Document Analysis Guide


(This is the document analysis guide for Carmelita Lamb’s curriculum unit, Tribal Legacies of Pathfinding.”)

  • What kind of document is this? How do you know? (a letter, an ad, a receipt, a government document, a diary, or journal entry?)
  • When was it written? Is there a date or other information that indicates this?
  • Who wrote or created the document? How can you tell?
  • For whom was the document written or created? How can you tell?
  • Where was the document written or created? How can you tell?
  • Why was the document written? Cite the evidence indicating its purpose.
  • Does the document reveal the writer’s mood? (does it convey anger, happiness, regret, surprise?)
  • Does the document provide any clues about the relationship between the writer and the audience?
  • List three things the author said that you think are important.
  • List two things the document tells you about life in the United States at the time it was written
  • Write a question to the author that is left unanswered by the document.