Primary Sources: Second Grade Kit

8 Photo Cards

Make social studies content accessible and engaging to students with the photo cards in each Primary Sources kit. Each photo card has four general areas on the back for teacher and student use.

The top of the card has a brief Historical Background Information section. Along the left side of the card is the Analyzing History section. This includes questions and activities designed to make students analyze what they see and learn.

In the Historical Writing section, students are given two writing assignments, one fiction and one nonfiction. Finally, the History Challenge section offers fun extension ideas for students.

8 Primary Sources

Primary sources breathe life into history and capture students' curiosity about past events. Provide students with a deeper and more comprehensive view of historical events through maps, letters, photographs, political cartoons, and more!

Students will participate in the constructive process of history by studying primary source documents. Viewing historic photographs, handling facsimiles of famous documents, and reading the comments and opinions of those in the past prepare students for document-based assessments.

Primary sources provide opportunities for students to compare and contrast information, learn to identify biases, determine the validity and reliability of sources, and look at current issues through a historical lens.

Teacher's Guide

The Teacher's Guide provides extensive details about each component in the kit. Lesson plans for each of the Photograph Cards and Primary Sources are organized with objectives, materials, discussion questions, and suggestions for using the primary sources. Historical background pages are provided to give teachers and students information about each of the primary sources being studied. The Teacher's Guide also includes correlations to standards, document-based assessments and question tasks, and extension and challenge activities.

Digital Resources

• Digital copies of all photographs and primary sources in PDF and JPEG formats
• Bonus photographs and primary sources to support and enrich the lessons
• Student reproducibles