Wars of
Independence
Comprehension
Activities
Name_____________________
Group _______________________
Different Types of Sources
Historians use different types of text to find out
about the past. These are called sources. There are
2 different kinds of sources: Primary Sources are
from the time it happened and Secondary Sources
have been written much later by someone who was
not alive at the time.
John is learning about the Wars
of Independence and wants to
sort the Primary Sources from
the Secondary. Can you help
him? Circle Primary Sources in
red and Secondary in blue.
Braveheart DVD
Letter asking for Maid
of Norway to become
Queen
Robert the Bruce’s
Diary
Book about Wars of
Independence
Leaflet from Stirling
Tourist Information
Map of Scotland from
1290
Imagine you are a Historian from the year 2210.
What kind of primary sources could you use to find
out about life today? Think about major events that
have happened or even just in day-to-day life.
Draw and label them in the time capsule.
Writing about Sources
When we are finding out information from
historical sources, it is important we know where
the source has come from and what it is about. We
can use PADD for this.
Purpose
- Why the source was written
Author
- Who wrote it
Date
- When it was written
Detail
- What does it tell us?
Can you use this for this source?
This message lets the people of Falkirk know that our King, Alexander, has
died in a terrible storm at Queensferry, just 10 miles from your town. It
happened exactly one week ago on the 19th March 1286.
He leaves no heir to the throne, except a young child Margaret, Maid of
Norway. Beware Scotland, this may mean that King Edward of England
may be seeking power in Scotland. We will not let this happen!
Message sent by Royal Order
King Alexander’s Nobles
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Can you use PADD now for a paragraph in one of your topic books? Discuss it with a friend.
Trusting Sources
Sometimes we have to think about how trustworthy
a source is. This means we have to ask some of
these questions:
 Are all the facts right?
 Has the author told the truth or do they have
reason to lie?
Are all the facts right? Highlight parts that are not.
Extract from Scotlandshistory.com
Scotland was left with no heir to the throne when King Alistair fell from his horse in a
storm on the 19th April 1286. He was riding to visit his fiancée, Elizabeth.
This now left a baby, Mary Maid of Sweden, as the only heir. The Scottish people were
delighted that they had found someone so quickly to replace their King. The King of
England was not so pleased, as he wanted to merge Scotland with England and rule over
one big country.
Why can’t we trust this source? _________________________________
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Has the author told the truth? Highlight parts that are not true.
Extract from King Edward of England’s Diary
Scotland is in turmoil, with no King. I am going to step in to save it from all of the
fighting that is bound to happen now over who becomes the new King. The Scots are
savages, with not enough intelligence to know what is best for them. I will move quickly
to make sure that someone who will listen to my wishes will be the next King. I am doing
the Scots a huge favour to save them from a civil war. My greater power and knowledge
is the only thing that can help Scotland now, much more than any of the useless nobles
who have been left in charge of Scotland at the moment.
Why can’t we trust this source? _________________________________
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With a partner, think about what would make you trust a source.