Checking Sources Against Each Other
Corroborate: check whether multiple sources agree on the same facts — and investigate why they might not
What a learner can do afterwards
- Wineburg corroboration heuristic
- Historical Thinking in the Elementary Years (ERIC)
The lesson
When you want to know what really happened, do not stop at one source. Check what other sources say about the same event. Comparing sources this way is called corroboration. If two or more sources agree on a fact, you can trust that part more.
Three classmates wrote down what happened at the fire drill. All three said the alarm rang first and everyone lined up outside. Because all three agree, you can be fairly sure that part really happened. One of them also wrote that it started at 10:05, while the others said 10:00. That small difference does not mean someone lied. It just means one of them remembered the exact time differently.
To check sources against each other, list what each one says about the same fact. Circle where they match. Then ask why the parts that do not match might be different, before deciding what really happened.
Corroboration means comparing sources to see what they agree on, and asking why they might not.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.