English Language Arts and Reading.6.12.E

to demonstrate an awareness of the contrasting qualities and characteristics that distinguish one thing from another (e.g., primary vs. secondary source; paraphrasing vs. plagiarism)

Primary sources are firsthand accounts or documentation of an event (e.g., audio of an interview, photographs, or speeches). Secondary sources provide information about an event that may have occurred elsewhere or during a different time (e.g., documentaries, textbooks, or magazine articles). In order to tell the difference between these two types of sources, students should ask themselves questions such as “Was the author of this document present when the event occurred?” or “Did this expert learn about the topic through research or experience?” For example, students can determine that letters and communications exchanged between diplomats of two countries nearing conflict are primary source documents while a biography that describes the work of one of the diplomats is a secondary source.