Primary and Secondary Sources
...
Subject Area: Social Studies | Grade Level: 3
Lesson Length: 30 minutes
Keywords/Tags: Primary Source, Secondary Source
Lesson Description: This lesson will teach students how to differentiate between primary and secondary sources when looking at sources such as books, articles, objects, etc. for research. It will also quiz them on their knowledge after watching the lesson video.

  • SS.3.A.1.1 Analyze primary and secondary sources.
Video : Primary Vs. Secondary Sources
Instructions: Please watch the following video as many times as needed before starting to go through other lesson pages. Understanding the content of the video is very important since the lesson activities will be all about this video content.
Quiz : Primary Vs. Secondary Sources Quiz
Instructions: Please complete this quiz by choosing the correct answer for each question. You can take this quiz as many times needed.
Question #1

Which of the following describes what a secondary source is?

Question #2
Is a letter from a person experiencing the event that you are researching, a primary source? 
Question #3
Is a scholarly article published by a historian count as a primary source?
Question #4

Which of the following is a secondary source?

Question #5
When researching the creation of the United States, the Declaration of Independence would be a primary source.
Question #6
Are primary sources first-hand encounters?
Question #7

A book was published that was full of letters from a historical figure, would this be a primary or a secondary source?

Question #8

Which of the following describes a primary source?

Question #9
An article written by a reporter about a speech that was given years before is a secondary source.
Question #10
Textbooks about a historical period are an example of a primary source.
Resources : Primary and Secondary Source Resources
Instructions: Please see additional external resources below. Feel free visit each link to learn more about this lesson.
Primary Sources
This link further explains the primary sources.
Primary and Secondary Source Matching Game
Match the examples to show whether they are a primary or a secondary source.
Primary and Secondary Source Extra Questions
This link will help you further test your knowledge on what is a primary or secondary source.