BleuHistory — Primary Source Only

Document Box: The Four Questions

Grades 5-12 | BleuLearn Homeschool Practice Pack

BleuHistory standard: Every claim must be supported by evidence from the primary source itself. "The document says..." is the beginning of evidence. "I think..." is not.

The Primary Source

Document title: _______________________________________

Author or institution: _______________________________________

Date: _______________________________________

Where it is archived (URL or institution): _______________________________________

Copy one key sentence or phrase from the document here (quote exactly)

The Four Questions

Question 1 — Who wrote it? (Name, position, economic interests, relationship to the event)

Question 2 — When did they write it? (Exact date or period; what was happening in the world at that moment)

Question 3 — What does it say? (In your own words — do not copy; translate the document into plain language)

Question 4 — Why does it matter? (What did this document change, prove, reveal, or hide? Why are we studying it?)

BleuLearn Pause

What does this document tell you that a textbook's description of the same event would not?