The Impact of Television

Your Analytical Task – Preparation for Week 2 Assessment

Using the data points provided in this lesson, write a short analytical paragraph (5-7 sentences) responding to the following prompt:

What does the data from 1950 to 1980 tell us about the relationship between television coverage and the growth of professional golf? Use at least three specific data points in your response. What questions does the data raise that it cannot itself answer?

The final question — what questions does the data raise that it cannot answer — is as important as the analysis itself. Good historical thinking always identifies the limits of its evidence.

Parent-Teacher Note:

This lesson introduces quantitative historical analysis — a skill that is genuinely different from narrative analysis and that many students find either immediately intuitive or initially uncomfortable. If your student struggles with the analytical paragraph, try working through it verbally first: “Tell me what you notice about these numbers.” Then help them translate what they said into written form. The skill of moving from observation to analysis is what this lesson is building.