CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.6

ELA4th GradeCraft and Structure

The Standard

Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Informational Text

What This Standard Means

Students need to read two nonfiction accounts about the same event or topic, then tell which one comes from someone who was there and which one was written by someone reporting about it later. They compare what each writer notices, includes, and leaves out.

Mastery looks like naming the point of view, using details from both texts, and explaining how the focus changes. Students often confuse firsthand with first person, or they list facts from each text without explaining how the information differs.

Ways to Teach It

Give pairs a diary entry and textbook paragraph about the Boston Tea Party, then have them sort details under firsthand and secondhand headings.
Ask students to write: What did the eyewitness care about that the later writer did not, and how do you know?
Use two short passages about one event and have students underline evidence showing who was present and who was reporting later.
Compare a student’s recess incident note with a principal’s newsletter summary, then discuss how audience and purpose change the details.