What are Primary Sources?A primary source is a first hand testimony, document, speech or other evidence that gives insight into a particular person or an event. They are often created during the time period which is being studied but can also be produced later by eyewitnesses or participants. Show
Secondary sources analyze, review, or summarize information in primary resources or other secondary resources. Even sources presenting facts or descriptions about events are secondary unless they are based on direct participation or observation. Moreover, secondary sources often rely on other secondary sources and standard disciplinary methods to reach results, and they provide the principle sources of analysis about primary sources. Tertiary sources provide overviews of topics by synthesizing information gathered from other resources. Tertiary resources often provide data in a convenient form or provide information with context by which to interpret it. The distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources can be ambiguous. An individual document may be a primary source in one context and a secondary source in another. Encyclopedias are typically considered tertiary sources, but a study of how encyclopedias have changed on the Internet would use them as primary sources. Time is a defining element. While these definitions are clear, the lines begin to blur in the different discipline areas. See box below for examples. (Adapted from: VirginaTech Library under CCBY 4.0) Primary sources are the raw materials of history — original documents and objects that were created at the time under study. They are different from secondary sources, accounts that retell, analyze, or interpret events, usually at a distance of time or place. Bringing young people into close contact with these unique, often profoundly personal, documents and objects can give them
a sense of what it was like to be alive during a long-past era. Helping students analyze primary sources can also prompt curiosity and improve critical thinking and analysis skills. Primary sources expose students to multiple perspectives on significant issues of the past and present. In analyzing primary sources, students move from concrete observations and facts to questioning and making inferences about the materials. Interacting with primary sources engages students in asking
questions, evaluating information, making inferences, and developing reasoned explanations and interpretations of events and issues. Before you beginSuccessful student interactions with primary sources require careful primary source selections and lesson planning.
Engage students with primary sourcesPrimary sources help students relate in a personal way to events of the past and promote a deeper understanding of history as a series of human events. Because primary sources are incomplete snippets of history, each one represents a mystery that students can only explore further by finding new pieces of evidence. Ask students to observe each primary source.
Encourage students to think about their response to the source.
Promote student inquiryInquiry into primary sources encourages students to wrestle with contradictions and compare multiple sources that represent differing points of view, confronting the complexity of the past. Encourage students to speculate about each source, its creator, and its context.
Ask if this source agrees with other primary sources, or with what the students already know. Assess how students apply critical thinking and analysis skills to primary sourcesPrimary sources are often incomplete and have little context. Students must use prior knowledge and work with multiple resources to find patterns and construct knowledge. Questions of creator bias, purpose, and point of view may challenge students’ assumptions.
Offer students opportunities to demonstrate their learning by writing an essay, delivering a speech taking a stand on an issue in the primary sources, or creating a museum display about a historical topic. For more follow-up activity ideas, take a look at the general or format-specific teacher's guides. Which of the following is a primary source of information quizlet?These include letters, speeches, diaries, newspaper articles from the time, oral history interviews, documents, photographs, artifacts, or anything else that provides CONTEMPORARY accounts about a person or event. This picture is a primary source because it was taken when this trolley was in use.
What two factors should you consider when selecting sources for use in a research report?As you examine each source, it is important to evaluate each source to determine the quality of the information provided within it. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias.
What is the best first step when choosing a topic for a research assignment?How to Select the Right Research Topic in 5 Easy Steps. Brainstorm Some Research Topics. The first and probably the easiest step is to have a brainstorming session to see what topic is best for you. ... . Select a Topic. ... . Get Super Specific. ... . Define Your Topic as a Question. ... . Research Your Topic More / Create an Outline.. How are secondary sources typically used in a report that analyzes a trend or change quizlet?How are secondary sources typically used in a report that analyzes a trend or change? They suggest ways of looking at the topic that complement or support the report's overall claim.
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