Analyzing Primary Sources: Strategies & Activities
When first starting out teaching with primary sources, we recommend trying out the Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool (see Analyzing Primary Sources: Tools & Guides). Below, we have compiled a rich list of primary source analysis strategies and activities developed by the Library, TPS Consortium partners, and teacher pros in the field.
Library of Congress
- 10 Ways to Enrich Your Classroom with Primary Sources – Part 1
- 10 Ways to Enrich Your Classroom with Primary Sources – Part 2
- Creating Ripples of Change with Primary Sources from the Library of Congress revising writing based on new information
- Primary Source Activities for the K-2 Classroom
- Using Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER) with Primary Source Analysis
- What’s It All About? Capture the Heart of a Primary Source in a Headline
Primary Source Nexus
- 3D Pyramid created by Historica Canada
- Analyzing Primary Sources for Scientific Thinking & Organization guest post from Tom Bober
- Bloom’s Taxonomy Image Writing Prompts
- Determining the Main Idea of a Text guest post from Glenn Jensen
- Event Happenings
- Frozen Living Pictures
- Image Analysis Choice Boards
- Image Questions & Responses
- Image Sequencing Activities
- Journalistic Analysis
- K-5 Image Writing Prompts & Activities
- Let’s Recap & Primary Source Analysis guest post from Heather Klos
- Post-It App & Primary Source Analysis guest post from Tom Bober
- Predicting & Inferring with Primary Sources & Literature guest post from Kimberly Heckart
- Primary Source Analysis using Google Forms Kelly Grotrian
- Primary Source Thinking Triangle Activity
- Question Cubes
- Sensory Exploration
- Shake & Source Newspaper Game guest post from Ruth Ferris
- Using Primary Sources with 21st-Century Learners guest post from Heather Klos
- Using Skitch & Evernote to Analyze Images guest post from Kerry Gallagher
- Zoom-in to Primary Source Analysis guest post from Patti Winch
State Historical Society of Iowa
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Guided Inquiry
- Instructional Videos
- Grade-level strategy suggestions
TPS-UArts Teacher Guides
- A is for Everything: How Typography Shapes our Language and Culture
- The City as a Primary Source
- Cross-Pollination: Botanical Illustrations
- Photography
- Pictures Worth Reading: A Teacher’s Guide to Comics
- TPS-STEM to STEAM
- WPA Posters
TPS SIUE Resources
- 15 Things You Can Do with Narratives
- Analyzing Narratives Activity – Topic: Lincoln’s Assassination Elementary/Middle School
- Fishbowl Analysis with Primary Sources – Topic: Poetry/Complex Primary Sources
- Mind Walk Elementary/Middle School
- Museum Gallery Walk – Topic: Woman Suffrage Elementary
- Primary Source Strategies and Books – Topic: “Fairness” Elementary
- Teaching Ideas with Historic Newspapers
C3 Teachers Inquiry Design Model
- Building Inquiries in Social Studies
- IDM At a Glance (.pdf)
- Three Supporting Question Template (.docx)
- Four Supporting Question Template (.docx)
- Focused IDM Blueprint Template (.docx)
- IDM’s Using Library of Congress Resources
Collaborative for Education Services: Emerging America
- Accessibility Resources & Tools
- Assessment Strategies
- Engagement Strategies
- Quadrant Analysis Emerging America
Stanford History Education Group
TPS Rockford University Videos
- Creating a Traveling Primary Source Bulletin Board 3:02
- Using Primary Sources to Teach Hometown History 2:57
- Brain Movers 47 ready-made primary source analysis activities
Minnesota Historical Society: Inquiry in the Upper Midwest
University of South Alabama
- Applying Project Zero’s “Artful Thinking” Routines to Visual Images from the Library of Congress webinar recording 34:24