Explore the Past Using Historical Sources!

A historical source is anything that gives you information about the past. It helps you learn about people, places, and events from long ago. Old photographs, letters, tools, and stories are all historical sources.

You can use historical sources to find out how people lived before you were born. Just like you learned about Family Artifacts and Family Stories, historical sources help you connect to the past.

There are many kinds of historical sources you can explore. Each one tells you something different about the past.

• A photograph shows you how people or places looked long ago.
• A map shows you where places are and how land was understood in the past.
• A letter is a written message people sent each other long ago.
• An artifact (also spelled artefact) is an old object that tells you how people lived.
• A diary tells you how someone felt and what they did each day.
• An old song shares stories about how people lived.
• A family tree shows you the names and connections of family members across time.

You can find historical sources at a museum, which keeps old objects and photographs safe so future people can learn about the past.

Different sources tell you different things. An old toy shows you how children played long ago. An old Inuit kayak tells you how Inuit people travelled on water. An old Métis sash tells you about Métis culture and traditions.

When a First Nations elder shares a story about how their community lived long ago, that is called oral history. Oral history is knowledge passed down through speaking and storytelling. Many Indigenous peoples in Canada have shared their history this way for thousands of years.

When your grandparent tells you a memory, that is an oral account a spoken story from someone who lived through an event. A person who actually lived through an important event is called a witness to history.

When you look at a historical source, you should ask questions. Good questions help you understand what the source is telling you. You can ask: Who made this? When was it made? What does it tell me about the past?

A historian is a person who studies and learns about the past using sources. Historians always ask questions and look at many sources to get a full picture of history. You can think like a historian too!

It is important to look at more than one historical source. Different sources can give you more complete information about the past. This connects to what you will learn in Understanding Evidence and Finding Answers.

Historical Source: Anything that gives you information about the past, like an old photograph, letter, or object.

Artifact (Artefact): An old object made or used by people in the past. For example, an old wooden tool or an Inuit kayak.

Photograph: A picture that captures how people or places looked long ago.

Map: A drawing that shows where places are. Old maps show you how people understood the land long ago.

Letter: A written message that people sent each other. Old letters tell you about life in the past.

Diary: A book where someone wrote about their feelings and daily life. An old diary is a written historical source.

Family Tree: A chart that shows the names and connections of family members across time.

Old Song: A song from the past that shares stories about how people lived.

Oral History: Knowledge passed down through speaking and storytelling, especially important in Indigenous communities.

Oral Account: A spoken story shared by someone who lived through an event.

Witness to History: A person who actually saw or lived through an important event in the past.

Historian: A person who studies and learns about the past using historical sources.

Museum: A place that collects and keeps old objects, photographs, and documents safe so people can learn about the past.

Written Source: A historical source that uses words, like an old letter, diary, or newspaper.

You can practice using historical sources every day! Look at old family photographs and ask questions about the people in them. Visit a Sharing Findings activity where you share what you discover.

Try drawing a picture of your school and daily life today. Your drawing could become a historical source for people in the future! This connects to Thinking About Learning and helps you see how history is made.

You can also practice Asking Questions and Making Observations when you look at any old object or photograph.

You have already learned skills that help you use historical sources. From Then and Now Comparisons and Generational Changes, you know how things change over time. From Gathering Information, you know how to collect clues about the world around you.

These skills all work together to help you think like a historian and learn from the past.

Using historical sources connects to many other topics you will explore. Family and Community History and Changes in Community Life show you how communities have changed over time using sources.

You will also explore First Peoples History and First Peoples Ways of Life, where oral history and artifacts are especially important sources.

When you look at sources, you may notice that people see things differently. Different Points of View helps you understand why two sources about the same event can tell different stories.

You will use what you learn here to explore Sequencing Events and Asking About Community. Later, you will build on these skills in Finding Information, Learning from the Past, Local Heritage, and Analyzing Evidence in Innovation.