Finding The Past in 3 Simple Steps Analyzing primary sources vastly expands students’ understanding of important historical events, while also promoting the development of high-level critical thinking skills. MDA presents students with a simple and effective 3-step approach to extract information from primary and secondary source documents so that they can make a deep and meaningful connection with the past. Effective Guided examples in each lesson give students a hands-on demonstration for every type of historical document. Engaging Tony’s relaxed tone and engaging anecdotes make a daunting task less intimidating and never boring. Essential Individual lessons directly address 20 different document types so students develop a complete foundation of this valuable skill. Did you know that students in all 3 AP history courses struggled with short-answer questions involving a secondary source, and less than 15% were able to earn all 3 evidence points on the DBQ?