Presented to the EDEL 157 course at the University of Vermont in a three-hour library instruction session co-taught with Special Collections.

1. USING PRIMARY SOURCES
In K-6 Social Studies
EDEL 157
3 February 2010
Robin M. Katz

2. http://researchguides.uvm.edu/
edel157spring2011
Check Out Your Class
Research Guide Online!

3. PRIMARY vs. SECONDARY SOURCES
Eye-Witness Second-Hand Account
Testimonial “Pieced together later”
Contemporary Uses Primary Sources
Original Interprets creative work
Earlier drafts Analyzes Research
Raw data

4. EXAMPLES: PRIMARY SOURCES
Diaries Creative works
Letters Maps
Photos Postcards
Contemporary Receipts
Newspapers Oral histories,
Business Reports interviews
Vital Records (birth, Speeches
death, marriage) TV news footage

5. EXAMPLES: SECONDARY SOURCES
Books Art/literary criticism
Journal Articles Analyses of scientific
Textbooks studies
Biographies
Later or interpretive
newspaper articles
Documentary Films

6. BENEFITS
• Fun!
• Real perspectives, “history comes alive”
• New information
• New views on old information
• Truth?
• How “history” is made

7. CHALLENGES
• Difficult Handwriting
• Old Language (spelling, words)
• Brittle paper, faded ink, holes in text
• Authenticity: Is this real? Trust-worthy?
• Not enough information or context:
who? where?

8. ANALYZING PRIMARY SOURCES
YOU HAVE TO SUPPLY THE CONTEXT
What is it?
Who created it? What do we know about them? Their
perspective/bias?
When is it from? What do we know about the time period?
Where is it from?
What facts are included? Are they accurate?
What opinions are included?
What is implied, conveyed unintentionally, or left out?
What is interesting? Surprising?
What do I not understand?
Adapted from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-eg/745

9. USING PRIMARY SOURCES
Source Topic

10. USING PRIMARY SOURCES
Source Topic
*Teachers are more likely to do this

11. WHY TEACH with PRIMARY SOURCES?
Class divides in half:
Pros and Cons
Discussion, Report Back

12. HOW TO TEACH
with PRIMARY SOURCES?
• Teacher support programs (Teaching American
History grants, Library of Congress TPS program)
• Teacher kits / guides (American Diary series)
• Best practices, colleagues
• Apply other teaching methods
• Librarians/archivist s may or may not
help with this!

13. WHERE TO FIND?
• Cultural Repositories
– Libraries (public, university, private)
– Archives (government, organizational, corporate)
– Museums, Historical Societies (educators, kits)
• Online
– Subscription databases (through your library)
– Free Sites!
• Private Hands / Collectors
– Students, Families

14. PHYSICAL (ANALOG) vs. DIGITAL
• Pros and Cons?
– Ease of access?
– Missing information?
– Fun factor?

15. USING DIGITIZED MATERIALS
• Read about Primary Sources
– Scout Report:
http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current/
• Search for Primary Sources
– Google
– Library Catalog
• Go directly to an online repository to BROWSE