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Which Figures Would Settle It

A 50-minute Grade 4 lesson on working out exactly what evidence a supporting question needs before it can be answered.

Which Figures Would Settle It is a free 50-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D1.3.3-5 — name the ideas behind a smaller question that people read in more than one way. 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:
50 minutes
Standard:
D1.3.3-5

Grade 3 to Grade 5 · Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries

D1.3.3-5

Identify the disciplinary concepts and ideas associated with a supporting question that are open to interpretation.

Objective

Students will be able to state the evidence a question needs, and what it would still leave unanswered.

Students are successful when they can

  • Names the evidence needed, not just the source.
  • Says what that evidence would still leave open.
  • Rejects evidence that is on topic but off question.

What you need

  • The census abstract, the health table and the emigration ledger
  • Question strips with two evidence boxes each
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — is the census enough?

5 min
  1. Ask: to find out why the uplands emptied, is the census abstract enough?
  2. Hold both answers without settling.

Teach — one box is rarely enough

17 min
  1. Show the abstract. It gives the size of the fall and no reason at all.
  2. Ask what would supply the reason: records of what work existed in each district.
  3. Write the rule: name the evidence, then ask what it would still leave you unable to say.
  4. Do 'who could afford to emigrate?' Fares from the ledger, and earnings by trade.
  5. Do 'was the mill district least healthy because of crowding?' Deaths, plus housing conditions.
  6. Show a tempting wrong answer: the ship's name. On topic, useless.
  7. Say the trap plainly: evidence about the subject is not the same as evidence for the question.
“If somebody handed you that, what could you still not say?”

Guided practice — fill both boxes

15 min
  1. Pairs take four strips and fill both evidence boxes for each.
  2. For two, they write what remains open even with both.
  3. Groups mark any answer that names a source rather than the information in it.

Independent practice

10 min
  1. Students complete the 'Which Figures Would Settle It' page.
  2. Watch for one-box answers where two are needed.

Close

3 min
  1. List the questions the surviving records cannot answer at all.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Names a source rather than the evidence.

Why: 'The census' feels like a complete answer.

Fix: Which figures in it? The evidence is the information, not the object.

Accepts one figure where a comparison is needed.

Why: A number looks like an answer.

Fix: 2,100 alone says nothing. It needs 3,800 beside it and a date on each.

Picks evidence because it survives.

Why: The record is on the desk.

Fix: Start from the question. Sometimes the evidence you need was never written down.

If they are not there yet

  • Two strips with the first box filled.
  • Choose which of three pieces of evidence fits the question.

If they finish early

  • Find a question needing three pieces rather than two.
  • Say what evidence would change your mind about the uplands.
  • Write a question the region's records cannot answer, and say why.

Exit ticket

To answer 'could most people afford to emigrate in 1885?', what two pieces of evidence would you need?

What to look for: The fare and what different trades earned. One piece alone means the second-half idea needs another run.

Printable practice for D1.3.3-5

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Which Figures Would Settle It

How long does the Which Figures Would Settle It lesson take?

50 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 17 min, guided practice 15 min, independent practice 10 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 Which Figures Would Settle It teach?

D1.3.3-5 — D1.3.3-5, Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Identify the disciplinary concepts and ideas associated with a supporting question that are open to interpretation.” In plain terms, name the ideas behind a smaller question that people read in more than one way.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

The census abstract, the health table and the emigration ledger, question strips with two evidence boxes each 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 a source rather than the evidence; accepts one figure where a comparison is needed and picks evidence because it survives. 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 'could most people afford to emigrate in 1885?', what two pieces of evidence would you need?.” The fare and what different trades earned. One piece alone means the second-half idea 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 Which Figures Would Settle It?

Yes — 1 printable D1.3.3-5 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 Which Figures Would Settle It 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 D1.3.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.