Alabama Social Studies SS24.1.11

Social Studies1st GradeHistory

The Standard

Differentiate between primary and secondary sources.

2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students tell whether a source records an event firsthand or describes it using someone else's account. They use clues about who made the source and whether that person was there.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student identifies a photo taken during an event as a primary source. They identify a later account written by someone who was not there as a secondary source and explain why.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think every old source is primary or every book is secondary. They may also assume a story written later cannot be primary, even if the writer saw the event.
How to Assess It: Show a photo of a block tower built in class and a sentence written by a student who only heard about it. Ask students to label each source and explain one choice.

Lesson moves

Have one pair build a block tower and photograph it, then ask another pair to write an account based only on the builders' description.
Show the tower photo and the second pair's account. Ask, 'Who saw the tower being built? What can each source tell us?'
Give pairs cards with a witness sketch, an event photo, and two later retellings. Have them sort the cards into primary and secondary sources.
Compare a school event photo with a newsletter recap written by someone who missed it. Ask students which source records the event directly.

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