Using Secondary Sources in Class Instruction

Secondary sources in a history class are necessary in delivering the necessary information to students in an efficient way. They are meant to work in conjunction with the use of primary sources in instruction. A class taught completely with primary sources may feel scattered and without direction, while a class taught solely with secondary sources may lack depth and use of analysis. Secondary sources are the lines that connect the dots that are the primary sources. With that said, students’ comfort level with secondary sources can greatly impact their understanding of history and ultimately their performance on the AP exam.