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sourcing-skill-builder

Design targeted historical sourcing instruction with guiding questions and assessment indicators.

583|96|Updated Mar 1, 2026

Search Tags:#sourcing #lesson planning #primary sources #historical thinking #disciplinary literacy #teacher think-aloud

Ready to run

npx skills add https://github.com/GarethManning/education-agent-skills --skill sourcing-skill-builder

💬 Prompt for ChatGPT / Claude Chat▼

Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: sourcing-skill-builder
Source: https://github.com/GarethManning/education-agent-skills/tree/main/skills/historical-thinking/sourcing-skill-builder
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/GarethManning/education-agent-skills --skill sourcing-skill-builder

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

This Skill fixes the common classroom problem where students read historical sources as text only, without interrogating who wrote them, when, why, and what that implies about reliability.

Core Features & Use Cases

Designs targeted sourcing instruction that builds students’ habit of examining source provenance before and during reading.
Creates a three-level progression (novice → developing → proficient) with observable indicators that distinguish “mentioning” a source from “interrogating” it.
Generates a ready-to-run teaching plan including an explicit I DO think-aloud, guided practice, independent practice, source-type-specific guiding questions, failure patterns, and assessment indicators.
Use case: You’re preparing a lesson where students struggle to use authorship and timing information; you can produce a sourcing plan aligned to their current challenge and their specific source type.

Quick Start

Use the sourcing-skill-builder Skill to generate a complete sourcing instruction plan for your lesson by providing historical_topic, student_level, and current_challenge.

Frequently Asked Questions about sourcing-skill-builder

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema

How do I teach students to analyze primary sources instead of just reading the text?▼

Primary source analysis requires explicit sourcing instruction that builds a habit of examining authorship, timing, purpose, and audience. This Skill generates a targeted teaching plan with an I DO think-aloud, guided practice, and independent practice to move students beyond superficial reading.

What is historical sourcing and how does it improve disciplinary literacy?▼

Historical sourcing is the process of interrogating a document's provenance to assess its reliability before and during reading. This Skill designs instructional progressions with observable indicators that distinguish merely mentioning a source from actively interrogating it, directly building disciplinary literacy.

How do I create a lesson plan for primary document analysis when students skip the source notes?▼

To address students skipping source notes, this Skill produces an evidence-aligned instructional sequence featuring source-type-specific guiding questions, common failure patterns, and assessment indicators tailored to the provided historical topic and student level.

Can I generate a three-level progression for historical thinking instruction across different student levels?▼

Yes, this Skill creates a three-level progression (novice, developing, proficient) with observable indicators for historical thinking instruction. It aligns the sourcing plan to your specific student level and current classroom challenges with primary sources.

What is the best way to assess if students are actually interrogating a source's reliability?▼

The best way to assess sourcing is through observable indicators that distinguish mentioning a source from interrogating it. This Skill generates specific assessment indicators matching your lesson's evidence-aligned progression to evaluate student proficiency accurately.

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