Analyzing Primary and Secondary Sources
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Content Citation Context Connections Communication Conclusions
Read text multiple times “Bias Rule” “Time and Place Rule” Type of Source? Author? Who is the audience? What do you learn from source? Intended message? Why was the source created? Is source credible? Contribution to our understanding of history? Link to prior knowledge.
Read the text closely several times (Content) Understand the “Bias Rule” (Communication) Understand the “Time and Place Rule” (Context, Citation, Connections) Identify type of source (Content)
Identify who the author is (Citation) Identify the audience the source was intended for (Communication) Find the source’s intended message (Content) Determine why the source was created (Context)
Ask if this is a credible source (Communication) List the things you can determine about the historical period by analyzing this resource (Conclusions) List limitations of the source, based on the bias and point of view. (Conclusions) Link the source to other things that you already know or have learned. (Connection)
Books Format: Author's last name, first initial. (Publication date). Book title. City of publication: Publishing company. Examples: Allen, T. (1974). Vanishing wildlife of North America. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. Searles, B., & Last, M. (1979). A reader's guide to science fiction. New York: Facts on File, Inc.
Magazine & Newspaper Articles Format: Author's last name, first initial. (Publication date). Article title. Periodical title, volume number(issue number if available), inclusive pages. Examples: Henry, W. A., III. (1990, April 9). Making the grade in today's schools. Time, 135, Kalette, D. (1986, July 21). California town counts town to big quake. USA Today, 9, p. A1.
Website or Webpage Format: Online periodical: Author's name. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number, Retrieved month day, year, from full URL Online document: Author's name. (Date of publication). Title of work. Retrieved month day, year, from full URL Examples: Devitt, T. (2001, August 2). Lightning injures four at music festival. The Why? Files. Retrieved January 23, 2002, from
Create 4-6 minute power point presentation Choose Greece or Rome topic Your job is to teach the class this subject Create 2 test questions about subject Must take notes during research Notes will be turned in At least two sources (1 primary, 1 secondary) Write a simple bibliography for sources
Ancient Greece Herodotus Diodorus of Sicily Thucydides Quintus Curtius Rufus Ancient Rome Livy Suetonius Tacitus Plutarch