Primary and Secondary Sources
Is this a firsthand account?
Goal:
Goal:
You have just learned about two courageous people, Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. How did you learn about them? One way was through a story and another way was through a video. When we get information from something it is called a source. There are two kinds of sources.
A primary source is a source that is a firsthand account of what happened. For example, a journal written by a person describing an event, a photo taken at the time of the event, or a live news story reporting the event as it happens is a primary source. Dr. King gave many speeches and wrote many letters. These would be primary sources.
A secondary source is a source that was created by a person who did not witness the event. The sources used in this lesson are secondary sources.
In the activity below, click the Primary Source button or Secondary Source button to identify the kind of source that is described.
newspaper article written by a reporter who witnessed the incident involving Rosa Parks
Source
Correct! An article written by someone who witnessed an incident is a primary source.
Opps. An article written by someone who witnessed an incident is a primary source.
a letter written by Dr. King from jail
Source
You're right! A letter written by Dr. King is a primary source.
Woops. A letter written by Dr. King is a primary source.
essay by a student written in 2015 about what happened to Rosa Parks
Source
Oops. An essay written by a student is a secondary source.
Yes! An essay written by a student is a secondary source.
a video showing Dr. King giving his "I Have a Dream" speech
Source
You bet! A video of Dr. King giving his speech is a primary source.
Not Quite. A video of Dr. King giving his speech is a primary source.
a textbook describing the number of times and reasons Dr. King was sent to jail
Source
Woops. A textbook with a description of Dr. King's arrests is a secondary source.
Yes! A textbook with a description of Dr. King's arrests is a secondary source.
a video describing the life of Rosa Parks
Source
Uh-oh. A video describing the life of Rosa Parks is a secondary source.
You got it! A video describing the life of Rosa Parks is a secondary source.
You got # out of # correct. Click the Retry button for another attempt.
You got a perfect score. Great job!