Graphic nonfiction raises a useful question for history teachers: how should students analyze a source that both reports and interprets? Sid Jacobson's The 9/11 Report adapts the work of the 9/11 Commission into sequential art, which means every page involves choices about what to show, compress, or dramatize. A source analysis essay on this book should ask students to notice those choices. Grading that essay requires criteria that go beyond summary.

Many students have only practiced analyzing text-based documents like speeches and letters. A graphic adaptation adds visual evidence, which can feel unfamiliar and lead them to default to describing the plot. Before assigning the essay, walk through one or two pages together and ask what the artist chose to include and what a written report might handle differently. That discussion gives them a vocabulary for their own analysis.

Clarify early whether the assignment is to analyze the book as a primary source about how Americans retell national events, or as a secondary source about the attacks themselves. Both are legitimate, but they lead to different essays. Students who blur the two often produce confusing arguments. A one-sentence framing in the prompt prevents most of this confusion.

What Strong Source Analysis Looks Like

A strong response identifies the author and illustrator, the intended audience, and the purpose of adapting an official report for general readers. It then connects those facts to specific choices in the book, such as how complex organizational structures are simplified into recognizable scenes. The student should also weigh what is gained and lost through the adaptation. This kind of reasoning shows historical thinking rather than reading comprehension alone.

• Identifies who created the source and for whom it was intended
• Explains the purpose of adapting an official report into a visual format
• Points to specific pages or scenes that reveal choices about emphasis
• Evaluates reliability by noting what the adaptation simplifies or omits
• Draws a conclusion about how useful the source is for a particular question

Common Mistakes to Watch For

The most frequent error is treating reliability as a yes or no question. Students write that the book is reliable because it is based on a government report, then stop. A more developed response explains that reliability depends on the question being asked, and that an adaptation may be excellent for understanding the sequence of events but less suited to examining detailed policy debates. Teachers can push students in this direction with a targeted comment.

Another mistake is critiquing the book for lacking detail that a short graphic format could never contain. Students should evaluate the adaptation on its own terms, including its constraints. A fair critique notes what the format does well, such as conveying the pace of a morning when many decisions happened at once. Guiding students toward balanced evaluation produces more mature essays.

Designing a Fair Scoring Guide

A scoring guide for source analysis should weight the reasoning more heavily than the recall of facts. Consider assigning the largest share of points to the quality of evaluation and a smaller share to accurate details. This signals to students that insight matters more than memorization. It also helps you resist the temptation to over-reward essays that are packed with facts but light on analysis.

Include a brief exemplar for each level so students and graders share a common picture. A short anonymized paragraph showing a weak, adequate, and strong evaluation of reliability can do more than a page of descriptors. Use real student writing when you can, with permission and names removed. Over time you will build a library of samples that make grading faster and more consistent.

Feedback That Builds Analytical Habits

Feedback on source analysis works best when it asks a question instead of delivering a verdict. A margin note like "what might the artist want the reader to feel here, and why does that matter for reliability?" prompts students to think rather than simply fix. Over multiple assignments, these questions become internalized habits. Students begin asking them of every source they encounter.

Finally, reflect on how the assignment fits your broader sequence. If students will later analyze primary sources like testimony or memos, this essay can serve as a bridge that builds skills in a more accessible format. Share that connection with students so they see the purpose behind the task. When learners understand how skills transfer, they invest more in the work and produce stronger writing.