What Would You Need to Know?
A 40-minute Kindergarten lesson on naming the facts a small question needs before it can be answered.
What Would You Need to Know? 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 one fact they would need in order to answer a question.
Students are successful when they can
- Names a fact the question needs.
- Rejects a fact that does not help.
- Says where the fact might be found.
What you need
- Question cards
- Fact cards, some useful and some not
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — I cannot answer that yet
5 min- Ask 'is the park open?'. Take answers.
- Ask how they know. Most will not. Say that is the honest answer.
Teach — what is missing
13 min- Write 'is the park open?' on the board.
- Ask what you would need to know. Collect: what time it closes, what time it is now.
- Write those two under the question.
- Offer a fact that does not help — how many trees there are — and cross it out.
- Say the test: would knowing this change your answer?
“Would that help you answer it? If your answer stays the same, it is not the fact you need.”
Guided practice — pick the fact
12 min- Pairs take a question and three fact cards, one of them useless.
- They put the useless one aside and say why.
- Repeat with three more questions.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the what-you-need-to-know page.
- Read each question aloud.
Close
2 min- Ask a question. Take one fact it needs.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Offers a fact that is about the topic but does not decide anything.
Why: It is related, and relatedness is the easiest test to apply.
Fix: The would-it-change-your-answer test, said aloud each time.
Says they need to know everything.
Why: More information feels safer.
Fix: One fact. The limit is what forces them to choose the one that matters.
Guesses the answer instead of naming the fact.
Why: Guessing produces an answer immediately and this task does not.
Fix: Praise 'I do not know yet, I would need to find out'. Say it is the correct answer here.
If they are not there yet
- Two fact cards rather than three.
- Give the question and one useful fact.
If they finish early
- Name two facts a question needs.
- Find a question you already have all the facts for.
- Say where you would go to find a fact.
Exit ticket
To answer 'what is for lunch?', what would you need to know?
What to look for: The menu, or what the kitchen is cooking. A guessed lunch means the I-do-not-know-yet answer needs praising again.
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 Do You Need to Know?Circle what you would need to find out.
Questions about What Would You Need to Know?
How long does the What Would You Need to Know? 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 Know? 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, 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: offers a fact that is about the topic but does not decide anything; says they need to know everything and guesses the answer instead of naming the fact. 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 'what is for lunch?', what would you need to know?.” The menu, or what the kitchen is cooking. A guessed lunch means the I-do-not-know-yet answer needs praising again. 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 Know??
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 Know? 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.