Sources: Primary or Secondary?

 Primary and Secondary Sources

Example: 
It is 3:05 and you are standing at the corner to cross the street to go home. Two cars collide at the intersection. You saw it happen. Y ou are a primary source. You run into the building to tell the principal. The principal calls the police. The principal is not a primary source- he/she was not there when it happened- he/she is just passing on information they got from someone else. The policeman asks you to draw a little map of where the cars were coming from when they collided. The map is a primary source- it was drawn by someone who was there. When you get home, you write about it in your journal or diary. The journal is a primary source- it was written by somone who was actually there during the event.

(Thanks to http://www.cgrove417.org/cghs/KASL/sources.html)

•Another example:

I have an old teddy bear named Boo. I always thought I got Boo when I was a baby, and then I found a picture of me unwrapping Boo at Christmas when I was 2 years old. The picture is a primary source- it was taken at the event. My parents told me it was true. I didn't get Boo until I was two. They are primary sources. They were there. Boo is also a primary source--the actual artifact. You could tell this story using a bear and a photo.

•A primary source would be a diary about something that happened to a person, like traveling West on the Oregon Trail. A secondary source would be a book written using information from a diary. Primary=U.S. Constitution-- Secondary=a book explaining it.

Which is primary?  Which is secondary?

1. An actor's diary ---or - A textbook on acting


2. Encyclopedia article about Pearl Harbor

--or -- Eyewitness account of Pearl Harbor


3. Book about pioneer women --or -- Book of letters by pioneer women


4. Autobiography of Maya Angelou --or-- Biography of Maya Angelou


5. Interpretations of Constitution --or-- The Constitution


6. Interview with a musician --or-- Reference book about musicians


7. A. Lincoln's inaugural address --or-- Commentary on A. Lincoln's address


8. Book on the history of clothing --or-- Clothes belonging to Martha Washington
(Thanks to http://www.cgrove417.org/cghs/KASL/sources.html)

An actor's diary	A textbook on acting
An Encyclopedia article about Pearl Harbor	Eyewitness account of Pearl Harbor
Book about pioneer women	Book of letters by pioneer women
Autobiography of Maya Angelou	Biography of Maya Angelou
Interpretations of Constitution	The Constitution
Interview with a musician	Reference book about musicians
Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address	Commentary on Abraham Lincoln's address
Book on the history of clothing	Clothes belonging to Martha Washington

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http://www.merrimack.k12.nh.us/webpages/ldenehy/handouts.cfm?subpage=459672

Primary Sources

A document or object that was written or created at the time that an event occurred or after those events in the form of an oral history or memoir.  They offer an “inside view” of that particular happening or event, and they serve as the raw material to interpret the past.  Essentially, they are “first hand” accounts of a particular event or experience.

Characteristics of Primary Sources

®   Original

®   First-hand account

®   Usually written or made close to

      the event or time period

®    Factual

®    Research results

®    Report of scientific discoveries

Examples of Primary Sources

·        Diaries, Journals, Letters

·        Newspaper and Magazine Articles (factual accounts)

·        Government Records

·        Photographs, Maps, Posters

·        Recordings of speeches

·        Transcripts of speeches

·        Interviews

·        Songs

·        Plays

·        Poems

·        Novels

·        Short Stories

·        Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures

                                                  

Secondary Sources

The purpose of a secondary source is to interpret and/or analyze a primary source(s).  They are generallyone or more steps removed from the event and may contain pictures, quotes or graphics from primary sources within them.  They are usually in the form of published works – such as articles or books—or in radio or television documentaries.

Characteristics of Secondary Sources

®    Analysis / Interprets primary source

®    Second-hand account

®    Interpretation of creative work

®    At times opinion based

®    Information may come from a variety of sources and perspectives

Examples of Secondary Sources

·        Textbooks

·        Magazine articles critiquing, analyzing or adding additional perspective

·        Histories

·        Criticisms

·        Encyclopedias

·        Commentaries

·        Second-hand accounts & “retellings”

·        Conference proceedings

from http://www.merrimack.k12.nh.us/webpages/ldenehy/handouts.cfm?subpage=459672

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What is the difference?
http://www.merrimack.k12.nh.us/webpages/ldenehy/handouts.cfm?subpage=459672

For the Hero Webquest, information directly from your hero, or from those who were there to actually see/interact with him or her is primary.

Information from others is secondary.