Teaching with Primary Sources

A primary source is a first hand contemporary document or resource account of an event or topic. Primary sources include diary entries, maps, letters, government documents, oral histories, video recordings, photographs, memoirs, artifacts and other contemporary resources.  

Britannica Kids defines primary documents as "a work that gives original information".

NYS Standards vary by grade level but include these general objectives:

• Define a primary source 
• Distinguish between a primary and secondary source
• Analyze a document and be able to cite specific textual evidence to support their analysis
• Determine the central idea and provide an accurate and objective summary
• Determine what the author is trying to say or achieve
• Use primary documents to create an understanding of the past in context using a timeline

NYS Social Studies Standards can be found here:

• NYS K-8 
• NYS 9-12