Primary and Secondary Sources Adapted from the work of Carol Warren Interpreting Primary Sources using a Geographic Lens Workshop 2017

Primary Sources What is a primary source? First-hand or eye-witness accounts or materials created at the time of an event (e.g., autobiographies, diaries, letters, interviews, photographs, sketches, maps, newspaper stories, census records, research data, artifacts) How often are these used in classrooms?

Secondary Sources What is a secondary source? A source that contains information others have gathered and interpreted: indirect or second-hand information (e.g., encyclopedia articles, websites, documentaries, biographies, textbooks, journal articles) How often are these used in classrooms?

Primary Sources in the SS Standard K-3 Use primary sources (e.g., photos, artifacts) to study people and events. (K) Use primary sources (e.g., photos, artifacts, maps) to study people and events. (1st) Use primary sources (e.g., photos, artifacts, interviews, documents, maps) and secondary sources (e.g., encyclopedias, biographies) to study people and events. (2nd -3rd)

Primary Sources in the SS Standard 4-6 Describe the difference between primary and secondary sources.(4th -6th) Locate information using both primary and secondary sources.(4th -6th) Determine the credibility and bias of primary and secondary sources. (6th)

Primary Sources in the SS Standard 7-8 Describe the relationship between a primary and secondary source document. (7th) Describe the difference between a primary and secondary source and the relationship between them. (8th) Determine the credibility and bias of primary and secondary sources. (7th-8th)

Primary Sources in the SS Standard High School Evaluate primary and secondary sources for: authors’ main points purpose and perspective facts vs. opinions different points of view on the same historical event (e.g., Geography Concept 6 – geographical perspective can be different from economic perspective) credibility and validity  

Examples of Primary Sources Diary Dawes Act

Rock Art Archaic or Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi)– Grand Canyon Fremont Culture- Great Basin

Artifacts Roman coin Mississippian pottery – 1000 years old

Historical Maps John Smith’s map of Chesapeake Bay - 1607 Father Kino’s map of New Mexico - 1710

Historical Photos

Native American Resources Oral traditions Historical maps Government documents Historical photos Tribal records

Tribal Records Winter counts of the Great Plains tribes Pictographs painted on hide, cloth, paper Tribes of the Great Plains used winter counts: pictographs painted on hide, cloth, or paper, to record their history. Tribal leaders would chose the most memorable event of a year to add to the hide and thereby a history of the tribe would be recounted. A winter count keeper would use the pictograph to remember and retell the events marked in each year. 18. The Smithsonian National Anthropological Archives has produced an on-line exhibition of nearly a thousand Lakota winter counts pictographs dating from the 1700s. This site offers extensive historical information; some are based on winter count pictographs about the Lakota’s homelands and culture. They also have lessons for grades K-8.

Where to find primary sources Library of Congress website The National Archives Smithsonian Museum Education website National Museum of Natural History, National Anthropological Archives National Parks and Monuments websites Local, state, national, international museums websites Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas University of Georgia Hargrett Rare Book And Manuscript Library Rare Map Collection