UNIT #1: BEING A HISTORIAN
Using Primary and Secondary Sources
Part 1: Locating, Differentiating, and Interpreting
Sources
By:
Mr. Mathis – Johnston Middle School
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
Primary Source
Secondary Source
Artifact
Historical Records
Validity
ESPN Factors: Economic, Social, Political,
eNvironmental
STUDENT-FRIENDLY OBJECTIVES
I can use computer software, databases, media
and news services, biographies, interviews, and
artifacts to locate information about Texas
history.
I can distinguish between and interpret primary
sources and secondary sources to learn about
Texas history.
I can use the ESPN categorization to learn
about events in Texas history.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
How is the examination of historical
record/evidence enhanced by the analysis of
both primary and secondary sources?
What is the difference between primary and
secondary sources?
How can the historical record be both huge
and limited?
Primary sources
are parts of the
historical record
from people who are
participants in,
observe and record
or leave
evidence/artifacts
about those events
or times.
PRIMARY SOURCES
1900 Galveston Storm
EXAMPLES OF PRIMARY SOURCES
Primary sources can be • public documents [laws, legal, official text, books]; • private documents [diaries, letters, cookbooks…] • images/audio, objects, personal items…
Often, primary sources include people’s impressions or
opinions.
Primary sources may contain the word I.
Historians access and interpret the content, reliability and
validity of primary sources to separate facts from the opinions
and get an accurate picture of events.
Secondary sources
have already
synthesized and
interpreted multiple
sources and contain
descriptions and
interpretations of
events.
SECONDARY SOURCES
EXAMPLES OF SECONDARY SOURCES
Secondary sources are often• Textbooks, magazines articles, encyclopedias or
anything that describes past/current events;• Created by people who rely on someone else’s
descriptions of what actually happened.• We use secondary sources because they are convenient.
These sources represent the historian or authors
INTERPRETATION of primary source material. In a primary
sources the reader (historian) interprets the source
him/herself.
An artifact is a man-
made object that has
some kind of cultural
significance.
A simple object (such
as a tool or weapon) that
was made by people in
the past.
ARTIFACT
EXAMPLES OF ARTIFACTS
Historical records
are literally any piece
of evidence from the
past. Most historical
evidence is lost.
HISTORICAL RECORD
Historical
records/evidence do
not have to be written.
CSI – A FAMILY DINNER
It was a day like any other, you have been forced
to go out to dinner with your family. You had just
finished watching episode of CSI Miami…
Someone or something turns up missing… It’s up
to you…
What would be some examples of historical record
or evidence of your evening with your family?
Receipt for the
dinner
Menu
Trash left on the
table
Someone who took a
photo of the family
Waitress memory of
serving the family
Location of the
restaurant
Fingerprints
Patrons
LOOKING FOR HISTORICAL RECORD
Evidence Evidence
Validity refers to the
quality of being
logically or factually
sound; soundness or
cogency.
Example: Is this
website a valid
secondary source for
my research paper?
VALIDITY
WHICH WEBSITES TO TRUST
.gov sites are usually the most reliable
.edu sites are associated with an educational institution and
have high reliability
.org sites are associated with education and/or non-profit
organizations and are generally reliable
.com sites are established for commercial purposes – they
often represent bias in their choice of documents to include as
well as significant advertisements
Personal websites are often the least reliable as sources of
information for historical research.
ESPN
Economic factors – relate to money, taxes, industry, agriculture, jobs,
availability or resources, way people organize for the production,
distribution and so on.
Social Factors – relate to population density, immigration, cultural
diversity, lifestyle, and leisure time.
Political Factors – relate to the functions and procedures of
government, laws, and elected officials; factors that deal with the topic
of power and control
eNvironmental Factors – relate to the setting or physical environment
of a place/time/event
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