Texas TEKS 3.14.B

Social Studies3rd GradeSocial studies skills

The Standard

differentiate and compare the information about a specific issue or event provided in primary and secondary sources

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify who created each source, when it was created, and whether it is primary or secondary. They compare details, viewpoints, and missing information in two sources about the same event.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student correctly labels an eyewitness letter as primary and a later textbook account as secondary. The student names at least one agreement and one difference, then supports each with source details.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think primary means more accurate, or that every old object is a primary source. They may list facts without comparing them or confuse a creator's viewpoint with a proven fact.
How to Assess It: Give students a diary excerpt and a textbook paragraph about the same school event. Ask them to label each source and write one similarity and one difference.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a photograph, diary entry, and textbook paragraph about one event, then have them sort the sources and complete a Venn diagram.
Ask students to write: Which source gives a closer view of the event, and what detail supports your answer?
Play Source Match: teams pair source cards about the same event, then earn points by naming one agreement.
Compare a student's photo and the school newsletter account of field day, noting what each includes, leaves out, or interprets differently.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 3.14.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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