Primary vs. Secondary

A primary source can be looked at as an original source from the time. This can be something like an artifact, a recording, a letter or a document from that specific time. Some helpful places that one could find a primary source can include: a museum, libraries, schools etc. These places may have files from the time period that you need! To many people history is looked at as just a series of facts or times. By using primary sources it can help students realize that history is so much more than that. Many times, when you are reading a textbook, which is not a primary source, you are reading how the author is portraying the material. By using a primary source you are getting accounts from that exact time from whenever you are studying happened. This may provide a more meaningful look on the events in history. You will see that primary sources do not have a particular point of view like some secondary sources may have. Primary sources are real and interesting because you can evaluate and analyze evidence straight from a specific time period. Primary sources are so crucial when teaching history because it can make history so much more meaningful for students. Primary sources can also help to not only engage students more but help them to build and construct their own knowledge and develop better critical thinking skills. 

A secondary source are documents written after the events have taken place. Secondary sources often provide a certain point of view and analysis. Some places that you could find secondary sources would be: in a school textbook, in a book written later after the event has occurred, on the web or a newspaper article written at a later time. Secondary sources are usually based on primary sources. Secondary sources can often provide an analysis for the topic and include the author's point of view. When looking at a secondary source one should base the genuineness on these characteristics: authenticity, credibility and meaning. Secondary sources are usually very quick to find and can often answer questions you may have directly. Secondary sources are crucial when it comes to teaching history because it is another former evidence that can be used to study history and the past.
 
Both forms of sources are extremely important in history. Both sources can provide meaning to a specific topic you may be learning or researching. They can help to provide clarity and make the topic more interesting.