IS IT PRIMARY OR SECONDARY?

Master primary vs secondary sources! Fun worksheet for students.

Read each description. Then, decide if the example is primary or secondary. Primary I found a letter to one of my friends in the locker room after school the other day. I know it’s private, but I want to read it! What is the letter? My friends and I found an old wedding dress in our attic. My father said it belonged to my grandmother. What is the dress? My mom has CDs of my grandparents telling stories about when they were kids. We love to listen to these at family gatherings. What are we listening to? When I was at summer camp a few years ago, I found an arrowhead; I did research and found out it has been made by the Cherokee Indians. What is my arrowhead? My friend Tim says I should really read a book that he liked. He told me about it--it sounds really good. What type of sources is Tim? When I am doing research on Supreme Court cases, and I read the summaries of the decisions by the judges. What type of source am I reading? Secondary I was watching ESPN and one of the reporters said he had heard good reviews about a new sports movie. When he talks about the movie, what is he? At school we use textbooks to learn about the history of the United States. When we use textbooks, what are we using I am writing an essay on George Washington for my U.S. History class. I used articles from Wikipedia and another encyclopedia. What am I using? I like to read People magazine. I really like the articles written by others about Hollywood actors. When I read these stories, what am I reading? During Hurricane Katrina, your friend watched the news on television. Later she told you about the hurricane. What type of source is she? Stephen F. Austin lived in 1836. During the Texas Revolution, he spent most of his time away from Texas. What type of source is he on the Texas Revolution?