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Learning with Primary Sources

Understanding Primary Sources | Finding Primary Sources | Teaching with Primary Sources

Understanding Primary Sources:

This short powerpoint explains primary and secondary sources. It was created by Marianne Hunter from North Thurston School District for high schoolers.

Locating Primary Sources:

Museums, libraries and historical societies contain primary sources.

	Bunker, Nancy. Primary source collections in the Pacific Northwest. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. 2005
Nancy Bunker, Whitworth Librarian provides information about all sort of local collections including physical and virtual access.

University of Idaho maintains a list of primary sources on the web.

Washington State Library

Washington State Historical Society Artifact finder and Tools of the Trade

Northwest Digital Archive

Historic maps for k12 classroom

Teaching with Primary Sources:

Library of Congress provides a web site about learning to use primary resources as well as many lessons at American Memory's Learning Page that is listed by theme.

100 Documents in original format, downloadable pdf files and document transcripts.

The National Archives (NARA) has analysis sheet for use with students and other educator materials.

• You can also easily search the archives for particularly items by using Goggle and stating NARA and "your item or topic"
• ProQuest has ten years of Social Education which contains monthly NARA lessons for teaching with documents

The Smithsonian has educator information for teaching with artifacts

The Pacific Northwest-Alaska Regional Archives has local educator lessons

Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest has curriculum units on local history

National Archives- United Kingdom- Educator's lessons

Culturally Responsible Curriculum for Secondary Schools- Evergreen University

William and Mary Teaching Model (scroll down for two versions of teaching primary sources and research model) has analyzing primary sources and questions to help students critically examine information. There is a chart that guides studies through the process.

Center for History and New Media contains 1000 of primary source documents, audio, and images. Their are lists of annotated American History web sites and material for high school and college American history survey classes.

Primary Source materials and Document Based Questions from Advanced Placement History courses

ALA- ACRL History Section maintains sources for using primary sources on the web

EXAMPLES:

Discovery School multi-year project for students to research and post Spokane History information

Valley of the Shadow- 2 communities divided during the American Civil War. Told through primary documents.

Martha Ballard Diary - includes teaching tools such as the magnifier/translator that shows the original diary and changes it into an easy-to-read font. Students can even try their own interpretation of the original script.

Diary of Opal Whitely - the diary of a young girl in Oregon at the end of the 19th century, including teacher's guides, a timeline and more