WEEK 3- PRIMARY & SECONDARY
SOURCES
Learning Task 1: Read the following descriptions and determine if it is A.
primary or B. secondary source. WRITE THE LETTER & WORD.
_______1. A
classroom history
textbook
_______2. A copy of
the text of the Phil.
Constitution
_______3. A
biography of Carlos
P. Romulo
_______4. A video of
Martin Luther King
Jr.’s I Have a Dream
speech
_______5. An
interview with a
survivor of a natural
disaster
_______6. An
opinion of the editor
from the newspaper
_______7. A
Wikipedia article
about George
Washington
_______8. Ann
Frank’s
autobiography The
Diary of a Young Girl
_______9. A map of
Africa from 1900
_______10. A story
on a televised
national news
program about a bill
passed by Congress
What is Primary Source?
A primary source is anything that gives
you direct evidence about the people,
events, or phenomena that you are
researching. Primary sources will usually
be the main objects of your analysis.
If you are researching the past, you
cannot directly access it yourself, so you
need primary sources that were
produced at the time by participants or
witnesses (e.g. letters, photographs,
newspapers).
If you are researching something
current, your primary sources can be
collected by yourself (e.g. through
interviews, surveys, experiments) or
sources produced by people directly
involved in the topic (e.g. official
documents or media texts).
What is Secondary Source?
A secondary source is anything that describes,
interprets, evaluates, or analyzes information
from primary sources. Common examples
include: ✓ Books, articles and documentaries
that synthesize information on a topic ✓
Synopses and descriptions of artistic works ✓
Encyclopedias and textbooks that summarize
information and ideas ✓ Reviews and essays that
evaluate or interpret something
Primary vs secondary sources: which is better?
Most research uses both primary and secondary
sources. They complement each other to help
you build a convincing argument. Primary
sources are more credible as evidence, but
secondary sources show how your work relates
to existing research.
LT4. Instructions: Choose an appropriate answer to the following
questions.
1. Speech is an example of which type of sources?
a. Primary Source b. Secondary Source
2. In research writing, researchers are advised to use which type of
sources?
a. Primary Source b. Secondary Source
3. The statement “I heard or learned about it from somebody who was
there” refers to?
a. Primary Source b. Secondary Source
4. Which source helps the student to have a deeper understanding
about the history?
a. Primary Source b. Secondary Source
5. If you read a newspaper to get information in writing an article,
which source are you using?
Reflection
In one paragraph,
make a reflection
about the topic you
have learned.