Name____________________________________Date_______________________Period___
Primary and Secondary Sources
Primary Sources-
Give three examples of primary sources:
a.
b.
c.
Secondary Sources-
Give three examples of secondary sources:
a.
b.
c.
Assessment Questions- For each of the following mark P if the source is primary or S
if the source is secondary
1._____ A diary titled Life in the Mines from a miner named Lucky Noah who lived in Idaho
in the 1870s
2._____ A magazine article from 2011 titled Mining in the Old West in the 1860s to the
1890s
3._____ A chapter in your world history textbook about the Ancient Greeks.
4._____ An original photograph from the 1941 attack at Pearl Harbor that you found in your
grandparents photo album
5._____ An original World War I uniform worn by your great grandfather
6._____An encyclopedia entry on the Vietnam War
7._____ The diary of Anne Frank (a young girl who lived in hiding during the Holocaust)
8._____ Sheet music that was used to play military tunes during the Revolutionary War
9._____A web site that summarizes Ancient Roman mythology
10.____ A map of China created during ancient times.
11.____ An ancient tablet of Babylonian King Hammurabis Code of Laws
12.____ Pictures taken by your Aunt Sally of the World Trade Center attack
13.____ A newspaper article outlining the effect of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
14.____ A manuscript of Barack Obamas first speech as President.
15.____ An ancient Egyptian mummy you saw at a museum.
Creative Writing- Pick an interesting story that happened to you this summer.
Write a
primary account (you were there when it happened) of that event. Then, find out a story from
a friend or family member of something that did not happen to you. Write a secondary
account (you were not there when it happened) about that event. You may write in the space
provided or write your stories on a separate sheet of paper.
Primary account (5 sentence minimum):
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Secondary Account (5 sentence minimum):
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Primary and Secondary Sources-Answer Key
Primary Sources- Anything that was written, used, or owned by the people who actually lived
during a specific time period and actually made history.
Give three examples of primary sources:
a. Original uniforms worn at a time in history
b. Diaries written at the time of the event
c. Film footage of a historic event
Secondary Sources- Something written, used, owned AFTER a time in history that reflects,
analyzes, or interprets an event in history.
Give three examples of secondary sources:
a. Textbooks
b. Encyclopedias
c. Newspapers
Assessment Questions- For each of the following mark P if the source is primary (P) or
(S) if the source is secondary
1.__P__ A diary titled Life in the Mines from a miner named Lucky Noah who lived in Idaho
in the 1870s.
2.__S__ A magazine article from 2011 titled Mining in the Old West in the 1860s-1890s
3.__S__ A chapter in your world history textbook about the Ancient Greeks
4.__P__ An original photograph from the 1941 attack at Pearl Harbor that you found in your
grandparents photo album
5.__P__ An original World War I uniform worn by your great grandfather
6.__S__An encyclopedia entry on the Vietnam War
7.__P__ The diary of Anne Frank -a young girl who lived in hiding during the Holocaust
8.__P__ Sheet music that was used to play military tunes during the Revolutionary War
9.__S__A web site that summarizes Ancient Roman mythology
10._P__ A map of China created during ancient times
11._P__ An ancient tablet of Babylonian King Hammurabis Code of Laws
12._P__ Pictures taken by your Aunt Sally of the World Trade Center attack
13._S__ A newspaper article outlining the effect of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
14._P__ A manuscript of Barack Obamas first speech as President.
15._P__ An ancient Egyptian mummy you saw at a museum.
Creative Writing- Pick an interesting event that happened to you this summer.
Write a
primary account (you were there when it happened) of that event. Next, talk to a friend or
family member about an event that happened to them. Write a secondary account (you were
not there when it happened) about that event. You may write in the space provided or write
about your events on a separate sheet of paper.
Primary account (5 sentence minimum):
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Secondary Account (5 sentence minimum):
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