Guides for Reading Primary Sources Provided by NCPedia
These worksheets were designed and developed by the education staff of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration to help you through the process of analyzing a primary source. Although these are focused on analyzing sources from the National Archives, you can adapt them to use for primary source material from any place and era.
Assigning reports? Instead of a paper, try this:
Pick the name of a person in history. Ask: what documents would be important to show their life?Research the docs that support their life, professional contributions etc. Create a portfolio (make a large folder and include the documents, artifacts and/or images with brief explanations.
Example: If researching Elizabeth Cady Stanton; perhaps include: the Declaration of Sentiments, a map of Seneca Falls, a copy of a brochure, her obituary, some of her writings, and some images. Start with the Library of Congress to find a copy of the Declaration.
Try the National Park Service (use "women's suffrage" as your search tern - but try others also).