Class: Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1)
Term: First Term
Week: 8
Age: 12 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: History
Curriculum Theme: History
Previous Lesson: Accessing Historical Sources in Libraries and Festivals
Topic: Meaning, Examples and Uses of Tertiary Sources
Subject Matter: Meaning, Examples and Uses of Tertiary Sources

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, learners should be able to:

explain the meaning and purpose of tertiary sources;
give examples and distinguish them from primary and secondary sources;
use a tertiary source to locate further reading or evidence;
state limitations of condensed reference information;

Reference Materials

9-Year Basic Education Curriculum for History
Approved JSS1 History textbook and state scheme of work
Teacher-checked library, museum or archive material relevant to the topic

Instructional Materials

encyclopedia entry
bibliography or index page
catalogue record
source-route cards

Rationale for the Lesson

Tertiary sources make searches faster by organising existing knowledge, but their condensed form can omit evidence, disagreement and context. Learners should use them as gateways rather than final proof.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Learners have practised primary and secondary source classification and can use headings or an index.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Meaning and Examples of Tertiary Sources

Tertiary sources organise information for quick reference rather than present new evidence or a full original argument. Printed and digital encyclopaedias, historical dictionaries, museum catalogues, library indexes, atlases, bibliographies and chronology tables are common examples.

Strengths and Limitations

They give a quick overview and useful search terms.
They can point to books, articles, collections and archives.
They may become outdated or simplify disagreement.
An unsigned or unsourced entry is difficult to verify.

Responsible Use

Identify the editor or organisation, edition, date and references. Compare important claims with a primary or strong secondary source. Cite the source used and do not copy its wording as if it were your own. A search-engine result page is a route to sources, not itself proof of the historical claim.

Reference-search Workflow

Write a precise historical question.
Use an encyclopaedia or historical dictionary to identify names, dates and alternative spellings.
Use a catalogue or bibliography to locate a detailed book or article.
Follow its citations to primary evidence where possible.
Record author, title, publisher or site, date and page or item number.

This workflow turns quick reference into traceable research.

Edition and Update Checks

Reference works have editions and revision dates. A newer edition may correct dates, add discoveries or change a map, while an older edition may show what people believed at the time. Digital pages should name an editor or institution and provide sources. If an entry has no author, date or references, use it only as a starting clue and verify its claims elsewhere.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Source-based enquiry, guided observation, modelling, comparison, collaborative analysis and evidence-focused questioning.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Search Challenge

Time: 5 minutes
Teacher’s Activity: Gives a broad topic and several reference tools.
Learners’ Activity: Select a tool and explain the choice.
Learning Check: The teacher checks the stated product or explanation before moving on.

Step 2: Meaning

Time: 9 minutes
Teacher’s Activity: Explains compilation, summary and organisation.
Learners’ Activity: Write a definition linked to function.
Learning Check: The teacher checks the stated product or explanation before moving on.

Step 3: Examples and Non-examples

Time: 10 minutes
Teacher’s Activity: Contrasts catalogues and encyclopedias with diaries and scholarly analyses.
Learners’ Activity: Classify each item with a reason.
Learning Check: The teacher checks the stated product or explanation before moving on.

Step 4: Research Route

Time: 9 minutes
Teacher’s Activity: Models following an encyclopedia reference to a book and then to cited primary evidence.
Learners’ Activity: Draw a three-step source route.
Learning Check: The teacher checks the stated product or explanation before moving on.

Step 5: Review

Time: 7 minutes
Teacher’s Activity: Checks use, limitation and classification.
Learners’ Activity: Correct an inaccurate source route.
Learning Check: The teacher checks the stated product or explanation before moving on.

Objective-aligned checks:

explain the meaning and purpose of tertiary sources.
give examples and distinguish them from primary and secondary sources.
use a tertiary source to locate further reading or evidence.

Step 6: Conclusion

Time: 5 minutes
Teacher’s Activity: Summarises the lesson through the research question and corrects unsupported claims.
Learners’ Activity: State one conclusion, its supporting evidence and one remaining question.

Lesson Keywords

history — evidence-based study of the past
source — material from which information is obtained
evidence — information used to support or question a claim
interpretation — an explanation based on selected evidence
context — the circumstances surrounding a source or event

Lesson Evaluation

Define a tertiary source.
Give five examples.
Distinguish a tertiary source from a secondary source.
Explain two uses and two limitations.
Show how one tertiary source can lead to a primary source.

Assignment/Homework

Choose one reference tool and use it to locate a secondary work and a possible primary source. Record the search path and publication details.

Differentiation

Support: Provide labelled source cards, sentence starters and a partially completed evidence table.
Extension: Learners explain why a short overview may hide disagreement among historians.
Accessibility: Permit paired reading, oral recording, enlarged print or tactile-safe replicas where appropriate.

Note for Teachers

Do not label every project, memo or bulletin as tertiary. First determine whether it reports original activity, interprets evidence or compiles information from other works.