Analysing Historical Interpretations using a Thinking Skills Graphic Organiser

This great resource is designed to help students analyse historical interpretations and can be used to help students at both GCSE and A Level. I have successfully used this type of resource with my students and when its completed it provides them with an excellent writing frame or scaffold for producing high quality answers.

Used overtime, this type of resource will help to embed good practice and help students develop the important thinking and analysis skills they will need to tackle interpretation questions.

As you can see in the preview, this is a single sheet resource with several squares. It is an evolution of the thinking skills reliability squares organiser that some of you may have come across before.

The first square gets students to comment on the message of the source. The second square gets them to back this up with quotes, evidence and examples from the source. The third box gets students to analyse / explain the interpretation using outside knowledge, which would move them up to the next level, whilst the forth square gets them to analyse / explain the reliability of the interpretation with reference to the origin, nature, purpose, audience, access to information and its intended impact, which would take them up to the higher levels. Finally, the last box is designed to get them to link their analysis and come to a judgement to any other source being studied at the same time to help secure that A*.

Underpinning the graphic organiser is the use of both PEEL and CCCJ as potential scaffold:

P = Point C = Comment
E = Example C= Content
E = Explain C= Context (Source & Knowledge)
L = Link J = Judgement

Back in the days when examiners could provide training and feedback, these acronyms underpinned many of the level descriptors.

If you would like a great resource which for further explaining these to your students then check out my PP on 'How to use a source successfully at GCSE.' This can also be printed off and laminated to make some great eye catching wall displays.

If you like this resource, then check out my TES shop: The History Academy or check out or follow my Twitter, You Tube, Google Plus and Facebook pages, with the same name for further updates and discussions on how to use these resources successfully. My aim to provide low cost resources for the price of a cup of coffee or a happy meal :-)

Kind Regards

Roy