Which Record Would Tell You?
A 40-minute Grade 2 lesson on choosing among town records, including when none of them will do.
Which Record Would Tell You? is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D1.5.K-2 — work out what kind of source would help answer the question. 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:
- D1.5.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries
D1.5.K-2
Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions.
Objective
Students will be able to match a question to the record most likely to answer it and justify the rejects.
Students are successful when they can
- Chooses the best record.
- Rules out two others with reasons.
- Says when no record here will do.
What you need
- All eight Grade 2 sources
- Question cards
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — what is each record for?
5 min- Name the purpose of each of the eight sources in one line.
- Note that none was made for us.
Teach — made for a purpose, useful for another
13 min- Take a question and choose the record, then rule out two.
- Say why the census can answer some questions and not others: it was made to count people.
- Say the Grade 2 addition: a record answers best the thing it was made to record.
- Take a question none of them was made for and say so.
- Suggest what kind of record would have been needed.
“Nobody made the census for us. It answers what it was made to answer.”
Guided practice — choose and reject
12 min- Pairs answer eight questions naming the record and two rejects.
- One question needs two records.
- One needs a record nobody kept.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the which-record page.
- Read each question aloud.
Close
2 min- Take one question and the record that was never kept.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Expects a record to answer anything about its period.
Why: It is from the right time.
Fix: Ask what it was made to record. A census counts people, not opinions.
Chooses without ruling anything out.
Why: One that works feels sufficient.
Fix: Two rejects with reasons. That is where the thinking shows.
Will not say that no record will do.
Why: An empty answer feels like failure.
Fix: Include such a question and mark it correct.
If they are not there yet
- Four sources rather than eight.
- Choose only, no rejects.
If they finish early
- Find a question two records answer differently.
- Say what record the town should start keeping now.
- Rank three records for one question.
Exit ticket
You want to know what the mill felt like to work in. Which record, and why not the census?
What to look for: Alice's letter, with the census ruled out as a count rather than an account.
Printable practice for D1.5.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Which Record Would Tell You?Circle the source that would answer each question.
Questions about Which Record Would Tell You?
How long does the Which Record Would Tell You? 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 Which Record Would Tell You? teach?
D1.5.K-2 — D1.5.K-2, Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions.” In plain terms, work out what kind of source would help answer the question.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
All eight Grade 2 sources, question cards 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: expects a record to answer anything about its period; chooses without ruling anything out and will not say that no record will do. 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: “You want to know what the mill felt like to work in. Which record, and why not the census?.” Alice's letter, with the census ruled out as a count rather than an account. 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 Record Would Tell You??
Yes — 1 printable D1.5.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 Which Record Would Tell You? 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 D1.5.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.