Source Square

A source square provides a structured framework for evaluating sources. Each quadrant focuses on a different analytical lens. Content asks: what does this source say or show? Origin asks: who created it, when, and where? Purpose asks: why was it created and for whom? Reliability asks: can we trust it, and what are its limitations?

The structure prevents learners from treating source analysis as a single task ("Is this source useful?") and instead breaks it into distinct thinking moves. A learner might recognise that a source has rich content but was created for propaganda purposes, making it valuable for understanding attitudes but unreliable as evidence of facts.

Source squares work with any type of source: historical documents, newspaper articles, statistical data, photographs, advertisements, scientific reports, and social media posts. The four-quadrant framework applies equally to a medieval charter and a modern tweet.

The final step is synthesis. After completing all four quadrants, learners use their analysis to form an overall judgement about the source. This judgement should be nuanced: most sources are neither entirely reliable nor entirely useless. Teaching learners to articulate this nuance is central to developing critical thinking.

Source squares develop the "Develop" strand of thinking skills through structured analysis, evaluation, and critical reasoning. They build cross-curricular literacy through analytical reading and writing, and support Humanities and the Four Purposes by developing "ethical, informed citizens" who can critically evaluate information from any source.

Rainbow Curriculum's Thinking Tools lens helps you plan where source analysis tools are used across your curriculum, building critical evaluation skills that transfer far beyond history lessons.