TeachersFirst's Primary Sources
Discover this collection of tools relating to primary sources and engaging suggestions on using them in your classroom. Primary sources offer direct (firsthand) accounts about events, people, works of art, and more. There are many different types of primary sources: audio and video recordings, speeches, historical or legal documents, eyewitness accounts, and many more possibilities. This curated list includes resources for all grades, compares primary to secondary sources, and countless other topics to explore. Get inspiration from the "In the Classroom" section of each review, offering several suggestions to try in your class. View our even larger tagged list of resources for Primary Sources.
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Smithsonian Open Access - Smithsonian
Grades
K to 12
tag(s): art history (79), creativity (92), images (255), primary sources (106), Research (67), sculpture (20)
In the Classroom
Think of Smithsonian access as your virtual museum of downloads to use without copyright restrictions. Search and find images to use for any need. Use the images in newsletters, teaching materials, student projects, digital books, and more. For example, include images on shared Google Slides, reviewed here, and ask students to annotate features using text or the drawing tool. Share the site with students to use when creating webpages using Site123, reviewed here, or to create posters in Canva Edu, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Engaging Congress - Indiana University
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): branches of government (58), congress (36), DAT device agnostic tool (135), primary sources (106)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free games and materials on this site to use as a supplement to your current resources for teaching history and government. Instead of written notes, strengthen learning by having students use an online tool such as Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, reviewed here, to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers. To compare and contrast information found in different primary sources, create a Venn Diagram. As students prepare to share their findings and summarize their learning, have them modify their learning by creating infographics using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to visually represent facts and information. As a final assessment for your unit using these materials, ask students to form teams to debate different sides of the issues presented. Share their debates as a podcast using Anchor, reviewed here. Anchor is a simple to use podcasting tool offering several free options for creating, hosting, and sharing podcasts. As an alternative, ask other students redefine their learning and to create multimedia presentations using Sway, reviewed here to share text, videos, images, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OneHistory - Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1800s (64), 1900s (58), african american (100), biographies (94), cross cultural understanding (148), essays (20), great depression (28), primary sources (106), speeches (18)
In the Classroom
Bookmark OneHistory as a resource for primary sources when teaching American History and as an excellent tool for finding information featuring diversity throughout the years. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Slidestory, reviewed here. This site allows you to narrate a picture. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then add music to their narration. Slidestory allows you to add narration to a picture. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. Take advantage of the high interest, low readability level stories on the site to differentiate for the variety of reading levels in your classroom and to include informational (nonfiction) reading standards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Children and Youth in History - Center for History and New Media
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): africa (132), china (60), england (51), japan (55), primary sources (106), Research (67), slavery (66), south america (35)
In the Classroom
Save time with the ready-to-go, free resources found on this site during your studies of geography and cultures. Compare and contrast life in your area to those around the world. Modify classroom technology use by having students create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map as they learn about children around the world.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Students Investigating Primary Sources - Florida Joint Center for Citizenship
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): branches of government (58), civil rights (176), constitution (84), primary sources (106), womens suffrage (36)
In the Classroom
Benefit from the free lessons on this site for use when teaching the use of primary sources. Challenge younger students to demonstrate concepts learned by creating a presentation using slides, reviewed here, and older students to use a presentation tool from Lucidpress, reviewed here. The easy drag and drop features of Lucidpress allow you to personalize flyers, posters, presentations, and more. Ask students to incorporate primary sources and other research materials into an interactive timeline using Preceden, reviewed here, as a visual look at historical events over a certain period.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive - USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): 20th century (49), holocaust (39), interviews (12), jews (23), oral history (15), primary sources (106), world war 2 (138)
In the Classroom
The streaming audio and video interviews of first-person accounts makes this collection a powerful classroom experience using non-text primary sources. Show students the extensive searching capabilities, have students research a topic, person or place, preview and then summarize content. Study interactive maps of interviews and locations. During class time, show selected interviews to make history come alive or assign videos to watch for flipped or blended classrooms. Using the interviews as models, have students video or write up an interview with someone on the topic for a local history collection. Since registration is required, teachers will need to register and show students how to register if they are to do their own research.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Primary vs Secondary Sources - The Minnesota Historical Society
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): primary sources (106), Research (67), video (245)
In the Classroom
Share this video with students as they begin any research project. Be sure to add a link to this site on your class website for reference at home. Have students create a simple infographic with examples of both types of resources using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. Have students upload a photo they have taken of a source and add an explanation about why it fits into a particular category using a tool such as Add Text, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TPS Teachers Network - Metropolitan State University of Denver
Grades
K to 12tag(s): bookmarks (47), primary sources (106), professional development (319), social networking (75), Teacher Utilities (132)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save TPS Teachers Network as an excellent professional development and social networking site. Share with your colleagues to create your own professional learning network on the site. Create albums with primary sources for use throughout the year in one easy to find location.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Getting Started With Primary Sources - Elementary Students - Library of Congress
Grades
K to 8tag(s): primary sources (106)
In the Classroom
Use information from this article when including primary sources in your Common Core based lessons. Take advantage of the free included lesson plans. Be sure to click on the links in each lesson activity to be directed to the complete lesson plan. Share information with your teaching colleagues. Use images from the lessons (with proper credit, of course) and create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teachers - Primary Source Sets - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): 20th century (49), authors (103), black history (106), civil war (128), constitution (84), hispanic (28), history day (38), immigration (62), jefferson (18), lincoln (59), new deal (5), primary sources (106), Research (67), segregation (16), thanksgiving (24), veterans (20), washington (22), westward expansion (36), womens suffrage (36), wright brothers (17)
In the Classroom
When introducing a new unit, show students photos from the era (on the left menu) and have them describe what they see and what period they think it is. Find plenty of questions and activities (including a blank analysis organizer for students) in the Teacher's Guides. Also look at Library of Congress: for Teachers, reviewed here. Encourage your students to use this tool for projects. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted for reproduction), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Google Slides, reviewed here. Google Slides allows you to narrate a picture (choose Insert from the top menu, then audio) modifying student learning. Include this site on your class webpage for students and parents to access as a reference.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Barat Primary Source Nexus - Barat Education Foundation
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): advertising (23), black history (106), cross cultural understanding (148), history day (38), immigration (62), journalism (71), lincoln (59), martin luther king (40), poetry (184), presidents (116), primary sources (106), professional development (319), roosevelt (11), slavery (66), writing prompts (58)
In the Classroom
Take a look at the free professional development for using primary sources for teachers. Search for Connecting to the Common Core, where there are writing prompts for K-5 plus a link to the triangle activity. Download and use the PDF for the Thinking Triangle. Have older students research an interest and report to the class using a tool like Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Founders Online - National Archives and University of Virginia
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): american revolution (76), colonial america (92), colonization (18), constitution (84), declaration of independence (12), franklin (9), jefferson (18), primary sources (106), washington (22)
In the Classroom
Search and view information from this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Find documents from similar time periods and events to compare and contrast different points of view. Have students download to create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Have students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) usingTimeline JS, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about any of the founding fathers included on this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Engaging Students With Primary Sources - Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): primary sources (106)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for use throughout the year as a guide for using primary sources. Use some of the lesson strategies with other primary source collectionsAdd your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Digital Public Library of America - Digital Public Library of America
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): 1910s (7), 1920s (14), 1930s (18), 1940s (11), 1950s (7), 1960s (28), 1970s (10), 1980s (7), 20th century (49), data (136), museums (42), primary sources (106)
In the Classroom
Adding the DPLA to your classroom bookmarks or introducing students to this resource will put a wealth of information into students' hands, aggregated into one place. Consider this a museum/archive/library specific search engine. Because each search links to an artifact or document which may actually be the property of any of dozens of different entities, students will need to understand that copyright and the ability to download material may vary depending upon where the original item "lives." Be sure to demonstrate how to FIND the rights information. Challenge students to explore basics on an artist, an author, or a social studies topic such as "civil rights" or "Martin Luther King" to see an overview in many media using the timeline display. Be sure to test the searches in advance to know which terms yield reasonable results.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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America in Class - The National Humanities Center
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): abolition (7), american revolution (76), civil war (128), colonial america (92), colonization (18), democracy (18), native americans (85), primary sources (106), religions (69), slavery (66), women (108)
In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to help your class learn the background information and read the material through once. Work through the lesson together; then consider assigning groups of four students to go through the readings again, discovering the answers to the essential questions. Have students post the group's answers on a back channel chat program such as YoTeach!, reviewed here, so all groups can see all answers. Where answers differ, have students go back into the reading and cite evidence to support their answer on Today's Meet for all to see.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Picturing US History - American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): art history (79), black history (106), history day (38), painting (57), primary sources (106)
In the Classroom
Use a projector or interactive whiteboard, and the zoom tool to look at one aspect of the picture and have students interpret the image. Challenge your students to create a web exhibit collection about a historical topic using a tool such as Pocket, reviewed here. Students can share all of the important links, information, and even brief descriptions that they find on this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Using Primary Sources in the Classroom: World War I Unit - Alabama Department of Archives and History
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): primary sources (106), world war 1 (64)
In the Classroom
Use the activities to help your students better understand World War I. Be sure to check out the activity in the Selective Service lesson. The activity has each student being assigned to a role. The students write a letter to Senator Bankhead which would explain their positions concerning conscription prior to the declaration of war. To extend the activity, have your students dress as their character and read their letters to the class. Or have students create blogs. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Tumblr, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Docs Teach - The National Archives
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): american revolution (76), civil war (128), digital storytelling (138), great depression (28), industrial revolution (19), primary sources (106), Teacher Utilities (132), westward expansion (36), world war 1 (64), world war 2 (138)
In the Classroom
If you teach history or social studies, you know what a great emphasis is being placed on the use of primary documents in helping students develop an awareness of the perspectives of those who lived during a particular era. Use this site to develop sophisticated lessons using primary documents on US History with the activity builder. Use the ready-made activities (the majority of which are available once you've registered), on an interactive whiteboard or projector for the whole class or assign groups of students to work independently at a computer workstation or at home. These activities encourage higher order thinking among students rather than simply the memorization of facts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Our Documents - 100 Milestone Documents - National Archives
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): history day (38), primary sources (106)
In the Classroom
The use of primary sources in teaching has been greatly increased by our digital access to documents like these. Peruse the list of "milestone" documents, and commit to using the photographs on an interactive whiteboard (or projector) when the document comes up in a lesson or discussion. For teachers who are supporting student projects for National History Day, this site also has a link to specific tips, although it appears the site has not been kept up to date with current information on individual competitions. Challenge cooperative learning groups to investigate one of the documents and create a multimedia project of their choice. Looking for some inspiration? How about having groups create a podcast using PodOmatic, reviewed here. Or have students create online posters on paper or do it together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here. Have students narrate a photo of the document (using a FREE and LEGAL photo) using a site such as ThingLink, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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H.S.I. - Historical Scene Investigation - College of William & Mary School of Education
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): american revolution (76), atomic bomb (9), civil rights (176), civil war (128), constitution (84), jamestown (8), mysteries (18), primary sources (106), slavery (66)
In the Classroom
You might want to do the first investigation as a class using your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students help analyze and annotate the information they are learning from the primary sources, using Fiskkit, reviewed here. This way you can also point out different points of view on the topic so students will know to look for this in other investigations. In your blended or flipped classroom, have students complete investigations before beginning any complementary unit. You, your gifted, or more technology inclined students could use these investigations as a model to enhance learning and create inquiries into any unit of study. Use a tool like Site123, reviewed here, a free and easy web maker, to share a project such as this. Have students "become one of the people" in the historical event and put together a online poster or another mutimedia tool of their choice using a site such as Genially, reviewed here, portraying that person and justifying their point of view. This could be done in small groups where each student, or partners, portrays a different (or opposing) character in the event and tells the story from their point of view, citing the evidence to justify that point of view.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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