Free, copyable
Graphic Organizers
8 clean, printable organizers for analyzing documents, images, maps, cartoons, and recordings. Each one is a Google Doc you can copy into your own Drive.
Written documents and speeches
SOAPSTone
Analyze any written source by its Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, and Tone.
- S - Speaker: Who wrote or said this? What do you know about them?
- O - Occasion: When and where was it created? What was happening?
- A - Audience: Who was it meant for? How do you know?
- P - Purpose: Why was it created? What did the author want to happen?
- S - Subject: What is it mainly about?
- Tone: What is the author's attitude? Quote words that show it.
Suggested on: Document, Speech, Letter, Essay, Newspaper
Make a copy (Google Doc)Written documents, speeches, letters
HIPP / HAPP
Source a document by its Historical context, Intended audience, Purpose, and Point of view (HAPP adds the Author).
- H - Historical context: What events or conditions surrounded this source?
- A - Author (HAPP): Who created it? What shaped their view?
- I - Intended audience: Who was meant to read or hear it?
- P - Purpose: Why was it made?
- P - Point of view: Whose perspective does it show? Whose is missing?
Suggested on: Document, Document collection, Speech, Court case, Letter, Diary, Journal
Make a copy (Google Doc)Photographs, images, objects
See-Think-Wonder
A quick, open routine for any image or object.
- I See...: List only what you can observe. No guesses yet.
- I Think...: What do you think is going on? What makes you say that?
- I Wonder...: What questions does this raise? What would you want to find out?
Suggested on: Photograph, Image, Map, Poster, Video
Make a copy (Google Doc)Images and maps
OPTIC
Read a visual source step by step: Overview, Parts, Title, Interrelationships, Conclusion.
- O - Overview: What is your first overall impression?
- P - Parts: Zoom in on key details, labels, symbols, or regions.
- T - Title: What do the title and caption tell you?
- I - Interrelationships: How do the parts connect to each other?
- C - Conclusion: What does this visual show about its time and place?
Suggested on: Photograph, Image, Map, Political cartoon
Make a copy (Google Doc)Political cartoons and posters
Political Cartoon Analysis
Decode the symbols, labels, and message of a cartoon or persuasive poster.
- Visuals: List the people, objects, and places you see.
- Words: Copy the captions, labels, and dates.
- Symbols: Which objects stand for something bigger? What?
- Exaggeration: What is exaggerated, and why?
- Message: What is the cartoonist's point? Who would agree or disagree?
Suggested on: Political cartoon, Poster
Make a copy (Google Doc)Audio, oral histories, video
Audio and Oral History Analysis
Listen closely to a recording, speech, or interview.
- Before listening: Who is speaking, when, and why was it recorded?
- First listen: What is the main idea? Note key words or phrases.
- Second listen: Describe the voice: tone, emotion, pace, background sounds.
- Memory and perspective: If it is an interview, how might time and memory shape the story?
- Connections: What does this recording add that a written source could not?
Suggested on: Audio, Oral history, Video
Make a copy (Google Doc)Any source (historical thinking)
Sourcing, Contextualization, Corroboration
Think like a historian: who made it, what was happening, and does it agree with other sources?
- Sourcing: Who created this, when, and why? How reliable is it?
- Contextualization: What else was happening at the time? How does that help you understand it?
- Close reading: What claims does the source make? What words or details stand out?
- Corroboration: What do other sources say? Where do they agree or disagree?
Suggested on: Document collection, Diary, Journal, Newspaper, Oral history, Data
Make a copy (Google Doc)Writing an argument from sources
Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER)
Turn your source analysis into an argument.
- Question: Write the question you are answering.
- Claim: Your one-sentence answer.
- Evidence 1: Quote or describe evidence from a source (name the source).
- Evidence 2: More evidence from a different source.
- Reasoning: Explain how the evidence supports your claim.
- Counterclaim: What would someone who disagrees say? How do you respond?
Suggested on: Court case, Essay, Data
Make a copy (Google Doc)