SPICE
Scribes using cuneiform to track taxes on barley and sesame oil falls under this SPICE category.
What is Economic (E)
In HAPPY, the letter "H" stands for this.
What is Historical Context?
The continent located directly south of Europe that is crossed by the Equator.
What is Africa?
A photograph of factory workers taken in 1893 is this type of source.
What is Primary?
Asking "Are they making clay tablets?" is a weak historical question because of this reason
What is it is close ended/What is because the background blurb already answers it directly / it is too simple?
Flooding, droughts, and farming along river banks fall under this SPICE category.
What is Interaction with the Environment (I)?
To answer this letter in HAPPY, you must explain why the author created the source, rather than just describing what is in the picture.
What is Purpose (P)?
The ocean a ship crosses when sailing from the east coast of Asia to the west coast of North America.
What is the Pacific Ocean?
A textbook chapter written in 2024 about ancient civilization is this type of source.
What is secondary?
During a class discussion, if someone gives a simple or incomplete definition of history, this response helps deepen the discussion respectfully.
What is asking "What evidence makes you think that?"
Leaders, priests collecting taxes, and government laws represent this SPICE category.
What is Political (P)?
Photographers published factory photos for everyday citizens outside the plant to see inside. This addresses this letter in HAPPY.
What is Audience (A)?
The map feature that shows cardinal directions like North, South, East, and West.
What is a compass rose?
Before deciding which of two sources is more reliable, a historian must check these two things first.
What are who created the source and why it was made (author and purpose)?
Instead of saying "You're wrong!" in a social studies discussion, this is what a strong student historian does when they disagree.
What is, "I respectfully disagree?"
Class structures, gender roles, and daily family life fall under this SPICE category.
What is Social (S)?
This HAPPY letter asks what the author thought, felt, or believed about the topic.
What is Point of View / Perspective (P)?
The imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
What is the equator?
Between a diary entry written by a sailor on Columbus’s ship and a modern blog post about Columbus, this source is generally more reliable for knowing what the sailors experienced day-to-day.
What is the diary entry (the primary source / eyewitness)?
Instead of asking simple yes/no questions about a source, a historian should formulate questions focused on these types of topics.
What is open ended/What are who created the source, why it was created, or details about the people's conditions and lives?
A captain observing ocean currents, birds, and floating plants to navigate falls under this SPICE category.
What is Interaction with the Environment (I)?
Where in a test item can you find nearly all of the information needed for Context, Audience, and Purpose without any prior historical knowledge?
The continent located at the southernmost point of the globe, surrounded by the Southern Ocean.
What is Antarctica?
True or False: A primary source is ALWAYS 100% trustworthy and reliable, no matter who wrote it or why.
What is False (historians must still check the author's purpose and perspective for bias or exaggeration)?
To come up with strong questions about a new historical source, you should always read and pull details from this part of the document first.
What is a source line?