Lesson Plan: Sources

Time Needed: 1 class period (50 min)

Materials Needed: Computers, access to Google Classroom, Food Fight Activity

Goal(s): Students will come away from the lesson with the ability to classify sources as
primary or secondary. Students will also have a deeper understanding of the potential
problems that can arise when interpreting sources.

Objective(s):
● I can define primary source.
● I can define secondary sources.
● I can describe at least one potential problem that may arise when interpreting
sources.

Standards:
● MLR, SS History, Grade 6-8:
○ History 1: Students draw on concepts and processes using primary and
secondary sources from history to develop historical perspective and
understand issues of continuity and change in the community, Maine, the
United States, and world.
■ (F1) Explaining that history includes the study of past human
experience based on available evidence from a variety of primary
and secondary sources; and explaining how history can help one
better understand and make informed decisions about the present
and future.

Modifications: We will read through the Food Fight Activity as a class.

Procedure: Powerpoint

1. Lesson
a. Question: What are sources? (15 min)
i. What types of sources are there?
1. How can we define a primary source?
a. Definition
2. How can we define a secondary source?
a. Definition
 i. Discuss examples on ppt and categorize them.
ii. Could any of the examples be considered both?
1. Ex. Historical movies are secondary
sources. Newspaper articles and
paintings could be considered primary
sources for the time period they were
created and as well as secondary sources
for the event(s) they are depicting.
b. Food Fight Activity (25 min)
i. Inform students that for the rest of class we will be participating in
some historiography. Hand out the Food Fight Activity and instruct
students that they will read through the scenario as a class, take
notes in the chart, and at the end of class, they will be tasked with
using the information on the worksheet to answer the questions on
page 3.
1. Read through the scenarios together as a class.
a. Stop and have students recap what each source says.
b. Give students time to write notes in their chart
2. Discuss the following as a class:
a. Do you think the order in which you read the accounts
could affect how you interpret the event?
b. Is there a “correct” order?
c. What did you think about the two teacher’s accounts
of the events?
ii. Write/post additional information regarding Jilly and the football
team on the board. (she received detention for stealing the football
uniforms and tie-dying them, because she believes the football team
gets too much attention and it hurts other school programs)
1. Does this information change your perspective on the event?
If so, how?
2. Given all the information we have collected, does anyone feel
as though they can make a good case for how the food fight
started?
 iii. *If students ask what the right answer is simply inform them that,
just like in history, we can never be 100% sure about an event, but
we can do our best to use sources to try and come to a consensus.*
c. Debrief (10 min)
i. Give time to finish the worksheet. Answer clarifying questions as
necessary.
1. IF TIME
a. Did you find this activity challenging?
b. Did you find this activity easy?
c. Let’s review the vocab we’ve learned today:
d. *What does historiography mean?* (bonus)
e. What is a primary source? Examples?
f. What is a secondary source? Examples?