Writing Rationales for Historical Artefacts

Learning to justify our choices with evidence

WALT (We Are Learning To)

Year 8 English Learning to justify our choices with evidence 30-minute lesson

What is a Rationale?

Think about a time you had to explain WHY you chose something Maybe choosing a book for a project or picking a historical figure to study What reasons did you give?

What is a Rationale?

A rationale explains WHY you made a particular choice It provides logical reasons and evidence to support your decision Like being a detective - you need proof for your conclusions Essential skill for analysing historical artefacts and sources

Structure of a Rationale

Let's Practice: Choosing a Historical Artefact

Work in pairs Choose ONE artefact: Ancient Egyptian pottery, Medieval sword, or Victorian photograph Write a 2-sentence rationale explaining your choice Use the structure: Introduction + one piece of evidence

Writing Tips & APA Referencing

{"left":"Use clear, simple language\nStart with 'I chose... because...'\nSupport with specific evidence\nCheck your spelling and grammar","right":"Books: Author, A. A. (Year). Title. Publisher.\nWebsites: Author, A. A. (Year). Title. Website Name. URL\nAlways include publication year\nUse in-text citations: (Smith, 2023)"}

Remember

'Good historians don't just tell us what happened - they tell us WHY it matters and HOW they know.'