Annotate This!
Name one thing you should underline or highlight when annotating.
Key words, names, dates, or phrases.
What is the first question you should ask when sourcing a document?
Who created it?
Define “audience” in the context of a historical source.
The group of people the author is writing for.
What does it mean to “close read” a source?
Carefully analyze the words to find the main idea and meaning.
What are the three main practices historians use to examine sources?
Annotate, Source, and Close Read.
Why is annotating helpful for historians?
It helps them identify important details and evidence.
Why does knowing the author matter?
It helps reveal bias and point of view.
Define “purpose.”
why something was created; reason why something was done.
What question should you always ask when close reading?
What is the author trying to say or argue?
Why do historians compare multiple sources instead of relying on just one?
To check accuracy and avoid bias.
“The king ordered his men to crush the rebellion without mercy.” What words show bias?
“Crush” and “without mercy.”
If a soldier wrote about a battle, what perspective might they have?
A firsthand perspective that may be emotional or biased.
If a king wrote a speech to his people, what might his purpose be?
To gain loyalty, inspire, or control his people.
Close read this phrase: “The peasants were liberated from the landowners’ cruel control.” What is the main idea?
Peasants gained freedom from unfair treatment by landowners.
If two sources disagree, what should a historian do?
Investigate both, look for evidence, and consider point of view.
When annotating an image, what are two details you should mark?
Symbols, people’s actions, objects, captions, or colors.
Who wrote the Code of Hammurabi?
King Hammurabi of Babylon.
Audience check — If a textbook is written for high school students, how might that affect the content?
It will be simplified, age-appropriate, and possibly leave out details.
What can tone (positive, negative, neutral) reveal when close reading?
The author’s attitude or bias.
What is one danger of only using secondary sources?
They may leave out details, be simplified, or contain interpretation bias.
True or False — Annotating means copying the text word-for-word.
False. (It means marking up and commenting, not copying.)
If a document doesn’t say who wrote it, name one way historians can figure it out.
Analyze language, style, context clues, or compare to other sources.
True or False — Purpose and audience are always obvious.
False. Historians sometimes have to infer them.
Why do historians combine close reading with sourcing and annotating?
To get the most accurate understanding of the past.
Why is it important for YOU, as a student, to think like a historian?
It helps develop critical thinking, recognize bias, and understand multiple perspectives.