Primary Documents Lesson Plan

Angelica C.
Jonathan K.
2/6/16
American History: Grade 9
Analyzing Primary Source Documents
SSHS-S1C1-05
Objective: The student will evaluate primary sources for bias and historical value by assessing
authors main points and perspective.

Standards:
American History, Concept 1, PO5
Evaluate Primary and Secondary sources for:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Authors main points

Purpose and perspective
Facts vs. opinions
Different points of view on the same historical event
Credibility and validity

ISTE-S
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate and use information.
c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness
to specific tasks.

Teaching Procedures
Bell Ringer Activity
Upon entering classroom students will see a historical literacy question related to their current
area of study projected at the front of the classroom and will collect plicker cards as they find
their seats. When all students have arrived and been given a short time (1 minute) to select their
answers they will be checked and they will retain the cards for the next activity.

Anticipatory Set
Instructor gives short overview of the concepts of primary and secondary sources, providing
examples for the class. Following this short review, the class will be shown a number of
projected slides that show examples of titles of primary and secondary sources. Students will use
plicker cards to correctly identify the two and demonstrate understanding before proceeding.
Primary Document Examples
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Diaries
Government Documents
Memoirs
Journal Articles
Autobiographies

Secondary Document Examples

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Dictionaries
Encyclopedias
Articles reviewing other sources
Textbooks
Biographies

Segues into Lesson

The next slide will show a primary source document, a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the
Marquis de Lafayette. Students will use their plickers one final time to identify whether this is a
primary or secondary source document. When they have proven understanding they will move to
the next portion, identifying key elements of the text.

Aligned Information and Model #1

Students will examine the above Primary Document with the key elements already highlighted
and will walk through it with the instructor to identify key information. Instructor should model
the answers that students will be providing for their own primary documents later in the lesson.
Key information includes the author of the text, context, bias, and purpose.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Who is the author of the document?

What is the purpose of the text?
What is factual in the text?
Are there any opinions in the text?

A second document should then be shown, read out loud by a student or students and students
should be called upon at random to identify those features in the second text. Recheck that
students understand the difference between the Primary sources shown and Secondary sources.

Guided Practice
Students will then be handed a short worksheet for each set of elbow partners. Students will
work with their elbow partner to read the text and then alternate between the two answer the
questions at the bottom of the worksheet. They will be given 5 minutes to read the text and
answer the questions on the worksheet. They will be given 5 minutes to read the text and answer
the questions on the worksheet, switching between group members with each question. When
time has elapsed the auditory signal for silence will be given and students will cease work and
prepare for class review and discussion.
Check for Understanding
1.
2.
3.
4.

How will you find your partner?

How long will you have to complete you work?
What is a primary document?
What is a secondary document?

When students have completed review and discussion of their work with their partners they will
receive their independent practice instructions.
Extended Practice
Students will select one of the following source documents out of their textbooks and answer the
following questions with 3-4 sentences for homework tonight:
Source Documents
1. George Washingtons Farewell Address
2. The Gettysburg Address
3. The Adams-Calhoun Letters
Questions
1. Is this a primary or secondary source document?
2. What event or events are described in the text? When did they take place?
3. Who is the author or authors of the text? What is their relation to the events
described?
4. What possible biases can be attributed to the author or authors?
5. Are there any opinions in the text? Are there any facts in the text?
Lesson Closure
Students will be turning in their worksheet as a ticket out the door at the end of the lesson. They
will be given 15 seconds to prepare a piece of paper and a pencil and answer the following
questions that are projected on the board about the worksheet. They will be given 3 minutes to
provide a short answer and will hand in this paper with their worksheet on the way out the door.

1. What is the benefit to a Historian of a primary source document like the one you read
today?
2. Does the bias of the author in a primary document lessen its historical value or make
it less reliable?
3. If a historian were looking for documents about the same event what different sources
might they look for?
Materials/Resources
1.
2.
3.
4.

Paper
Pencil
Worksheet
Textbook (Homework)

Assessment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

What is a primary source document?

What is a secondary source document?
Identify an example of a secondary source document.
Identify an example of a primary source document.
Would a memoir written thirty years after the events described be a primary document
or a secondary document?
6. Is an autobiography a secondary or a primary document? What about a biography?
7. Why is it important to identify the author of a text?
8. What are some examples of possible biases in an historical text?