We'd like to hear what you have to say about this lesson. After reviewing it, please take the following short survey to help us improve it and others, now in development.
Tell us what you thinkShare
Tell other teachers, parents, and students about us.
Follow
Description
Overview
Students will learn what primary and secondary sources are, as well as how to distinguish the difference between the two. Students will be able to give examples of each and explain the benefits and drawbacks of using primary sources when studying history.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
- How do we know what we know about the past?
Teacher Tools
-
Lesson Plan, Teacher Guide, Primary Sources Used
Downloadable/editable versions of this lesson plan, including a step-by-step guide through the lesson. When applicable, a list of primary sources used in the lesson is also included.
-
Slide Show Teacher Guide
Notes regarding the slideshow for the educator.
Student Activities
-
Warm-up and Exit Ticket
In this printable warm-up / bell-ringer activity, students will make inferences about the life of a fictional past person based on a box of items they might have left behind. This introduces the concept of using artifacts to make inferences about past events and people.
In this exit ticket, students will distinguish between true and false statements about primary srouces. They will write a short, constructed response exemplifying a primary source and explaining its potential benefits and drawbacks.
-
Slideshow
This ready-to-use classroom presentation contains the warm-up exercise, the daily objective, the “We will / I will statements, and the essential question for the lesson. It guides the class through the assignment, providing larger versions of images, visual representations of the directions, and supports for reading and answering questions including sentence stems for in-class responses. It concludes with the exit ticket.
-
Grade Level Student Worksheet
This printable assignment introduces significant terms and concepts including artifacts, primary sources, secondary sources, points-of-view, and bias. Students will explore the benefits and drawbacks of using these types of materials to study history. The assignment concludes by providing images of three artifacts produced by early Texas people and asking the students to make observations, inferences, and create questions about each.
Grade Level combines short, constructed response and multiple-choice questions.
-
Foundation Student Worksheet
Foundations Level requires less writing, offering multiple choice questions and responses asking for fewer examples or less information. The multiple-choice questions eliminate one answer choice.
-
Advanced Student Worksheet
Advanced Level involves more writing, including short, constructed response questions.
Sources
Previews and links to sources referenced in this lesson.
-
Mallory, Randy. A Canvas of Pictographs. 2005. Photograph.
-
Pair of beaded moccasins.
-
Zavala, Lorenzo de. "Expediente of Lorenzo de Zavala’s 1829 Colonization Contract.
-
Indian Petroglyphs. 1968. Photograph, 3.5 x 3.5 in. (8.89 x 8.89 cm).
-
Elongated, rectangular buckskin beaded Indian bag. Leather, 23 x 10.7.
-
Indian Artifacts from the Buddy Webb Family. 1968. Photograph, 3.5 x 3.5 in (8.89 x 8.89 cm).
Rights
Support
Learn about our team, supporters, and how to contribute or give back.