Good introduction to primary sources: definition, difference with secondary sources, uses, strengths and weaknesses, and other issues.
How to distinguish primary from secondary sources, from the University of California, Santa Cruz University Library.
Why study history through primary sources. Compelling reasons on the use of primary sources.
A summary of the main reasons for using primary sources.
Persuasive reasons for using primary sources in teaching history, from the National Archives and Records Administration of the U.S. government (as preserved in the Internet Archive).
An online lesson which explores the use of primary sources in teaching.
Comprehensive guide on the use of primary resources from the Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Includes sections on using primary sources in the classroom, types of resources, how to read primary and secondary sources, and links to websites on Canadian history primary sources.
Using primary sources in teaching world history, from the Center for History and New Media of George Mason University. Includes section on finding primary sources, unpacking evidence, analyzing documents, and 16 case studies in teaching world history using primary sources.
An article on how to use primary sources in the classroom, including sections for skills to be learned by students: identifying, accessing, and analyzing primary sources.
History Firsthand: Primary Source Research in Elementary School
Five simple rules on using primary sources in the secondary classroom.
Links to websites on document-based questions (DBQs). Includes sections on primary source websites, DBQs, assessments, and constructed response questions.
Printable worksheet in PDF to aid students in understanding a resource.
Document-analysis worksheets from the National Archives and Records Administration: for written documents, photos, cartoons, posters, maps, artifacts, films, and sound recordings.
A lesson which introduces students to primary sources.
Features four interactive activities to guide students in using primary sources.
Guide to library research using primary sources. Has a howto guide.
An article on using primary sources found on the Internet to teach and learn history. From ERIC Digest. Includes tips on how to avoid sites unsuitable for children, and a list of exemplary web sites with primary sources.
Using primary sources on the web, written by the Instruction & Research Services Committee of the Reference and User Service Association History Section in the American Library Association. Includes sections on how to find primary sources on the web, how to evaluate primary source web sites, and and how to cite web sites.
A three-hour tour on navigating primary sources materials on the Internet. With sections on the use of primary and secondary sources in the classroom, a listing of subject-specific sites, and a listing of primary source "super sites".
High quality articles, books, essays, documents, historical photos, and links, screened for content, for a broad range of historical subjects. One of the oldest history sites on the Internet.