Transcript Document
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 1. How does the author know these details (names, dates, times)? 2. Was the author present at the event or soon on the scene? 3. Where does the information come from – personal experience, eyewitness accounts, or reports written by others? 4. Are the author’s conclusions based on a single piece of evidence, or have many sources been taken into account? 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.