Objects Buildings and Written Records
Match the cards using the notes about Artifact, Building, Written record and Oral account.
About 10 minutes, plus any extended practice
Supplied materials
- Paper and pencil; drawing or spoken answers are welcome.
- Topic notes: Artifact: a physical object made or used by people. Building: a structure that can be studied for historical use. Written record: a source using written words. Oral account: a spoken account recorded or remembered.
- Original exercise cards: A museum preserves a historical cooking pot. / A researcher examines an old schoolhouse. / A historical letter describes a journey. / A recorded interview describes an earlier experience. / A historian studies a surviving factory. / An old ledger lists purchases. / A speaker recounts a community memory. / A collection contains an old hand tool.
Learn the idea
Historians use different evidence. An artifact is an object made or used by people. A building can reveal construction and use. A written record uses text, while an oral account is spoken. Every source has a creator and a context; one kind is not automatically complete or unbiased.
Artifact: a physical object made or used by people. Building: a structure that can be studied for historical use. Written record: a source using written words. Oral account: a spoken account recorded or remembered.
Find whether the source is an object, a building, written words or a spoken account. Ask an adult to read the notes and cards aloud. Point, draw or say your answer.
- Ask an adult to read the four notes. Find the words Artifact, Building, Written record, Oral account.
- Find whether the source is an object, a building, written words or a spoken account.
- Read the worked answer. Then try the other cards and explain which words helped you choose.
- Point to, draw or say two different examples: one for Artifact and one for Building. Explain how their clues differ.
See the method in action
Worked example: The card says: “A museum preserves a historical cooking pot.” That matches Artifact. Artifact is a physical object made or used by people. Compare the note for Written record: Written record is a source using written words. That is a different clue.
Check your reasoning
Your answer is temporary and is not saved to an account. Download your current answer before leaving or reloading. Written work on paper or in another app stays in your own file.
Helpful tips
- Find whether the source is an object, a building, written words or a spoken account.
- If you are unsure, ask an adult to read the card again. Match what this card says; do not add a new event or detail.
See the answer and explanation
Building
The card says: “A researcher examines an old schoolhouse.” That matches Building. Building is a structure that can be studied for historical use.
Take it further
New card: “A collection contains an old hand tool.” Match it with a note, then point to or say the words that helped. Check: The card says: “A collection contains an old hand tool.” That matches Artifact. Artifact is a physical object made or used by people.
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More practice: try new cases
Choose an answer for each problem. Explain your method on paper, then use the feedback to decide what to revisit.
Your choices are temporary. Feedback appears after you check all the answers.
Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. Keep your own notes or download them before leaving. The score describes these questions; it does not certify subject mastery.
Check the subject sources
These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.