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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Primary Sources

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Students explore the usage of primary sources, what they are and how they originate. Artifacts are compared and contrasted as part of this historical inquiry as questions are formulated and conclusions drawn.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Friar Margil and the Spanish Missions

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders review the differences between primary and secondary sources. They are told that the Father Margil illustration can be used as a primary source. Students define the terms "assimilation" and "diversity." They use...
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Handout
Concordia University

Primary and Secondary Sources

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Show your class the difference between primary sources and secondary sources. The first page provides a list of examples of each type of source. While they research, pupils can refer back to the list quickly to make sure they are reading...
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Activity
Shmoop

ELA - Literacy.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Do your pupils know what a primary source is? How about a secondary source? Provide them with the information here about different types of documents and then test their knowledge with a brief quiz. The quiz is made up of two documents....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can you Prove it?

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders examine how primary source documents help authors and museum curators interpret historic events.  In this social studies instructional activity, 10th graders research primary source documents.  Students create a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Railroads in Texas

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources, such as biographies from the Handbook of Texas. They analyze the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations, such as the railroad,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forced Potawatomi Migration

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders write about the forced Potawatomi migration. In this primary source instructional activity students are read journal entries from an emigrating party of Potawatomi Indians. Students reflect on the items the Indians might...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Experiences: Window to the Past

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine African life during slavery on the Internet. In this slavery activity, students use the Internet to research slavery and create a scrapbook. Students review pictures of slavery and label them as primary or secondary...
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Organizer
Curated OER

Primary vs. Secondary Sources: A Comparison

For Students 9th - 12th
In this language arts worksheet, students fill in the graphic organizer that compares primary sources and secondary sources of information.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Danger on the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 7th
Student examines the role of the Underground railroad. In this Post-Civil War lesson, 7th graders read and analyze primary sources. Students create a timeline that details the events of the stories.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gift to the Future

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine the different ways that primary sources are reserved.  In this Social Studies lesson, 7th graders analyze documents and photographs.  Students watch video clips and answer questions on a graphic organizer.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How to incorporate local history into your Arkansas History class

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore their local history through research and then providing reenactments about the history.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeking Super Cities

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Young scholars view a Powerpoint presentation on various cities in the U.S. They conduct research on two cities, complete a data chart on the two cities, and decide which one they would prefer to live.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Be a Sourceerer's Apprentice

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine and discuss various primary and secondary sources. They bring in an example of a primary source, explain how it is a primary source, and complete a worksheet about interviewing a primary source.
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Unit Plan
Other

University of Idaho: Internet Information Literacy

For Students 9th - 10th
A lesson module on identifying the types of information one finds on the Internet (popular/scholarly, primary/secondary/tertiary) and the different formats information can come in. Learning exercises are embedded in the module, and a...
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Handout
University of California

Uc Berkeley Library: Critical Evaluation of Resources

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Questions to ask yourself when determining if a source is reliable. Discusses difference between primary and secondary source. List of reference sources and links to other sites that teach you how to evaluate sources....
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Lesson Plan
Other

Minnesota Historical Society: Minnesota Communities: Lesson: Primary Sources

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Lesson plan with necessary documents attached in PDF format where middle schoolers read three eye-witness accounts of a car accident and compare them to the secondary source insurance report. Then students read three eye-witness accounts...
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Handout
Grammarly

Grammarly Handbook: Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary Resources

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Definitions and examples of primary, secondary, and tertiary resources.
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: You Are There, First Flight

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students learn about archives and primary sources as they research original historical documents. While preparing an imaginative first-person account as if witnessing an historical event, they learn to appreciate the value of the...
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Activity
TES Global

Tes: Determining of Credibility of Online Sources

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This free resource is a sheet that will help students assess the credibility of an online primary source or an online secondary source.
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Primary
Other

New York State Library: Student Activity: Primary Versus Secondary Sources

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Read about the Railroad Strike of 1877 using three excerpts from textbooks and three original newspaper articles. Compare and contrast the information in the primary and secondary sources.
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Article
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

Purdue University Owl: Primary Research

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Learn the difference between primary and secondary research as well as some different types of primary sources that can be used when gathering research.
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Unit Plan
TES Global

Blendspace: Primary & Secondary Sources

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A twelve-part learning module with links to texts, videos, quizzes, images, and websites to use while learning about primary and secondary research sources.
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Secondary Source

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This brief Wikipedia encyclopedia article explains the difference between primary and secondary sources.