Sources! We know you love ‘em! • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
How typical is this source….? Are you surprised by these two sources….? What can you learn from this source about…? How is this source useful to a historian……? How useful is this source as evidence of…? Why was this source published at this time? What is the message of this source/cartoon…? LOVE How would people have reacted to this source….? Does this source prove that……….? How far do these two sources/accounts agree? Which of these sources came first….? Would people in the period X ..have accepted the treatment shown in Y……. Does source X prove source Y is reliable…? Which of these sources shows a better understanding of…?
Rules for All Source style questions… • •
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Read it carefully/look at it carefully. Make yourself notice the details, underline, circle things, jot things around it. LOOK AT THE CAPTION THAT GOES WITH IT. This can be just as important as the source itself – from it you can learn a date and who’s point of view it is from (German, French, British, Ancient Greek, pre knowledge of germs, post knowledge of germs etc) ‘Warm up’ by writing a sentence or two describing the source, it will help you settle into the question and get you unpacking and understanding what the source is about. Make sure your final sentence reflects the words of the question (i.e make sure you answer it) For example:
The message of the cartoon therefore is that……. Overall I am not surprised because…….. The source cannot totally prove… but it is a strong possibility because….. Overall these sources agree to a large/limited etc extent because…… This source was published because…….
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How typical is this source….? The best answers to this kind of question will see reasons to be surprised (not typical) and not surprised (typical) but overall usually come down more on one side than the other. Often the reason to be surprised is an everyday ‘non expert’ reaction to what you are seeing (why is that teacher letting those children get humiliated, why is he sweeping up money, why have people chucked it away, why are they worshipping a Greek God in Roman times etc etc) Whereas the reason to not be surprised is when your knowledge of the time kicks in - your contextual knowledge. (It is 1935, Nazi policies are in schools and the children are Jewish and being humiliated was what happened to them due to Hitler’s racial policies, or It is 1923, he is sweeping up banknotes as the money due to hyperinflation has no value and will buy nothing, the Romans ‘adopted’ Asclepius from the Greeks and added him to their Gods, they might have been practical but they still believed in the Gods)
Source C A statue to Asclepius from the Roman Empire Source A Road sweeper sweeping up bank notes in Germany 1923
Source B: Inside a German class room c. 1935
Source A Road sweeper sweeping up bank notes in Germany 1923
Source B: Inside a German class room c. 1935 Source C: A statue to Asclepius from the Roman Empire
Not Typical (Surprised)
Typical (Not Surprised)
Conclusion Overall, this source is mostly not typical/typical of the time because…
Source ___ shows…
From my own knowledge I know… Overall, in conclusion…
Your turn!
Source A: German children playing in the summer of 1923
How typical of the time is this source? Use the source and your own knowledge to explain your answer. Don’t forget to use the planning grid on the previous slide!
What is the message of this cartoon…? • Start with a sentence or two describing what is happening in the source—this will get you a couple of marks and help you work out what it is all about • Then write about what you think the images etc represent—why has the cartoonist put them in? Remember everything has been included for a reason and to help get his point across • Finish with ‘Overall the message of the cartoonist is that……. To make sure you pick up maximum marks
Source A: A cartoon from Germany 1919 called Clemenceau the Vampire
Source B: A cartoon from Germany 1923
Source C: A British cartoon from 1920
Message
Own Knowledge (O.K.)
Conclusion Overall, the main message of this source is…
Source ___ shows…
From my own knowledge I know… Overall, in conclusion…
Your turn!
They give you quite a lot of hints and help sometimes! A cartoon from the British newspaper the Daily Mail, 1946. The figure in the middle of the street is Aneurin Bevan, the government minister introducing the National Health Service. Harley Street is where the doctors who looked after the rich worked.
Does this source prove that……….?
Study Source A: Does this prove that prehistoric people performed surgery? Use the source and your own knowledge to explain your answer BE CAREFUL! ONE SOURCE BY ITSELF RARELY PROVES ANYTHING. Instead of saying yes this does, phrase it instead with phrases such as: It makes it seem very likely…..it is a strong possibility because….. You can add from your own knowledge you know lots of skulls have been found with similar holes so that increases the likelihood…….
Supports (Proves to an extent)
Does not support (Does not prove)
Conclusion Overall, the source largely/slightly proves/does not prove…because…
Source ___ shows…
From my own knowledge I know… Overall, in conclusion…
Your turn!
Does this source prove that all the major problems facing 19th century surgeons had been overcome? Use the sources and your own knowledge to explain you answer. Things to consider – what problems that she mentions have been overcome and by what? Are they fully successful/accepted? What are some of the problems with these methods at this time? What other problems in surgery are not addressed in this source? This is one account, written by a Queen - does that need considering?
How is this source useful to a historian……? Think: What can a source help you understand about what they thought or believed? How they acted? What they did? What clues can it give you? Start with a bit of description and identifying (if you can) what it is. Then, what inferences can you make from it.
Explain how this source is useful to a historian studying 17th century medicine. Use the source and your own knowledge to explain your answer. Sometimes you might feel a source actually does not tell you very much and you can point out any obvious limitations as well. It is useful for this……. However it is less useful for………… THEY ARE ALL USEFUL FOR SOMETHING- NEVER DISMISS A SOURCE AS TOTALLY USELESS
Useful (what does it tell Not useful (what does it /show you?) not tell you?)
Conclusion Overall, the source is mostly useful/not useful…because…
Source ___ shows…
From my own knowledge I know… Overall, in conclusion…
How far do these two accounts agree? You are looking for areas where they are similar in what they are saying, in who the authors are, In the tone of the sources, when they were written if applicable etc Also how far means you need to look for any areas where the accounts are different as well before reaching a judgement for Overall……
Agree
Disagree
Conclusion Overall, the sources mostly/partly agree/disagree…because…
Source ___ shows…
From my own knowledge I know… Overall, in conclusion…
What can you learn from this source about…? Learn from the source
Own Knowledge (of the topic)
Conclusion Overall, I can learn a lot/little from this source about…because…
I can learn from Source ___ that…
From my own knowledge I know… Overall, in conclusion…
Why was this source published…? Source?
Own Knowledge (O.K.)?
Message?
Purpose?
Conclusion Overall, this source was published…to/because…
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Source ___ shows that… From my own knowledge I know… The message is… The purpose of the source is to…
Overall, in conclusion…
What is the cartoonist’s message? Use the source and your own knowledge (7 marks) Can you make general assertions? • Describe what you can see • What might the things in the cartoon represent? What is the sub (basic) message of the cartoon? • What topic is the cartoon about? How do you know? What inferences can you make? Can you explain the main message? • What is happening in the cartoon? • How does this relate to the topic in question? What is the cartoonist’s point of view? • How has the cartoon been drawn? • Why might the cartoon have been drawn in this way? • What do you think the cartoonist thinks about the topic in question?
Describe...
(5 marks)
(What relevant facts do you know?)
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Explain...
(7 marks)
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Important because...
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Important because...
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Important because...
“..................................................” How far do you agree with this statement?” (8 marks) AGREE
DISGREE
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because...
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because...
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because...
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because...
Conclusion Overall, I __________________ (mostly agree OR disagree) because...
Remember! • We have tried to give you some guidance but ultimately you have to trust your judgement to be able to write informed, intelligent things about the sources. Not every question will fit a ‘formula’ perfectly. You have to trust yourself to write a response that fits. • You may well get some sources you have not seen before – just keep a cool head. You can’t have seen every medical source from a 5,000 year stretch of time! • YOU CAN DO IT! • GOOD LUCK! • WE WILL BE THINKING OF YOU!
