>> From the Library of Congress in Washington DC. ^M00:00:07 >> What exactly is a primary source? Primary sources are the raw materials of history - original documents and objects which were created at the time under study. Examining primary sources gives one a powerful sense of history and the complexity of the past. Analyzing primary sources, guides one towards higher-order thinking and developing better critical thinking and analysis skills. Now, what is a secondary source? Secondary sources are accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience. Let's go on a Mind Walk! Think for a moment about all of the activities you were involved in during the past 24 hours. For each event, think further about what evidence, if any, your activities might have left behind. To help you organize your thoughts, you may want to jot down your activities. Consider. Which of your daily activities were most likely to leave evidence behind? What, if any, of that evidence might be preserved for the future? Why? What evidence might be left out of a historical record of your activities? Why? What would a future historian be able to tell about your life based on evidence of your daily activities? Now that you've thought about primary sources in your own life, think about a public event currently happening. A court case, an election, or a public controversy, and answer these questions. You may want to jot down your thoughts. What kinds of evidence might this event leave behind? Who records information about this event? For what purpose are different records of this event made? Can you think of examples of secondary sources from the event? How do you know if you're looking at a primary or secondary source? Now, let's test your knowledge on the difference between primary and secondary sources. You will be given three questions and several seconds to answer either primary or secondary source. First question. In teaching a unit on the American Revolution, you begin with an overview from the textbook. Are you using a primary or secondary source? This is a secondary source because it's an account or interpretation of events created by someone without firsthand experience. Next Question. Your students are reading the "Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." By doing so, are they examining a Primary Source or a Secondary Source This is a primary source because it's part of the raw material of history, such as an original document or object created at the time under study. Last Question. Field Trip! You're taking your students to an exhibition called "Creating the United States" at the Library of Congress. The students will be seeing the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence. Would this be considered a Primary or secondary source? This is a primary source because it's part of the raw material of history, such as an original document or object created at the time under study. Now that you can define primary and secondary sources, explore what the Library of Congress has to offer educators. Take a close look at the Teacher's Page at loc.gov/teachers. ^M00:03:57 >> This has been a presentation of the Library of Congress. Visit us at loc dot gov.