1.6.1 Using Primary Sources to Address the CA CCSS

Take a few minutes to read “Primary Sources: At the Heart of the Common Core State Standards” to learn the role that primary sources play in the CA CCSS according to Rich Cain, Director of the Teaching with Primary Sources program at the Collaborative for Educational Services.

Watch “Evidence and Interpretation” to see a Canadian video that is designed to teach students the differences between primary and secondary sources and how they can both be used to provide evidence for historical analysis.
Source: The Critical Thinking Consortium
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To ascertain the reliability of a primary source, complete the following activity: 1) read the "Deposition of Captain Thomas Preston from the Boston Massacre" 2) Complete the journal question. The relevant CA History-Social Science Standard is provided at the following link for your reference:


For more related primary sources and materials on the event, visit the "Boston Massacre Trails" Web site created by Douglas O. Linder from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School Of Law.