Grade 4 · Social Studies · Lesson 23

Historical Sources and Evidence

Historians are people who study and write about the past. To learn about history, they use evidence called historical sources. There are two main types of historical sources: primary sources and secondary sources. Using both together helps historians build a complete and accurate picture of what happened.

What this lesson teaches

1Distinguish between primary and secondary historical sources
2Give examples of primary and secondary sources
3Explain why historians use both types of sources
4Identify whether a given source is primary or secondary

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