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ELA 4: The Power of Primary Sources 25 Views


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Description:

Primary sources consist of  the actual thoughts or feelings that a person has recorded. If available, primary sources should be your primary source of information on that person. Huh, wonder if that's why they chose that name...

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

Suppose you’re a secret agent sent to gather information on... [Girl sitting on a couch and boy appears at the window]

00:16

…your older sister's new boyfriend.

00:18

Okay, so that’s a weird assignment for the federal government to give you, but…just humor us.

00:22

Sure, you could speak to his classmates, teachers and friends to get an idea of what they have

00:26

to say about him – but if you really wanted to figure out who this guy is, you'd want

00:30

to see for yourself. [Boy walks in sister's boyfriend's room]

00:31

So…you’d want to look at letters he's written, Facebook replies he's typed up,

00:35

text messages he's sent... and even his personal diary. Hopefully there’s nothing in there

00:39

that will make you want to puke.

00:41

These sources would show what the guy is thinking and feeling –

00:44

and they're what we call “Primary Sources.” [Example of primary sources]

00:46

Primary sources are the most powerful tool a biographer has at their disposal.

00:50

Because primary sources often feature the exact words of the person the biographer is [Dino explaining primary sources]

00:54

writing about, there's no better way to learn about who this person is and how they feel.

00:59

And where might one find a primary source? The library’s not a bad place to start. [Man walks inside a library]

01:02

Take a look at this librarian. Bored and sad.

01:05

Now take a look at this librarian. She is a very happy and excited librarian. [Librarian bouncing up and down waving]

01:09

And why is she so happy and excited?

01:11

Because a student just asked her for help find a primary source about Gandhi.

01:15

This is what librarians live for.

01:18

At a library, you can search databases, microfiche, Internet archives, or even old actual printed [Librarian taking girl to a primary source]

01:24

sources like books and periodicals.

01:26

Believe it or not, those things actually still exist.

01:29

But be prepared: primary sources can often be more challenging to read because they require

01:33

more interpretation on the part of the reader.

01:36

It also doesn't help when they were written a hundred years ago and everyone speaks like

01:39

they're in a Shakespearean play. [Girl peering behind library books]

01:41

But again, don't be afraid to ask for help. It will make your librarian's day.

01:45

Biographers take these primary sources and turn them into secondary sources.

01:49

So…it’s all roughly the same info, but from the point of view of a third party. [Coop discussing secondary sources]

01:53

So it’s not quite as reliable.

01:55

Secondary sources can be another great place to look for information, and because the biographer [Boy studies Jessica's diary]

01:59

has done all the difficult interpretation for us, they tend to be a whole lot easier

02:03

to understand.

02:04

So whether you're looking for a primary source or a secondary source, the library is a great

02:08

place to start.

02:09

And, of course, it's also a great place to quickly turn a bored librarian into a very excited one… [Man and woman dancing in a library]

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