A Claim About Causes
A 55-minute Grade 5 lesson on summarising a secondary work whose central claim is about causation and is disputed.
A Claim About Causes is a free 55-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.His.17.3-5 — summarise the main claim a history book makes. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Grade 3 to Grade 5
- Length:
- 55 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.His.17.3-5
Grade 3 to Grade 5 · History
D2.His.17.3-5
Summarize the central claim in a secondary work of history.
Objective
Students will be able to state a secondary work's causal claim and identify what would test it.
Students are successful when they can
- States the central claim in one sentence.
- Separates the claim from its supporting facts.
- Names what evidence would test it.
What you need
- The 2011 national history extract
- The broadcast and the council report
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — secondary and disputed
5 min- Read the provenance: a secondary work whose causal claim others reject.
- Ask what makes a causal claim harder than one about emphasis.
Teach — claim, support, concession, test
18 min- Highlight the supporting facts: bricks and timber ran short, per the broadcast.
- Highlight the claim: shortages, not politics, set the pace.
- Ask what makes it a claim: critics reject it, and their reason is in the extract.
- Read the concession: she cannot separate the two causes with certainty.
- Ask what that phrase does: it states the limit of her own evidence.
- Read what she rests on: the quarterly figures the minister promised.
- Now the test: what pattern in those figures would support her, and what would support her critics?
“Which sentence here could somebody argue with, and what would settle it?”
Guided practice — summarise and test
17 min- Pairs write the central claim in one sentence.
- They list the evidence she gives and the evidence critics would want.
- Groups say what pattern in the quarterly figures would favour each side.
Independent practice
12 min- Students complete the 'A Claim About Causes' page.
- Check the summary is the claim, not a fact.
Close
3 min- Take a vote on which cause the class finds more probable, with reasons.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Summarises the book with a fact.
Why: Facts are the concrete sentences.
Fix: Ask whether anybody could disagree. Bricks running short is not disputed; the claim is.
Thinks the concession withdraws the claim.
Why: It admits uncertainty.
Fix: It states the limit of the evidence and leaves the claim standing.
Thinks a secondary work is less reliable by definition.
Why: The author was not there.
Fix: She can see the whole run of figures. Different strengths, not lesser ones.
If they are not there yet
- The extract with facts already highlighted.
- Choose the claim from three sentences.
If they finish early
- Write the critics' claim and the evidence for it.
- Say what pattern in the figures would settle it.
- Rewrite the claim without its concession and say what is lost.
Exit ticket
State the 2011 history's central claim in one sentence and name what would test it.
What to look for: Shortages rather than politics set the pace, testable against the quarterly figures. A fact given as the claim means the distinction needs another run.
Printable practice for D2.His.17.3-5
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- A Claim About CausesCircle the best answer.
Questions about A Claim About Causes
How long does the A Claim About Causes lesson take?
55 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 18 min, guided practice 17 min, independent practice 12 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does A Claim About Causes teach?
D2.His.17.3-5 — D2.His.17.3-5, History for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Summarize the central claim in a secondary work of history.” In plain terms, summarise the main claim a history book makes.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The 2011 national history extract, the broadcast and the council report and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: summarises the book with a fact; thinks the concession withdraws the claim and thinks a secondary work is less reliable by definition. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “State the 2011 history's central claim in one sentence and name what would test it.” Shortages rather than politics set the pace, testable against the quarterly figures. A fact given as the claim means the distinction needs another run. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with A Claim About Causes?
Yes — 1 printable D2.His.17.3-5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is A Claim About Causes free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D2.His.17.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.