Categories of Primary and Secondary Sources

Material Cultural Artifacts
Tools and Machines, Toys and Games, Clothing, Coins, Decorations, Decorations, Utensils, Money, Furniture, Containers
Print Documents
Government		Formal Personal
Charters and Constitutions Edicts and Laws Minutes and Reports Programs and Publications Records and Statistics Reports and Proceedings Statutes Treaties		Certificates and Licenses Court Records Contracts and Agreements Family Trees Receipts Wills
Publications		Informal Personal Records
Autobiographies Histories Literature Newspapers Periodicals Travels Accounts Treaties		Diaries and Memoirs Family and Household Records Financial Statements Letters Memoranda and Notes
Electronic Media
Film, Video, Entertainment Information
Graphic Arts
Photography, Maps, Cartoons, Illustrations
Fine Arts
Painting, Sculpture, Prints, Textiles, Decorative Arts, Ceramics, Metal Works. Furniture
Folklore and Folkways
Oral Literature	Material Culture	Customs	Performance Arts
Tales Proverbs, Epic stories	Crafts, Cloths making, Quilting, Home building	Rituals, Ceremonies, Family traditions	Dance, Music, Games
The Built Environment
Architecture, Place Names, Land use, Settlement patterns, Urban plans

Source: Kroesch, Gary and Swanson, Mary Catherine. (2002). The Write Path: History-Social Science Teacher Guide. (p. 37). San Diego: AVID Press.

Primary Source Analysis

Primary source materials may offer invaluable insight into historical events. These source materials are firsthand historical materials. Letters, wills, newspaper articles, government documents, photographs, advertisements, journals, autobiographies, speeches can all be primary sources. Like a historian, you should carefully examine the source, consider questions such as the following:

Title: _________________________________________________________

Source: _______________________________________________________

Type of source and date(s) of the source

• Was it created during or shortly after the event you are investigating?

Read the primary source and examine who, what, when, where, and why.

Select an interesting quotation or sentence and justify why you selected this as a representative statement from the source.

Are there any unique or unusual qualities of the source?

• Record anything interesting about this primary source.

Who was the author, speaker, or creator of the source?

• Was the creator free to work as he or she pleased?

For what audience was the source addressed?

• Was it for a private or public audience?

For what purpose was the source created?

• Was its creator trying to promote a cause?

List three things about this source that are important.

• How might the values and issues of the time have influenced it?

What can be learned from this source?

• Can the information in the source be verified?

Write a question to the originator that is left unanswered by the primary source.

• What would you like to ask about this primary source?

Write you reaction or opinion about this document.

Source

Kroesch, Gary and Swanson, Mary Catherine. (2002). The Write Path: History-Social Science Teacher Guide. (pp. 33-43). San Diego: AVID Press.