Baltimore County Public Schools Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Concept
Unit Title / Explore an Issue or Problem / Lesson: 9
“Primary vs. Secondary Sources”
Theme Statement/
Enduring Understandings / ·  Researchers will conduct preliminary research in order to develop a content specific context within which to begin designing an original research topic while affording an opportunity to build significant background knowledge.
Essential Question(s) / ·  How can students conduct meaningful and efficient preliminary research connected to their chosen topic of study?
Suggested Timeframe / Seven Period Day: 1 day
Four Period Day: ½ day
Staff Teaching Responsibility / Teacher &/or Media Specialist
General Notes: / The purpose of the lesson is to teach students about the differences between primary and secondary sources.
Teacher Note: Students will need to have their topic in mind.
Learning preferences addressed: Active, Visual
The teacher should keep in mind that this lesson includes suggestions for meeting the stated objectives. The teacher should adjust the lesson based on the needs of his or her students; however, all objectives should be covered.
Objective: / Students will be able to identify the differences between primary and secondary sources in order to determine the application of a source to their research process.
Standards Alignment / 1.1.4 / Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
1.1.5 / Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context.
Formative Assessment / Recognizing Primary and Secondary Sources worksheet, Journal entry
Digital Content, Tools, and Resources / Computers
http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html
http://scholar.google.com
Before Direct Instruction / ·  Be sure that students are comfortable with logging on to a computer and accessing the internet.
·  Photocopy Recognizing Primary and Secondary Sources worksheet.
Suggested Activity Sequence: / ·  Write the following terms on the board and ask the students to define them:
o  Primary
o  Secondary
·  Use their responses as a lead into the types of sources: primary and secondary. Explain to students that a primary source is one that comes firsthand from the person or source. Explain to students that a secondary source is an analysis, interpretation, or discussion of a primary source (or several primary sources).
·  Ask the students what types of sources may be used in research. Make a list of the student responses on the board. (ex. books, encyclopedia, magazine, etc.)
·  Next, pass out a Recognizing Primary and Secondary Sources worksheet. Ask the students to compare their list of sources to the list on the worksheet. Ask the students to add sources that are on the list from the board to their worksheet as needed. Then, working with a partner, ask the students to identify the sources as primary, secondary, or either type of source. Tell your students to make sure that they can defend why they put a source in a particular category.
·  As students finish, discuss the columns in which the students placed the sources as a class.
·  Allow the students to log on to the computers or use other sources in their possession to identify one example of a primary source and one example of a secondary source related to their topic.
·  Closure: Ask students to write an entry in their journal in response to the following statement. I will come across both primary and secondary sources in my research. It is important in the evaluation of my sources to recognize the difference between a primary and secondary source. Today I learned….
Differentiation Suggestions / Components / Curriculum Resources / Brief Description
Content / · 
Process / ·  / · 
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Unit 2, Lesson 9 1 Summer 2010