• PRIMARY SOURCES •

http://tinyurl.com/tech-summit2010

AUGUST 2010 MMKRILL@GMAIL.COM

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10ch/3347658610/

Primary source is a term used to describe source material that is

closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied.
Primary sources are great resources for researching, creating
projects, writing prompts and sparking discussions. Many primary
source materials are available in the public domain through the
Library of Congress and other online sites.

Examining primary sources gives • What was the creator’s

students a powerful sense of
history and the complexity of the
Critical Thinking past. Helping students analyze
primary sources can also guide
Problem Solving
them toward higher-order
Communication thinking and better critical
thinking and analysis skills.
Collaboration
Promote student inquiry and assess
Creativity & Innovation how students apply critical thinking
and analysis skills to primary
sources.
• What was happening during
this time period?
Bicycles, [ca. 1914]. Sears, Roebuck and
Co. Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library, Duke University. From: Library of Congress @ http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/
purpose in making this primary
source?
• What does the creator do to
get his or her point across?
• What was this primary source’s
audience?
• What biases or stereotypes do
you see?
• Ask for reasons and specific
evidence to support conclusions.
• Identify questions for further
investigation.
•Develop strategies for
answering questions.
 EQ:
How will primary source materials help students develop
good research skills and habits?

   http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002719428
Search
Standards Aligned System (http://pdesas.org)
Search Materials and Resources for Karpeles to access many primary
source documents. There is a text overlay that converts the digital ink to
readable fonts!
Library of Congress
(http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/finding.html)
Ready-to-use materials that bring the Library’s primary sources into the
classroom. The Library of Congress has classroom sets, themed resources,
lesson plans, collections, presentations and activities.
Thinkfinity (http://thinkfinity.org/)
Thinkfinity offers comprehensive K-12 teaching and learning resources
that are grade specific and aligned to state standards. Search Primary
Sources and click Go!

Plan
For each primary source, employ higher order thinking questions with
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/98518763
students to get them thinking about connections. Have them observe the
resource, reflect on the importance and pose questions of their own. The
Library of Congress has analysis guides here.
Organize
A key skill of a good researcher is the ability to keep resources organized.
As students learn about primary sources and begin to use them as support
for research, it is a good idea to help them establish a system of
organization. Folders on a thumb drive that hold primary sources
materials is one way. Another way would be to use PowerPoint to organize.
Drag/Import files to a PowerPoint slide and enter notes in the Notes box
below the slide.
Online Activities
Digital Vaults (http://www.digitalvaults.org/) from the National Archives
Experience.
Primary Access (http://www.primaryaccess.org/)
PrimaryAccess is a suite of free online tools that allows students and
teachers to use primary source documents to complete meaningful and
compelling learning activities with digital movies, storyboards, rebus
stories and other online tools.
Eyewitness to History (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/index.html)
A ringside seat to history - from the Ancient World to the present. History
through the eyes of those who lived it.