What Would You Need to Find Out?
A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on naming the facts a neighbourhood question needs before it can be answered.
What Would You Need to Find Out? is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D1.3.K-2 — name the facts a smaller question needs. 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:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- D1.3.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries
D1.3.K-2
Identify facts and concepts associated with a supporting question.
Objective
Students will be able to name the two facts a question needs and reject one that does not help.
Students are successful when they can
- Names a fact the question needs.
- Rejects a fact that changes nothing.
- Says where the fact could be found.
What you need
- Question cards about the local area
- Fact cards, some useful and some not
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — can we answer it yet?
5 min- Ask 'is the library open now?'. Take answers.
- Ask how anybody knows. Nobody does yet.
Teach — two facts, not one
13 min- Write 'is the library open now?' up.
- Ask what you need. Collect the opening times AND what time it is.
- Say why both: either alone answers nothing.
- Offer a fact that does not help — how many books are inside — and cross it out.
- Do a second question that also needs two facts.
“You have the times. Now what else do you need before you can say yes or no?”
Guided practice — pick two, reject one
12 min- Pairs take four questions with four fact cards each.
- They keep the useful ones and set aside the one that changes nothing.
- They say where each kept fact could be found.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the what-you-need page.
- Read each question aloud.
Close
2 min- Ask a question. Take both facts it needs.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Names one fact and stops.
Why: One is enough to feel like progress.
Fix: Ask whether that alone settles it. Many real questions need two.
Keeps a fact because it is about the same thing.
Why: Relatedness is the easiest test.
Fix: Would knowing it change your answer? If not, set it aside.
Guesses the answer instead of naming facts.
Why: Guessing produces something and this task does not.
Fix: Praise 'I would need to find out'. It is the correct answer here.
If they are not there yet
- Questions needing one fact.
- Three fact cards rather than four.
If they finish early
- Find a question needing three facts.
- Name a question you already have every fact for.
- Say which fact is hardest to find.
Exit ticket
To answer 'when is the next bus?', what two things do you need to know?
What to look for: The timetable and the time now. One fact means the does-that-settle-it question needs asking.
Printable practice for D1.3.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- What Would You Need to Find Out?Circle what you would need to know.
Questions about What Would You Need to Find Out?
How long does the What Would You Need to Find Out? lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 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 What Would You Need to Find Out? teach?
D1.3.K-2 — D1.3.K-2, Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Identify facts and concepts associated with a supporting question.” In plain terms, name the facts a smaller question needs.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Question cards about the local area, fact cards, some useful and some not 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: names one fact and stops; keeps a fact because it is about the same thing and guesses the answer instead of naming facts. 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: “To answer 'when is the next bus?', what two things do you need to know?.” The timetable and the time now. One fact means the does-that-settle-it question needs asking. 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 What Would You Need to Find Out??
Yes — 1 printable D1.3.K-2 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 What Would You Need to Find Out? 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 D1.3.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.