S O A P A nalysis

S =S ource O =O ccasion A =A udience P=Purpose

Working with primary documents and artifacts is not an easy undertaking but mastery will be

achieved through perseverance and practice. T hus S .O .A .P. A nalysis becomes an invaluable tool in this endeavor. B elieve it or not as

the year progresses you will be doing this format in your head quickly and efficiently. Y our goal is always to:

S O U RC E

C O NT E XT U A LIZE

C LO S E RE A D

C O RRO B O RA T E to enhance your ability to T H INK LIKE A HIS T O RIA N!

U se the “H istorical Reading S kills” document in your S ocial S tudies N otebook for questioning techniques,

prompts, and skills needed to be an expert S O A PE R!! Now, answer the following questions in analyzing your

primary source. U se a complete sentences where indicated. S ourcing:

1. What type of document is it (newspaper, map, advertisement, letter, telegram, report, journal, photo, film, etc.)?

____________________________________ What makes you say that? __________________________________

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2.H ow do you know this is a primary document to the period? What makes a primary source, primary? Y ou may also consider

some unique physical qualities. (It looks “old” or is handwritten are not sufficient responses without other evidence!)

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3.Who is the S peaker/ A rtist/ C reator/ E tc. ? N ame & T itle (if applicable) __________________________________

What do we know of the speaker strictly from the document? (O ccupation, E thnicity, G ender, E tc. )

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What is the author’s point of view? In other words, what does the author believe? U se a specific quotation

(E VIDE NC E ) to reinforce your position of the author’s point of view!

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4.What is the O ccasion? (T ime period, historical significance, other contemporary events). Y ou are building C O NT E XT !

When was the document written? _________________________________

What is going on historically during this time period? U se your textbook, other reliable secondary sources (K -5 E lectronic

S ources, S weetsearch.com, or background knowledge as a start!). A minimum of 3-4 sentences are required here.

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What kinds of things were different back then? What kinds of things were the same? Provide at least 3 examples for each!

S ame:____________________________________________________________________________________

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“relation” ; narrative account

Based on this excerpt, the author believes in the conquest of Florida, including finding Indians to serve as guides. “We remained there for seven or eight days, and in that time, made several forays, to catch Indians for guides to the Province of Apalache…”

The Spanish Crown wanted to colonize the New World since 1492. All of these expeditions had previously failed. Hernando de Soto was commissioned to conquer and colonize the American continent from 1539-1543. De Soto had been known as a brutal conqueror.

1544

People are interested in foreign places and go on expeditions. Some countries feel entitled to take over land or people. Some cultures believe they are superior to others.

The title page and sourcing state “Relation of the Conquest of Florida…” This is a first person historical narrative account.

This was created in 1544. This is primary to the 16th century of Florida Indians and Spanish explorers.

Luys Hernandez de Biedma was part of a Spanish expedition to Florida as a Factor (business agent). He is male and Spanish.

Luys Hernandez de Biedma

Different:__________________________________________________________________________________

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Who is the A udience?

Who was the document designed for in its time? Put yourself in the shoes of the A U T H O R! Y ou should use a

reliable secondary source to help! (S weetsearch, textbook, etc.)

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What is the Purpose of the document? (What did the document do or achieve?)

What claims does the author make? A claim is just one main idea, point, intention, etc. E ach document will have multiple

claims. Y ou must just pick one!

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What evidence does the author use to support the claims? C ite a specific example-U se a direct quotation.

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What was the overall intended purpose of the source? T hink about different forms of author’s purpose (persuade, explain,

entertain, describe)

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D o you find this source/ speaker reliable? In other words, would you consider this source trustworthy? Why or why not?

B E S PE C IF IC ! A lways U S E E VIDE NC E to support your decision.

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What N E W questions do you have that leads to further research? (D ig deeper!) What wasn’t answered by the source

that would be helpful for interpretation and context?

1)___________________________________________________________________________________________

2)________________________________________________________________________________ ___________

C O NG RA T U LA T IO NS ! YO U HA VE S .O .A .P.ed like a scholar now!

A. P

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…at the close of six or seven days march there came upon us about three hundred and fifty warriors, with bows and arrows, of who we killed some and captured the remainder. Among them were Indians who had knowledge of the country farther inland, yet they told us very false stories.”

This narrative describes the details of the conquest of Florida for the King of Spain in 1544

Yes, Biedma was hired by the King to join the expedition to record the business details. He was present on the expedition. His job was to record honestly. No, Biedma knew the King would read his narrative. He may not have recorded everything, or changed the details to make the expedition sound more profitable. He know the King would not know the exact details.

How was the Christian captured 12 years earlier?What was an example of a “false story” told by an Indian?

Biedma describes interactions with the Indians and how the expedition will attempt to reach Apalache.

This narrative was required to record the details of the Soto expedition for the King of Spain. This conquest was also a business transaction and details would have been used to keep track of finances as well as plan for future expeditions.

Indians are not the majority population in Florida/North America. Spain no longer seeks conquest in Florida.Much of the world has already been explored and colonized.