
judgements about them?
 When was this document created?
 What kind of source is this?
 What are the author’s intentions?
 Is this source reliable? Why/why not?

Contextualizing
 Under what circumstances was this
document created (i.e. formal
government meeting, private
discussion, etc.)?
 What was occurring in the
surrounding society as this document
was created?
 Who was the audience?
 What were the popular attitudes about
the topic addressed in the document?

Close Reading
 What are the main ideas of the
document?
 Who are the people in the document?
 What key words do you notice?
 What is the overall message of the
source?

Corroborating
 What other sources does this
document agree with? Disagree with?
 What argument does this document
support?
 How is the style/audience of this text
similar or different from the others?
 Which documents are more reliable?
 Document E
Sourcing
 Who is the author? Can you make any
judgements about them?
 When was this document created?
 What kind of source is this?
 What are the author’s intentions?
 Is this source reliable? Why/why not?

Contextualizing
 Under what circumstances was this
document created (i.e. formal
government meeting, private
discussion, etc.)?
 What was occurring in the
surrounding society as this document
was created?
 Who was the audience?
 What were the popular attitudes about
the topic addressed in the document?

Close Reading
 What are the main ideas of the
document?
 Who are the people in the document?
 What key words do you notice?
 What is the overall message of the
source?

Corroborating
 What other sources does this
document agree with? Disagree with?
 What argument does this document
support?
 How is the style/audience of this text
similar or different from the others?
 Which documents are more reliable?
 Document F
Sourcing
 Who is the author? Can you make any
judgements about them?
 When was this document created?
 What kind of source is this?
 What are the author’s intentions?
 Is this source reliable? Why/why not?

Contextualizing
 Under what circumstances was this
document created (i.e. formal
government meeting, private
discussion, etc.)?
 What was occurring in the
surrounding society as this document
was created?
 Who was the audience?
 What were the popular attitudes about
the topic addressed in the document?

Close Reading
 What are the main ideas of the
document?
 Who are the people in the document?
 What key words do you notice?
 What is the overall message of the
source?

Corroborating
 What other sources does this
document agree with? Disagree with?
 What argument does this document
support?
 How is the style/audience of this text
similar or different from the others?
 Which documents are more reliable?
 Weighing the Evidence Exit Slip
Directions: On the chart below, list the title of each document (the letter is
acceptable) under the argument that it supports. Then answer the questions below.

Argument 1: China’s Great Leap Argument 2: China’s Great Leap

Forward was a Success Forward was a Failure

1. According to your analysis, which argument does the evidence support?

2. Was China’s Great Leap Forward a success or a failure? Justify your answer.
Reference at least 2 documents to support your answer AND address at least
1 opposing source in your justification.

3. Why do some sources emphasize the successes of the Great Leap Forward
while others emphasize its failures? (Hint: Information from the
Sourcing/Contextualizing process will be very helpful here).