Primary Documents
Grade 5

Perspective:  Historical
Benchmarks:   Using primary sources to reconstruct past events.

Students will explain the difference between a primary and secondary source.
Students will describe a primary source and explain why it may be important.
Students will discuss the importance of primary and secondary sources.

Anticipatory Set:

Students will explore the differences between primary and secondary sources and will help to classify different sources under the two categories to provide them with concrete examples of each.  Students will prepare for learning and the hands-on activity by considering and discussing responses to the following questions:

1. What do the items in each list have in common?
2. What is the difference between the two lists?
3. What kinds of information do primary sources provide?  
4. Which resource do you use most often?  Why?
5. Can you think of other resources to add to the list?

• Discussion
• Lecture
• Classifying

Hands-on Activity:

Students will explore the contents of the treasure chest, which will contain the following items: a letter, photograph, map, copy of the Declaration of Independence, textbook, and encyclopedia.  Students will compare and contrast the different contents and predict which type of source each item would be categorized under.

Students will discuss the question:  What are the benefits of both primary and secondary resources?
Students will then be asked to write a journal entry about one item from the box.   Which is your item primary or secondary and why?
What do you think it is used for and why it is here?
Students will then be asked to consider what type of source they just created through writing their journal entries.
Students will conclude the lesson by discussing the fact that they just created their own secondary sources.