SOAPS tone

1. SOAPStone

2. S • Subject: What is the subject (topic) of this document?

3. O • Occasion: What is the historical context of this document? What’s going on that made this document necessary?

4. A • Audience: Who was this document created for? Who’s going to read it, hear it, respond to it?

5. P • Purpose: Why was this document created? What’s it intended to do?

6. S • Speaker: Who created this document? Who is writing, speaking, drawing, photographing?

7. tone • Tone: What is the tone (mood) of this document?

8. SOAPStone • Subject: What is the subject (topic) of this document? • Occasion: What is the historical context of this document? What’s going on that made this document necessary? • Audience: Who was this document created for? Who’s going to read it, hear it, respond to it? • Purpose: Why was this document created? What’s it intended to do? • Speaker: Who created this document? Who is writing, speaking, drawing, photographing? • Tone: What is the tone (mood) of this document?

9. Questions to Ask YourselfWhen Examining A Document • Is this a primary, secondary, or tertiary historical source? • What kind of document is this? (Book, magazine article, speech, law, etc.) • Can I use SOAPS to quickly understand what’s going on in this document? • How would I summarize (condense into a sentence or two) the content of this document? • What information have I learned in class (stuff from my student outline) that relates to this document (Known as “background knowledge” or “outside information”)