Who Wrote It and What For
A 55-minute Grade 5 lesson on how a maker's purpose shows in a source, including one that damages its own author.
Who Wrote It and What For is a free 55-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.His.6.3-5 — describe how a source's maker shaped what the source says. 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.6.3-5
Grade 3 to Grade 5 · History
D2.His.6.3-5
Describe how people's perspectives shaped the historical sources they created.
Objective
Students will be able to name a source's maker and purpose and find where the purpose shows.
Students are successful when they can
- Names the maker and the date.
- Names the purpose.
- Points at a line where the purpose shows and at an omission.
What you need
- All eight national sources with their provenance lines
- Highlighters
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — who wrote this against himself?
5 min- Read the broadcast's admission and its provenance line.
- Ask why a minister would produce a source that damages him.
Teach — maker, purpose, line, silence
18 min- The white paper: made by a government to obtain support. Highlight the funding sentence.
- Ask what it omits: any admission that the target might not be reached.
- The broadcast: made to hold trust while admitting failure. Highlight 'I will not pretend'.
- Ask what it omits: whether the choice of councils contributed to the shortfall.
- The poll: made by a company whose business is being believed. Highlight the method line.
- Say the method: name the maker, the purpose, the line, then the silence.
- Then the Grade 5 case: a source can serve its maker precisely by admitting something.
“What did the maker need this document to do for them?”
Guided practice — highlight and list
17 min- Pairs take three sources and highlight where the purpose shows.
- They write what each maker had no reason to record.
- Groups compare omission lists.
Independent practice
12 min- Students complete the 'Who Wrote It and What For' page.
- Check the answer uses the source's own words.
Close
3 min- Ask which source's purpose is hardest to work out.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks an admission has no purpose.
Why: It costs the maker something.
Fix: It buys trust and sets the terms of the failure. That is a purpose.
Says a source with a purpose cannot be trusted.
Why: Purpose sounds like distortion.
Fix: Every source has one. It tells you what to trust it about.
Confuses omission with concealment.
Why: Both are absences.
Fix: The white paper had no reason to discuss its own failure. That is not hiding.
If they are not there yet
- One source with the provenance read aloud.
- Match a maker to one of two purposes.
If they finish early
- Write what the broadcast would say if the figures had been good.
- Find two sources whose makers wanted opposite things.
- Say what the 2011 author needed her book to do.
Exit ticket
A minister broadcast an admission of failure. What was his purpose, and what did the broadcast leave out?
What to look for: To hold public trust and set the terms of the failure, omitting whether the choice of councils contributed. A maker with no purpose means the second step is missing.
Printable practice for D2.His.6.3-5
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Who Wrote It and What ForLook at the source, then answer the questions.
Questions about Who Wrote It and What For
How long does the Who Wrote It and What For 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 Who Wrote It and What For teach?
D2.His.6.3-5 — D2.His.6.3-5, History for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Describe how people's perspectives shaped the historical sources they created.” In plain terms, describe how a source's maker shaped what the source says.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
All eight national sources with their provenance lines, highlighters 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: thinks an admission has no purpose; says a source with a purpose cannot be trusted and confuses omission with concealment. 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: “A minister broadcast an admission of failure. What was his purpose, and what did the broadcast leave out?.” To hold public trust and set the terms of the failure, omitting whether the choice of councils contributed. A maker with no purpose means the second step is missing. 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 Who Wrote It and What For?
Yes — 1 printable D2.His.6.3-5 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 Who Wrote It and What For 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.6.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.