A Social Studies and Language Arts Activity

 

Part 1:  Primary and Secondary Sources

 

  1. Look at the list below.
     

    PRIMARY SOURCES
    SECONDARY SOURCES
    Diary Encyclopedias
    Letter Biographies
    Photograph Geography textbook
    Journal Cliff Notes
    Map Social Studies book
    Birth Certificate Public television documentary
    College diploma
    Census Records


  2. With your classmates, consider the following questions:
     
    • What do the items in each list have in common?
    • What is the difference between the two lists?
    • What kinds of information do primary sources provide?
    • What are the benefits of both primary and secondary resources?
    • What are the challenges of using both primary and secondary resources?
    • Which type of resource do you use most often?  Why?
    • Can you think of other resources to add to the list?
Go on to Part 2