secondary sources

Definition: Secondary sources are information that someone else has already gathered and written about, like what you find in a book or on a news website.

A book from the library about dinosaurs is a secondary source because the author researched facts; they did not see the dinosaurs live.

How to teach this in 30 seconds

Try this analogy: A secondary source is like when your friend tells you a story about what happened at recess — you are hearing about it from someone else.

Ask your child: Who told the author of this book the story?

Common mix-up: Kids might think the person who wrote the book was actually there. A secondary source is made by someone who learned about an event from other people or from clues they left behind.

Examples

A picture book about the life of a historical figure.
A textbook that tells stories about different communities around the world.

secondary sources is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.

+3 more mentions across the curriculum

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The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗

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