Identifying Primary and Secondary Sources

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Identifying Primary and Secondary Sources

v Primary Source:  a record made by people who saw or took part in an event (originates from the past)

v Secondary Source:  a record of an event written by someone not there at the time

Part 1:

Directions:  Determine whether the following are primary or secondary sources.  Explain your reasoning in 1-2 COMPLETE SENTENCES.

·  The story your grandfather tells you about his experience during the Korean War.

·  A letter written by George Washington to his mother about the latest developments in the Revolutionary War.

·  The Diary of Anne Frank – the published diary of a teenage girl who experiences the Holocaust first hand.

·  Your World History textbook or an encyclopedia.

·  Your high school diploma.

·  A photograph of you and your friends at your 8th birthday party.

·  The information from the museum tour guide who shows you around the exhibit and shares facts with you.

·  A mummy from ancient Egypt.

·  A diary titled “Life in the Mines” from a miner named Lucky Noah who lived in Idaho in the 1870’s.

·  A magazine article from 2011 entitled “Mining in the Old West in the 1860’s to the 1890’s”.

·  An original photograph from the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that you found in your grandparents’ photo album.

·  An original World War I uniform worn by your great grandfather.

·  An encyclopedia entry on the Vietnam War.

·  The diary of Anne Frank (a young girl who lived in hiding during the Holocaust)

·  Sheet music that was used to play military tunes during the Revolutionary War

·  A web site that summarizes Ancient Roman mythology

·  A map of China created during ancient times.

·  An ancient tablet of Babylonian King Hammurabi’s Code of Laws

·  Pictures taken by your Aunt Sally of the World Trade Center attack

·  A newspaper article outlining the effect of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

·  A manuscript of Barack Obama’s first speech as President.

·  An ancient Egyptian mummy you saw at a museum.

Part 2:

Directions: List 3 possible primary or secondary sources you can use for the research topic below.

Next, explain in 3-4 sentences why you can you use those sources for the topic.

You are researching the lives of Russian soldiers during WWII.

You are researching the burial practices of Egyptian Pharaohs.

You are researching about the conflict in Afghanistan.

You are researching the 1906 Earthquake in San Francisco.