Primary sources may support multiple and novel interpretations.
Primary sources demand investigation of themselves as artifacts and of the contexts that produced them.
Primary sources are up for interpretation and require the use of evidence to justify students' thinking.
They naturally cross subject areas and allow students to bring a wide range of expertise to their interpretation.
Making connections to previous knowledge and experiences is a key factor for successful learning.
Learners can relate to primary sources on a variety of levels, including their past experiences or background knowledge about a time and place.
Primary sources inspire question and curiosity.
They are mysteries that learners with all levels of experience can solve.
Primary sources provide a concrete object or image to look at and refer to, allowing learners to point to the evidence that they see in the primary source.
Primary sources come in many different formats that contain multiple levels of complexity.
Primary sources can easily be modified in a digital format to add supports and extensions.
Students may be inspired by primary sources to learn more and research a topic more deeply.