Indiana Social Studies 3.H.7
The Standard
Distinguish between fact and fiction in historical accounts by comparing documentary sources on historical figures and events with fictional characters and events in stories.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students compare a historical photograph and a museum account with a story about the same event. They identify details supported by the sources, details the writer invented, and claims that need more evidence.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student uses a source to support a claim about the Wright brothers' first flight. They recognize that a story can include that real event and still invent a witness or dialogue.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat every detail in a story as fact because it names real people. They may also think a person was not there simply because the photograph does not show them.
How to Assess It
- Show a museum-captioned photograph of the Wright brothers' first flight and this story line: "Sam watched and shouted, 'Go!'" Ask students to name one fact the photo supports and one detail it cannot confirm.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups a printed first-flight photo, a museum paragraph, and an invented eyewitness story; have them sort claim cards by supporting source.
Ask: "Can a story name the real Wright brothers but invent a witness?" Have students point to a line from the story.
Play evidence match: students pair flight claims with the photo or museum paragraph, then place unsupported dialogue in a "story only" pile.
Open a local museum webpage about an old building; pair it with a made-up diary line and ask which details the webpage confirms.
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Printable 3.H.7 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 3.H.7, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- 1.H.8
Distinguish between historical fact and fiction in American folktales and legends that are part of American culture.
- 6.H.14
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- S.1.6
Distinguish fact from opinion in data source analysis.
- IS.1.35
Locate and analyze primary sources and secondary sources related to an event or issue of the past. Discover possible limitations in various kinds of historical ...
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