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Primary and Secondary Sources

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Primary and Secondary Sources

Historical detective with magnifying glass examining documents

🎯 Success Criteria

By the end of this worksheet, I can:

Explain what a primary source is

Explain what a secondary source is

Identify examples of each type of source

Explain why historians use primary and secondary sources

🕵️ Part 1: Source Detective - Multiple Choice

1. What is a PRIMARY source?

A textbook written about the past

A diary written by someone who lived during that time

A modern website about history

A documentary film about the past

2. Which of these would be a SECONDARY source about Australian colonisation?

A letter written by Captain Cook in 1770

A spear made by Aboriginal people in 1788

A history textbook written in 2023

A diary entry from a First Fleet convict

3. Which sources would help you learn about life in early Australia? (Check ALL that apply)

Aboriginal rock art from thousands of years ago

A settler's journal from 1788

A modern museum display about convicts

An old map drawn by early explorers

4. Why do historians prefer to use primary sources when possible?

They are easier to read

They give first-hand information from people who were there

They are always completely accurate

They are newer than secondary sources

📝 Part 2: Historical Thinking

5. Fill in the blanks:

A _____________ source is created by someone who experienced the event first-hand.

A _____________ source is created by someone who studied the event but wasn't there.

6. Imagine you found these items about early Australian colonisation. Write P for Primary or S for Secondary next to each:

_____ A convict's leg iron from 1790

_____ A Wikipedia article about the First Fleet

_____ A photograph of Governor Phillip's house taken in 1789

_____ Your Year 5 history textbook

_____ A letter from a settler to their family in England

7. Differentiation - Choose your challenge level:

Foundation Level: Give one example of a primary source and one example of a secondary source about your own life:

Standard Level: Explain why both primary AND secondary sources are important for understanding history:

Extension Level: A settler's diary says "The Aboriginal people were unfriendly." What questions might a historian ask about this primary source? Why might this source show bias?

8. Historical Detective Challenge: You want to learn about what Aboriginal people thought when the First Fleet arrived. What type of sources would be most valuable and why?

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