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

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify who witnessed an event and who learned about it from other sources. They compare what each account emphasizes, includes, and leaves out, using details from both texts.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student correctly labels each account and explains how the writer got the information. The student compares each account's focus and supports the comparison with specific details from both texts.
Common Misconceptions: Students may assume any first-person text is firsthand, even when the writer reports someone else's experience. They may list surface differences instead of comparing focus and details. They may call secondhand accounts less reliable without evidence.
How to Assess It: Give students two short accounts of one event. Ask them to label each account, name its main focus, and cite one detail found only in each.

Lesson moves

Give pairs detail cards from two accounts to sort under firsthand, secondhand, or both, then verify each choice in the texts.
Prompt students to write: Which account focuses more on personal experience, and which gives broader context? Support both claims with details.
Play Account Detective: teams read brief passages, label the source type, and earn points by citing clues.
Compare an eyewitness interview about a school event with the school newspaper's recap, then list what only each source reveals.

Learning progression

If students are struggling here, check these first.

Mastery here sets students up for these next.

Keep exploring

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