Oklahoma Social Studies USH.P.3.2.B

Social StudiesGrades 9–12Social Studies Practices

The Standard

USH.P.3: Engage in critical, active reading of primary and secondary sources related to social studies concepts.
USH.P.3.2: Apply critical reading and thinking skills to interpret, evaluate, and respond to a variety of complex texts and perspectives.

Evaluate the author’s point of view, potential bias, and how authors can reach different conclusions regarding the same issue.

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · USH.P.3.2

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify who wrote each account, what the writer wanted, and which facts the writer chose to include. They explain why two writers can reach different conclusions about the same issue, using evidence from both sources.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can name each writer’s position and quote a line that supports it. They can explain how a writer’s purpose may shape the account without assuming that disagreement makes either source false.
Common Misconceptions: Students may label any opinion as bias and stop reading. They may assume an official account is always more reliable, or list opposing claims without explaining why the writers disagree.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Read short excerpts from Wilson’s 1917 war address and La Follette’s 1917 Senate speech. Name each writer’s position, cite one phrase from each, and explain one reason their conclusions differ.

Lesson moves

Give pairs printed excerpts from Wilson’s war address and La Follette’s Senate speech; have them cut out and sort claims and evidence.
Ask students to write: Which speaker’s role might shape the evidence they chose, and what line makes you think so?
Put four claims from the speeches on cards; teams match each claim to its speaker and defend one match with a quoted line.
Compare sample school board comments from a student and teacher about a phone ban; identify each writer’s stake and one omitted concern.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to USH.P.3.2.B, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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