Primary Source Literacy

The Four Questions Reference Card and Practice

Grades 5-12 | BleuLearn Homeschool Practice Pack

The Four Questions — apply to every primary source in this curriculum: (1) Who wrote it? (2) When did they write it? (3) What does it say? (4) Why does it matter? — These questions never change. What changes is what you discover by asking them.

Quick Reference — What Each Question Actually Asks

Question 1 — Who wrote it? Name, position, economic interests, who they served, who held power over them, what they had to gain or lose.

Question 2 — When did they write it? Exact date or period. What events came just before? Who held power at that moment? What was the author responding to?

Question 3 — What does it say? Summarize in your own words. Do not copy. Translate. What specific words did the author choose, and why might they have chosen those words?

Question 4 — Why does it matter? What was the purpose? Who was the intended audience? What did it change, prove, reveal, or hide? Why are we studying it now?

Apply All Four Questions to a Primary Source You Choose

Document: _______________________ Date: _______________________ Archived at: _______________________

Q1 — Who wrote it?

Q2 — When did they write it?

Q3 — What does it say? (your own words — no copying)

Q4 — Why does it matter?

Evidence Quality Check

Quote one specific phrase from the document: _______________________________________

Is this strong evidence, moderate evidence, or weak evidence for a claim? Explain: _______________________________________

BleuLearn Pause

Write one sentence about what Question 1 reveals about this document that you would have missed if you only read Question 3: