Grade: Grade 1 Subject: Social Studies Unit: Needs & Wants Lesson: 3 of 6 SAT: Information+Ideas ACT: Reading

Primary Source Analysis

Learn

A primary source is something made or used by people long ago. It can be a picture, a letter, a tool, or even an old toy. When we look at primary sources, we can learn about what people needed and wanted in the past.

What Can Primary Sources Tell Us?

Looking at old pictures and objects helps us understand:

  • What people needed: Old pictures might show people cooking food, building homes, or making clothes. These are needs!
  • What people wanted: We might see toys, decorations, or games. These are wants!
  • How life was different: People long ago did not have cars, phones, or computers. Their needs and wants looked different from ours.

How to Look at a Primary Source

When you look at an old picture or object, ask yourself:

  1. What do I see? Describe what is in the picture or what the object looks like.
  2. Who made or used this? Think about the people who lived long ago.
  3. Is this a need or a want? Decide if it was something people had to have or something they just liked.
  4. How is it different from today? Compare it to things we use now.

Example: An Old Kitchen Picture

Imagine a picture from 100 years ago showing a family cooking over a wood stove.

  • The stove helped them cook food. Food is a need.
  • The stove looks very different from stoves today.
  • People needed to chop wood to make the stove work.

Examples

Example 1: Old Photograph of Children

What we see: Children wearing simple clothes, playing with a wooden hoop and stick.

Analysis:

  • The clothes are a need - children needed to wear clothes.
  • The toy hoop is a want - it was fun but not necessary for survival.
  • Today, children still need clothes and want toys, but the clothes and toys look different!

Example 2: Old Water Pump

What we see: A metal pump that people pushed up and down to get water from the ground.

Analysis:

  • Water is a need - everyone needs water to drink and stay clean.
  • Long ago, people did not have faucets in their homes.
  • They had to work hard to pump water. Today we turn a handle and water comes out!

Example 3: Old Doll

What we see: A cloth doll with a painted face and yarn hair.

Analysis:

  • The doll is a want - it was a toy for fun and comfort.
  • Someone made this doll by hand with love.
  • Today, many dolls are made in factories, but children still want dolls to play with!

Practice

Answer the following questions about primary sources and needs vs. wants.

1. What is a primary source?

Think about things from the past.

2. Look at a picture of an old one-room schoolhouse. The children are sitting at wooden desks. Is the school building a need or a want? Why?

3. In the same picture, you see books on the desks. Are the books a need or a want? Explain your answer.

4. Old pictures show farmers using horses to pull plows. What need did this help with?

Think about where food comes from.

5. You find an old spinning wheel used to make thread for clothes. Is this related to a need or a want?

6. A museum shows an old toy train made of wood. Is this a need or a want? How do you know?

7. Compare: Long ago, people got water from pumps or wells. Today, we get water from faucets. Both help with the same ____. (Fill in the blank: need or want?)

8. You see a picture of an old stove that burned wood. People used it to cook food and heat their home. Name TWO needs this stove helped with.

9. An old photograph shows a family having a picnic with a basket and blanket. Is the picnic a need or a want? Explain.

10. Look at old and new pictures of homes. Write one way that people's NEEDS for shelter have stayed the same, and one way the homes look different today.

Check Your Understanding

Answer these questions to make sure you understand how to analyze primary sources.

Question 1: Why do we look at old pictures and objects?

Show Answer

We look at old pictures and objects (primary sources) to learn about how people lived in the past. They help us see what people needed and wanted long ago.

Question 2: What are the four questions we ask when looking at a primary source?

Show Answer

1) What do I see? 2) Who made or used this? 3) Is this a need or a want? 4) How is it different from today?

Question 3: How can you tell if something in an old picture shows a need or a want?

Show Answer

If it was something people HAD to have to survive (like food, water, shelter, or clothes), it was a need. If it was something people liked but could live without (like toys or decorations), it was a want.

Next Steps

  • Look for old photographs at home or in the library
  • Practice asking the four analysis questions with any old picture you find
  • Talk to a family member about objects they have from long ago
  • Move on to the next lesson about Maps and Data when ready