Examples of primary sources include printed and published texts (books, pamphlets, newspapers, government documents); manuscripts and archival materials (unique, unpublished primary sources such as personal letters, business correspondence, diaries, legal and financial documents); maps; artifacts (jewelry, medals, needlework, clothing); tablets (inscriptions, administrative accounts, magic spells); visual materials (paintings, prints, photographs, film and video); music and documents related to music; sound recordings; and oral histories.
Some may feel using primary sources to teach in the elementary grades presents obstacles such as obscure or outdated language, but according to Gail Petri, “As elementary teachers know from experience, younger students are characteristically active, curious, and concrete learners…. Students in grades K-5 need to be able to connect history about people, places, or events to their own experiences. Primary sources offer unique opportunities for personalizing the past” (Petri, 2010, pars. 1-3). It is helpful when choosing the best primary sources for these grades to use materials that are dated, from a clearly identifiable format, and from a familiar time period. Primary sources provide direct evidence of the past and deepen students’ understanding of historical time periods, as well as cultural perspectives and ways of living different from their own. Using primary sources in the classroom is also another way to sharpen students’ analytical skills.
Read more of Petri's thoughts on using primary sources in the elementary grades at the following link.
https://tpsteach.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/primary-sources-and-elementary-students.pdf
The KWL approach—what I know, what I want to know, what have I learned—can be successful in teaching students how to analyze sources. Elise Fillpot, director of the Bringing History Home Project, says that using the KWL method “place[s] the students' observations, questions, and knowledge development at the center of exploring historical sources. Students are able to connect new knowledge to prior knowledge, and generate and investigate questions” (Fillpot, 2010-13, pars. 1-3).
