Today’s Agenda Primary vs. Secondary Sources Group Activity

What is a Primary Source? A document (or physical object) which was written during the time under study. Written by the people who experienced or were eyewitness to the event the event. Primary sources = original documents

Types of Primary Sources: #1  Original Documents Diaries and Journals Letters Autobiographies and Memoirs Speeches Interviews News Film Footage Newspapers & Magazine Articles Time Element Results of Experiments/Research Government or Legal Documents

Types of Primary Sources: #2  Creative Works Poetry Drama Novels Music Any Type of Art Etc.

Types of Primary Sources: #3  Relics or Artifacts Pottery Furniture Clothing Buildings Etc.

Examples of Primary Sources

What is a Secondary Source? A document that interprets and analyzes primary sources. Developed by people who researched events but did not experience them directly. Developed well after the event and usually uses several sources. May have pictures, quotes, or graphics of primary sources in them.

Types of Secondary Sources Nonfiction Books, e.g., Textbooks Histories Criticisms Commentaries Encyclopedias Biographies Magazine or newspaper articles (written well after the event)

Examples of Secondary Sources

What’s the Difference? Question You Should Ask Yourself How does the author know these details (names, dates, times)? Was the author present at the event or soon on the scene? Where does the information come from – personal experience, eyewitness accounts, or reports written by others? Are the author’s conclusions based on a single piece of evidence, or have many sources been taken into account?

Primary Source Let’s Try A Few… A legal document such as a will, contract, or property deed relative to a person or event. Primary Source

The official biography of Steve Jobs. Secondary Source

The Letters and Papers of Henry VIII. Primary Source

The history of the car Secondary Source

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. Primary Source

Encyclopedia Britannica Secondary Source

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address Primary Source

A comic book telling the story of the American Revolution. Secondary Source

Cave paintings. Primary Source

Today’s Activity: Identifying Primary and Secondary Sources Work with your table partners. Read the example sources. Label each source as either Primary (“P”) or Secondary (“S”) on the activity sheet. Each student turns an activity sheet into the bin.