Social Studies Middle School Guide

Crosswalk: Historical Thinking Skills & News Literacy Skills

Historical Thinking Skill

News Literacy Skill

Connection

Source (Has it been confirmed by a credible source? Does it follow journalistic standards?) Context (Is the context accurate? Was it altered or misrepresented?) Evidence (Is there evidence that proves or disproves this claim?) Reasoning (Is the claim logically sound? Are there biases or fallacies?)

Sourcing (Who wrote this? Why? Is it reliable?)

Both focus on identifying bias, credibility, and intent of the author/source. Both emphasize understanding background information and recognizing how context influences interpretation. Both require cross-checking multiple sources to verify accuracy and reliability. Both involve critically evaluating arguments, evidence, and persuasive techniques. Similar to evaluating primary sources for authenticity and identifying mis/disinformation in historical and current events.

Contextualization (What was happening when this was written? How does context affect meaning?) Corroboration (What do other documents say? Do they agree?) Close Reading (What claims are made? What evidence is used? What language is used to persuade?)

Authenticity (Has the content been manipulated or fabricated?)

(General Skill)

News Literacy Project. (n.d.). RumorGuard . News Literacy Project. Retrieved April 28, 2025, from https://rumorguard.org © 2025 Jodi Ide, Teacher Specialist, Canyons School District. All rights reserved. Sharing or reproduction permitted with author’s permission.