Determining a Primary Source using materials from the Library of Congress

1. Leaving
Evidence
What is a primary source?

2. Time to Think
Think about all the activities you were involved
in the past 24 hours.
Where did you go?
What did you do?
Who did you spend time with?
What did you eat? Where?
Get specific!

3. Make a list
On a piece of paper, take two minutes to write.
You can write it in sentence form or make a list.
Be prepared to share with your table.

4. Make a Chart
At your table group, make a chart.
Activities Evidence
Examples of Evidence
text messages
receipts
photos
surveillance cameras

5. Team Discussion
Review your list of activities and evidence
chart.
Discuss:
• Which of your daily activities were most likely
to leave trace evidence behind?
Why would this be important?

6. More discussion...
More questions to consider:
What, if any, of that evidence might be preserved for the
future? Why?
• What would a person from the future be able to tell about
your life and your society based on evidence of your daily
activities that might be preserved for the future?
Why would this be important?

7. What does the evidence suggest?
What constitutes a primary source?
Discuss the evidence they have generated as
examples of primary sources.

8. Defining Primary Sources
A primary source can be defined as:
the raw materials of history original documents
and objects that were created under the time of
study.
Highlight in yellow on your chart what evidence
your team considers primary sources. Be ready
to defend your answer.

9. Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are accounts or
interpretations of events created by someone
without firsthand experience. (They were not
there at the time of the event).
Highlight in another color what evidence on
your chart would be secondary sources. Be
prepared to defend your answer.

10. Credits
Library of Congress Teacher Materials
Teaching with Primary Sources