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An older teen historian weighing source documents under a magnifier at an archive desk

Ages 15–18 · Grades 9–12 · Social Studies / History

ArchiveQuest

Doing history isn’t memorizing dates — it’s weighing evidence. Here you read a real kind of primary source, predict what it can and can’t tell us, and the Source Bench reveals how a historian would read it. You’ll practise sourcing (HIPP), corroboration, and causation — and the bench only ever grades the sourcing SKILL, never who was “right.” Interpretation stays yours; nothing is sent anywhere.

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Source Bench Weigh where a source came from and whether to trust it. Corroborate Cross-check sources to see what really happened. Cause & Effect Tell a real cause from a coincidence. Build a Thesis Turn evidence into a clear argument. Order the Timeline Put historical events in the order they happened. Build the Case (DBQ) Weigh several documents together — pick the claim they jointly support.

The Source Bench ★ the main event

Read a primary source + a historical question, predict what it best supports, then the bench reveals the historian’s sourcing analysis. It weighs the source by the QUESTION — and never scores a value judgment about the history (anti-evangelism by design).

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The Archive 🗂️ know what a source IS

Before the bench weighs what a source says, the historian figures out what it is. Browse a working archive of nine artifacts — diaries, ledgers, maps, textbooks, films — sort each into primary or secondary, decide what it’s best evidence for, and reveal its provenance + C3 standard. The graded skill is sourcing, never a “correct” version of history.

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Who you’ll meet — the historian’s habits 10

Not mascots — the habits of a working historian, each one a single move you’ll practise. You’ll run into them across the kits and the bench.

  • The Sourcer — runs HIPP on every document — who, why, for whom (sourcing)
  • The Skeptic — asks how reliable a source is FOR THIS question (reliability)
  • The Contextualizer — places a source in its moment before reading it (contextualization)
  • The Corroborator — checks a claim against independent sources (corroboration)
  • The Causal Analyst — separates causes from mere correlation (causation)
  • The Comparativist — weighs perspectives across sources and places (comparison)
  • The Thesis-Builder — turns evidence into a defensible argument (claim + warrant)
  • The Devil’s Advocate — builds the counterargument to test the thesis (complexity)
  • The Historiographer — notices how interpretations themselves change over time (historiography)
  • Dr. Amara — the mentor — predict what a source can tell us, weigh it, then reconcile

Check what you know

Sixteen short kits — from sourcing (HIPP), reliability, contextualization, and corroboration to causation, continuity & change, periodization, comparison, thesis-building, counterargument, historiography, synthesis, and a DBQ capstone — anchored to high-school and AP history skills. Hints when you want them; your progress stays on this device.

1. Sourcing & HIPP Reading a document as evidence, not just for content · 20 questions 2. Reliability & Bias Judging how much to trust a source and why · 20 questions 3. Contextualization Placing events and sources in their broader setting · 20 questions 4. Corroboration Cross-checking claims across multiple sources · 20 questions 5. Causation & Multicausality Explaining why events happened — with more than one cause · 20 questions 6. Continuity & Change Over Time Tracking what changed and what stayed the same · 20 questions 7. Periodization How historians divide the past into periods · 20 questions 8. Comparison & Multiple Perspectives Comparing cases and weighing different viewpoints · 20 questions 9. Claim, Warrant & Evidence The building blocks of a historical argument · 20 questions 10. Thesis Construction Writing a defensible, analytical thesis · 20 questions 11. Evidence Beyond the Documents Bringing in outside knowledge to strengthen arguments · 20 questions 12. Counterargument & Complexity Addressing opposing views and showing nuance · 20 questions 13. Chronological Reasoning Sequencing events and reasoning about time · 20 questions 14. Historiography How historical interpretations are made and change · 20 questions 15. Synthesis Connecting an argument to broader contexts and ideas · 20 questions 16. DBQ Capstone Integrating every historical-thinking skill into a document-based argument · 20 questions
How it works

ArchiveQuest is written to trust you — it’s about the historian’s craft of weighing evidence, not memorizing facts, and a wrong prediction is just a place to learn. The Source Bench runs a small, exact rubric on your device (no server, nothing sent anywhere) and it only ever grades a SOURCING skill — never who was right, so contested history stays open to your own interpretation. Your progress is saved only on this device: no accounts, no ads.

Mixed practice — revisit what you've learned A short round that shuffles questions across the kits you've played, brought back when they're ready to review (spaced out so it sticks).

More ways to play

Archive Run Access & Preservation