Historical skills

Year 8
Source analysis
What do you see?
 Analysis strategy:
COMA
 There are many different ways
to analyse a primary source.
For every source, there will be
a slightly different approach to
the analysis, depending on
what it is, what you know,
available information etc.
 However, COMA is a good
acronym to consider when
analysing your sources.
COMA Prompting Questions
Content What is in the source? What key
words/symbols/people/colours can you
see?
Origin Who made it? Where was it made? When?
Motive Why was it made?
Analysis What event in history does this source
relate to? What is it communicating? How
does this relate to the question?
Analysis COMA Prompting Questions
Content What is in the source? What
key
words/symbols/people/colours
can you see?
Origin Who made it? Where was it
made? When?
Motive Why was it made?

Analysis What event in history does this

source relate to? What is it
communicating? How does
this relate to the question?

Now that we know how to

analyse an image, is there
anything else that we missed?
 COMBAT
COMA Prompting Questions

Content What is in the source? What key

words/symbols/people/colours can you see?

Origin Who made it? Where was it made? When?

Motive Why was it made?

Analysis What event in history does this source relate

to? What is it communicating? How does
this relate to the question?

As a class, consider what is

occurring in this image. Annotate
the image to really pull apart the
ideas in depth.

Abdalla Al Omari, 2017

 Medieval Europe

Complete the Medieval Europe Source analysis in

groups of 2-3.

1. With your pens, circle and annotate any key parts of

the image that draws your eyes
2. Fill in the boxes around the image with the
Content/Origin/Motive/Analysis that you have
completed. Draw arrows to the relevant parts of the
image to highlight the information clearly.
3. Choosing one of the images given, use this as a basis
to hypothesis what Medieval Europe was like to live
in. Try to bring in evidence from the source to
support your view.
 With a source analysis, you will be asked to
analyse the image/ writing and then answer
questions.
After analysing this source, consider the following
questions:
1. Identify two styles of fighting in the image
2. Are the soldiers on the left of right Norman fighters?
How do you know?
Which side do you believe had the tactical advantage?
Use information from the source to justify your response.

COMA Prompting Questions

Content What is in the source? What key

words/symbols/people/colours can you see?

Origin Who made it? Where was it made? When?

Bayeux tapestry Motive Why was it made?

Analysis What event in history does this source relate to?

What is it communicating? How does this relate to
the question?
 Source Analysis- William of Pote

1. Is this a reliable
COMA Prompting Questions
source?
“Then came William duke of Normandy into
Content What is in the source? What key 2. Why does the
Pevensey... This was then made known to words/symbols/people/colours can you see?
author believe the
King Harold, and he then gathered a great Normans won the
force, and came to meet him at the estuary of Origin Who made it? Where was it made? When? battle? What event
Appledore; and William came against him does the author
unawares before his people were assembled... Motive Why was it made?
allude to?
King Harold was killed... and the French Analysis What event in history does this source relate 3. What are the
were masters of the field... God granted it to to? What is it communicating? How does
this relate to the question?
benefits and
them because of the sins of the people.” limitations of a
written source?
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Version D (1066)