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Grades K–2 · History & Evidence

How does a diary keep selected parts of a day?

A diary is a place where someone writes about a day. The writer chooses which things to put into words. A short entry cannot keep every sound, sight and event.

H12 visual explanationSam's invented diary records two birds by the gate. The writer chose this observation rather than recording every event. The fact that words appear in a diary establishes what the entry says, not automatic truth or completeness. Other evidence can add context or reveal a mistake.A diary keeps a writer’s wordsSam’s invented notebook · not a real historical diarySam · TuesdayI saw two birdsby the gate.Selected words, not every eventWritten down does not mean certainly true.

In the diagramA diary keeps a writer’s wordsSam’s invented notebook · not a real historical diarySam · TuesdayI saw two birdsby the gate.Selected words, not every eventWritten down does not mean certainly true.

Sam records seeing two birds by a gate. The diary keeps these words rather than the whole day.

In our pretend diary, Sam writes, “I saw two birds by the gate.” Those words tell us what Sam chose to record. They do not tell us everything Sam saw.

People can forget, misunderstand or make a mistake when they write. A diary is still a useful clue to the writer’s experience. Other records can help us understand or check its words.

About this explanation

Starting knowledge: Understand that a person can write about something noticed and can leave other things unwritten.

Sources

  • Library of Congress — Informational Text
  • Library of Congress — Getting Started with Primary Sources
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