If you’re preparing to introduce your students to the research process, you need to include a couple of short lessons before having them search for information. First, a lesson or two on paraphrasing and plagiarism wouldn’t hurt, and they definitely need a lesson or two on finding quality sources that include a blend of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources of information.

What Are Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources of Information?

Primary sources are firsthand accounts or direct evidence concerning a topic created by witnesses or those who write about events at the time they occurred. Some examples of primary sources are:

• diaries,
• photographs,
• interviews.

Secondary sources are one step removed from primary sources. Secondary sources are accounts that have been written about an event later on by someone who was not present at the time. Some examples of secondary sources are:

• biographical works
• commentaries
• magazines and newspaper articles

Tertiary sources compile and summarise information from primary and secondary sources, offering a collection of information that is a broad overview of a topic. Examples of tertiary resources include:

• Atlases
• Textbooks
• Fact Books
• Encyclopaedias

Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources Poster Pack

This resource consists of a collection of three visually appealing anchor charts/posters providing students with a variety of examples of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources of information. Each poster includes 9+ options that students can learn more about and begin to use when completing academic research. Some ways to use these posters are:

• Refer to the chart when introducing the concept of information sources, and encourage students to share additional examples throughout the lesson.
• Present students examples of different resources (e.g., a diary, a history textbook, an encyclopaedia). Have students place the resources into groups organized by source type. Once they’ve completed this task, regroup and reference the anchor chart to determine if their sorting was correct.
• Create a Venn diagram comparing primary and secondary sources, with tertiary sources on the outside. Show how some sources (e.g., newspaper articles) can sometimes act as both primary and secondary depending on the context.

Download Your Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Source Posters Today!

This resource is available in multiple formats to meet your specific needs. We have included the following options for you to choose from:

• Full-Colour PDF
• Black and White PDF
• Full-Colour Editable Google Slides
• Black and White Editable Google Slides

Click the dropdown arrow on the download button to select your file preference. Download and print!

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher and Teach Starter collaborator.

Even More Resources For Teaching Research Skills!

Don’t stop there! Before you go, make sure you check out these handy research skills lessons, activities, and worksheets.

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Internet Research Skills PowerPoint

A 17 slide presentation to use when learning about Internet research.

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Developing Report Writing Skills Teaching Slides

Use this slide deck to teach your students about the purpose, structural elements and language features of information reports.

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Animal Research Project - Informative Writing Booklet

Use a printable animal research organiser booklet for students to record facts about animals when learning to write informative texts.