This presentation is an introduction of the OPVL to Grade 9 Geography students. It helps students to understand the origin, purpose, value and limitations of a source.

1. OPVL
Guidance

2. SOURCES
academic websites
photos
books
textbooks
interviews
government websites
newspaper article
magazines
maps
videos
Different types of sources include:

3. PRIMARY & SECONDARY
Primary sources
first-hand account
person was there
he/she took the photo,
painted the painting, etc.
emotional
can be subjective
Secondary sources
written after the event
person did not experience
it him/herself
benefit of hindsight
analysis of primary source
usually objective

4. OPVL
What is OPVL?
Origin
Purpose
Value
Limitations
When do we use these?

5. ORIGIN
What is it?
Who created it?
When was it created?
Where was it created?

6. PURPOSE
Why was it created?
Who is the intended audience?

7. VALUE
How valuable the source is depends on why you are using it.
Why is this a good source?
A photo is valuable because it is a visual representation of a specific scene; we can see the
information
A personal letter or diary entry tells us personal views & opinions of that time
An academic website is valuable because it gives us facts, statistics and current information
about a country/situation/event; it’s been well researched and referenced
A map is valuable because it shows us the current (political) boundaries of a region/nation
Newspaper & TV reports can give publicly held views, popular opinion, expert’s views and
contemporary opinion.

8. LIMITATIONS
The limitations of a source depends on why you are using it.
What are the problems with this source? What don’t we know?
The limitations of a photo is you cannot see beyond the ‘lens’, or what happened before/
after; can be staged; does not provide facts, data, etc.
The limitations of a letter is that it’s a personal opinion, therefore this may not be public
opinion; writer’s opinion may change; facts may be skewed.
An academic website may not have first-hand (personal) stories.
A map does not show specific information other than country/city/town; cannot find more
specific facts and information
Newspaper & TV reports may be one-sided; may be censored; may only give overview

9. LET’S PRACTICE
Origin:
Purpose:
Value:
Limitations:
23 missing as Typhoon Utor hits Philippines,
photo found in the above news article, from
The News, on Aug. 12, 2013.
~Photograph taken on Aug 12, 2013. The source is
found in The News, an online newspaper
~Primary source
~To show the impacts of Typhoon Utor; a visual
representation
~The intended audience is those who read a daily
newspaper
~We can see the impacts at a glance (we don’t need to
read a long article to get an idea); how it impacted the
Philippines
~Immediate and up-to-date visual
~We are not given facts and data about this typhoon or any
typhoon (is this what always happens?)
~We do not know what this scene looked like before or after
this photo
~We do not know how this typhoon affected other countries

10. Let’s practice
with another!
Origin: Value:
Purpose: Limitations:
~A website, U.S Geological Survey (USGS)
~Secondary source
~Online source but an American-based site
~Inform
~Educate
~The intended audience is students (high school
& university), geologists, and/or people interested
in these topics
~It’s online so it’s accessible to everyone (almost)
~A website can be updated frequently
~It can provide up-to-date information about
geological subjects
~Well-researched by experts
~As it is an American website, is there a
strong focus on American geological
topics?
~Is this above my reading level?

11. YOUR TURN:
Source A:
An excerpt from an interview found on Teen Ink (online), published Jan. 12. 2011.
When did you realize that you were experiencing an earthquake? Can you describe how
you felt?
I first noticed something was wrong when our bus started rocking violently. It was a very bumpy
road, and at first I brushed it off as a pothole. But then, of course, it didn't stop, so I knew
something was up. I looked around, and everyone seemed just as confused as I was. When I
looked through my window I saw that the trees were swaying and pelting mangoes as if there was
a huge gust of wind.
Suddenly, a telephone pole fell in front of the bus, and its wires came down right against the
window. Shocked, I looked over at my dad, and behind him I saw a massive wall crumble and fall
just inches from his seat. It was then that I realized it was an earthquake. I thought, What are we
going to do? What does it look like beyond this small dirt road? At that moment, I worried most
about our safety.
We were afraid to go into our rooms because of the constant aftershocks. As selfish as it sounds, I
was terrified and just wanted to go home!
What happened right after the earthquake? What did you do? What did you see? How did
you feel then?
Right after the earthquake we all got out of the bus and waited for the other half of our group to
arrive. While watching all the people go by, I couldn't help but cry. I was so scared and I didn't
know what to think. With each aftershock, I grew more and more afraid.
On that one small road alone there was so much destruction! Telephone poles were down, homes
had collapsed, and the air was gray with dust from the cinder blocks and concrete. On other streets
the destruction was even more apparent. Large buildings were reduced to rubble, and those still
standing were drastically lopsided and cracked.
All around were crying Haitians who had lost everything and didn't know what to do. The
destruction that an earthquake can cause is completely unbelievable.
What is the OPVL
of each source?
Source B: Published in 2012