Evaluating Blitz Sources
The Historic Environment paper asks how useful a source is, not whether you trust it. Learn to weigh a source by its content and its provenance, and why even a biased source can be useful.
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How useful is it? 🔎
The Historic Environment paper does not ask whether you trust a source. It asks how USEFUL the source is for a particular enquiry. This module shows how to judge usefulness by weighing what a source says and where it comes from.
Words to know 🔑
Four terms run through this topic. Learn them first.
Two things to weigh ⚖️
To judge how useful a source is, weigh two things together.
Bias can be useful 💡
Do not just label a source reliable or unreliable. A biased source can still be USEFUL, because the bias is itself evidence. A government morale poster is useful for showing what the government wanted people to feel. Always say what a source is useful FOR, weighing content and provenance.
Match the term 🔗
- Source
- Provenance
- Content
- Purpose
- A piece of evidence from the time
- Where a source comes from
- What the source says or shows
- The reason it was made
What is provenance? 🎯
What does the provenance of a source mean?
- Where it comes from: its nature, origin and purpose
- Only what the source says or shows
- Only how old the source is
- Whether you like the source
Match the element 🗂
- Nature
- Origin
- Purpose
- Content
- What type of source it is
- Who made it, and when
- Why it was made
- What it says or shows
What do you weigh? ✅
Which TWO things should you weigh to judge how useful a source is? Choose all that apply.
- The content of the source
- The provenance of the source
- Only how old it is
- Whether you enjoy it
How to evaluate 🪜
An interactive activity.
Complete the sentences 🧩
To judge how useful a source is, weigh its _____, meaning what it shows, and its _____, meaning where it comes from. Provenance covers the _____, origin and _____ of the source. A biased source can still be _____, because the bias is evidence.
Count the parts 🔢
An interactive activity.
Spot the provenance 🖍
An interactive activity.
Content, origin or purpose? 🧭
An interactive activity.
Judge a source ✍
An interactive activity.