Primary and Secondary Resources

Identifying Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary sources are original, uninterpreted information.

 

Secondary sources interpret, analyze or summarize.

 

 

 

What is a Primary Source: Explanations and Examples

• What is a primary source? Examples of primary and secondary resources
• Primary and secondary sources: Follow the "click here to learn more about primary resources" to view and participate in a short flash activity on how to identify primary resources.
• This online activity helps you to idenify if a source is primary or secondary
• Canadian Primary Sources: an excellent link from Alberta Education providing overviews, lessons, 'how to read' different primary sources and primary sources links.
  
• Defining Primary and Secondary Sources: from Collections Canada
• Making History Now: Identifying Primary and Secondary Sources in Canadian History OR How do I know its True? Lesson from the Scarborough Historical Museum
• Primary Sources - This lesson introduces students to primary sources -- what they are, their great variety, and how they can be analyzed. The lesson begins with an activity that helps students understand the historical record. Students then learn techniques for analyzing primary sources. Finally, students apply these techniques to analyze documents about slavery in the United States

Lesson Plans

An Early Canadian Photo Album: A teaching strategy for use with Images Canada Website.

Resources:

Canada in the Making: Primary and Secondary Sources in Government Documents