1️⃣ Primary or Secondary?
A diary entry from a pioneer on the Oregon Trail.
Primary – firsthand record from someone who experienced it.
A student’s journal about their field trip yesterday.
🟢 Primary – written by someone who was there.
“According to experts…”
🔵 Secondary – someone is reporting what others said.
An autobiography written by Rosa Parks.
🟢 Primary – she wrote it herself.
A picture of an ancient vase.
🟢 Primary – visual record of the real artifact.
A biography about Abraham Lincoln.
🔵 Secondary – written later by someone studying his life.
A historian’s book about life in ancient Greece.
🔵 Secondary – researcher analyzing the past.
“This photograph was taken in 1963…”
🟢 Primary – original evidence from the time.
A biography about Sabrina Carpenter
🔵 Secondary – written by someone else.
A museum label describing that vase.
🔵 Secondary – explanation made later.
A newspaper article from 1912 describing the Titanic sinking.
🟢 Primary – written at the time of the event.
An interview with a person who saw the event happen.
🟢 Primary – firsthand account.
“Historians believe…”
🔵 Secondary – analysis after the fact.
A newspaper article from 2025 describing the 2001 attacks.
🔵 Secondary – written after the event.
A social studies textbook explaining what that vase means.
🔵 Secondary – educational summary.
A YouTube video explaining why the Titanic sank.
🔵 Secondary – analysis made long after the event.
A blog post summarizing five eyewitness accounts.
🔵 Secondary – summary of other sources.
“Original recording of…”
🟢 Primary – direct source material.
A video of Martin Luther King Jr. giving a speech.
🟢 Primary – original recording.
A letter from the artist who made the vase.
🟢 Primary – firsthand creator’s perspective.
A TV news clip from 2020 showing live footage of a volcanic eruption.
🟢 Primary – real-time footage of the event.
A letter written by a soldier during World War II.
🟢 Primary – original firsthand document.
“Researchers found that…”
🔵 Secondary – report about results, not the raw data.
A history podcast analyzing old news reports.
🔵 Secondary – modern take on it.
A website article comparing three similar vases.
🔵 Secondary – comparison and analysis.