Why use Sources?

Using both primary and secondary sources as a teacher is useful and can help students learn about the past. Teachers should make sure to implement both types of sources into their lessons daily. Any and every history lesson can be taught using primary and secondary sources, it's the teachers job to provide students with the resources to find the sources and provide sources for students.

What is a primary source?
Primary sources are materials directly related to a topic by time or participation. Often times people think primary sources are only personal letters, diaries, records or other documents created during the period under study, but they can also be photographs, jewelry, works of art, architecture, literature, music, clothing, and other artifacts (Otis College of Art and Design). These different objects and documents were created during the time period you are researching. To introduce primary sources to students you can start by analyzing materials that the students or yourself possess (birth certificates, social security cards, drivers license, passports). You can ask students different questions how people could use these sources to find out information. The next step would be to show students primary sources that relate to what they are learning about in Social Studies. As a class model to your students how to examine the primary sources to find out important information. When working with primary sources promote student inquiry. 

What is a secondary source? 

Secondary sources are works of combination and interpretation based upon primary sources and the work of other authors. These sources are written ABOUT events in the past. encyclopedias, special historical dictionaries, and historical atlases, popular magazines, history textbooks and journal articles are all examples of secondary sources. It is important to emphasize to students that secondary sources were not written during the time of the event it is written about. 

A fun way to teach about both sources! 

Take your class on a field trip to an art gallery and have them look at an original painting. The painting gives students an example of a primary source as does the information about the painting written by the artist. At the gallery there will also be information about the author written and articles about the painting or a podcast which are all examples of secondary sources. The students can examine the difference and give their opinion on which type of source gives them more information.

Works Cited

Using Primary and Secondary Sources. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2016, from http://www.otis.edu/library/using-primary-secondary-sources

History in the Raw. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2016, from http://www.archives.gov/education/research/history-in-the-raw.html

Teaching History.org, home of the National History Education Clearinghouse. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2016, from http://teachinghistory.org/best-practices/using-primary-sources/19080

Using Primary Sources. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2016, from http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/