This document provides information about how historians study history. It explains that historians gather evidence from primary and secondary sources like artifacts, documents, photographs and written works to learn about the past. The document contains various activities for students, like bringing in an artifact from the past and answering questions about it to determine if it is a primary or secondary source. It also discusses how historians evaluate sources for accuracy and bias. They put events in chronological order using dates to understand what happened and when. Historians use tools like centuries, decades, A.D. and B.C. to measure and describe time periods.

2. History is the story
of the past
It is the story of people, places and
events

3. How can Historians
find out about the past?

4. Historians are like detectives who gather
information or evidence to put together the
story of the past.
They gather evidence from different sources
e.g. archaeological digs, manuscripts or search
the internet

5. Task
Draw an object or bring one into class, that
represents something from the past that is
important to you.
Explain what exactly this object represents
about your past.

6. Objects from the past
are called
Artefacts

7. Activity
In pairs choose an artefact
Study it together and complete the questions

8. 1) Identify or describe the object you have
chosen?
2) How old do you think it is?
3) What do you think it was used for?
4) What does this object tell you about life in the
past?
5) Do you think the object comes directly from the
past or is a replica of the time?

9. Is your object a Primary of Secondary source?
Sources which come directly from the past,
giving first-hand information are known as
Primary Sources.
Secondary sources are evidence that comes
from a later date. They are written after the
event.

10. Sources
Primary Secondary

11. Primary Sources
Give examples of primary sources under
each heading
Written Visual Oral Artefact

12. Written Visual Oral Artefacts
Diaries
Letters
Census
Government
Reports
Autobiography
Newspapers
manuscript
Paintings
Photos
Interviews
Speeches
Tools
Bones
Jewellery

13. Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are evidence that comes
from a later date. They are written after the
event.
A textbook is a secondary source as it was
written long after most of the events that it
describes

14. Can you think of other
examples of secondary sources
Biography
Movies
TV or radio documentary
Internet
History books
( Many secondary sources are put together
using many different primary sources)

15. Which of the following are Primary
or Secondary sources?
a) The Census
b) The Irish Times
c) The Mona Lisa
d) History text book
e) The GPO

16. Where do we find
sources?
Libraries Archives Museums

17. Historians will use as many sources as
possible and then compare what they have
found. Why?
This is to make sure that the story of the past is
as accurate as possible.
This is called cross-checking

18. How do historians
judge the reliability of
sources?

19. Historians judge whether the
source is:
a) Bias
b) Accurate
c) Prejudice
d) Exaggerated
e) Propaganda
f) Fact or opinion
Explain the meaning of each of these.

20. a) Bias – This means that the writer may have a strong ,
personal opinion about an event and tries to show that their
opinion is right.
b) Accurate – this means correct or exact.
c) Prejudice – is where writers have made up their minds in
advance and present only their own point of view
d) Exaggerates –this is when a writer makes something seem
greater than it really is.
e) Propaganda – is where writers are trying to win the reader
over to their point of view using posters, radio, tv and
speeches

21. How do Historians put events in order?
When historians find out information about the
past, it is important to get events in the right
order.
They usually use dates.
This makes it easier for people to follow the
story of what happened.
This is called chronological order.

22. There are a number of ways
historians measure time to
describe past events.

23. Explain the following:
1) A.D.
2) B.C.
3) Decade
4) Century
5) Periods or Ages
6) Millennium

24. Task:
Create a timeline of your
life using images and dates

25. Put these dates into the correct
chronological order
a) 315 AD
b) 44 AD
c) 1871 AD
d) 1779 AD
e) 3 AD

26. Work out the centuries for
the following dates
a) 1066 AD
b) 1215 AD
c) 210 AD
d) 1485 AD
e) 1745 AD
f) 899 AD
g) 902 AD
h) 55 AD

27. Fís
Foghlaim
Forbairt
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