4/1: Humanities Foundations

DO NOW:

On the provided sheet, complete the question about the historical document.

Question: The image, “Washington crossing the Delaware,” helps historians understand the Washington’s role in the Battle of Trenton in 1776.

Do you agree or disagree? (Circle one)

Briefly support your answer:

Washington Crosses Delaware

·      • "Consideration of representativeness" – student discounts the source because a historian would need more than just this one source to determine what happened at the Battle of Trenton. This answer is laudable in that it recognizes the need to corroborate historical sources, but this answer does not directly evaluate the usefulness of this particular source.

·      "Perspective of artist" - student evaluates the usefulness of the source based on the perspective or biases of the artist. This response shows a sophisticated disposition toward historical sources; historians often consider the perspective of the author when sourcing a document. But little is known about the author of this painting and an evaluation based on the perspective of the author would be largely guesswork.

·      "Type of source"- student evaluates usefulness based on the type of source. For example, a student might reject the source because he or she believes that paintings are not reliable sources of information. Basic Student does not recognize the gap in time and instead takes the painting at face value or provides an irrelevant response.

Possible misconceptions:

·      “Goodness of fit” - student evaluates the usefulness of the source based on how well it matches his or her historical understanding of the event.

·      “Clarity of source” - student evaluates the usefulness of the source based on its aesthetic qualities.

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HF- Using evidence worksheet to evaluate each others' use of evidence.

HW- Make sure you complete the worksheet.