Primary and Secondary Resources


Look at the list below.
 

PRIMARY SOURCES

SECONDARY SOURCES

Diary

Encyclopedias

Letter or postcard

Biographies

Scrapbook

Social Studies textbook

Baby pictures

Web site on cave dwellers

Map

Documentary on PBS

DVD of Game Plan

Newspaper review of Game Plan

College diploma

History book from the library

Birth certificate

 

Think about the following questions:
 

    • What do the items in each list have in common?
    • What is the difference between the two lists?

A primary source is a document or other piece of information that was created at the time being studied, by someone who was actually there during that time.

A secondary source is a work, such as a scholarly book or article, built from primary sources.

Consider these questions:

    • What kinds of information do primary sources provide?
    • What are the benefits of both primary and secondary resources?
    • What are the challenges of using both primary and secondary resources?
    • Which type of resource do you use most often?  Why?
    • Can you think of other resources to add to the lists?

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