Worth Asking About Our Street
A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on saying why a question about the neighbourhood is worth asking.
Worth Asking About Our Street is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D1.1.K-2 — say why a big question matters to you. 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:
- D1.1.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries
D1.1.K-2
Explain why the compelling question is important to the student.
Objective
Students will be able to say who would use the answer to a question about their street.
Students are successful when they can
- Names who would use the answer.
- Says what they would do with it.
- Tells a useful question from an idle one.
What you need
- Photographs of the streets round the school
- A class question wall
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — what do you walk past?
5 min- List six things the class walks past on the way to school.
- Do not ask anything about them yet.
Teach — who would use the answer?
13 min- Take the bins. Ask 'who empties them?'. Ask who would use that answer.
- Collect: anybody who wanted to thank them, or complain, or do the job one day.
- Take 'how many bins are on the street?'. Ask who would use that. Nobody today.
- Say the test again, widened from last year: not just you, but who else.
- Add a question to the wall with the name of somebody who would use it.
“Who else, besides you, would want to know that?”
Guided practice — sort eight
12 min- Pairs sort eight street questions into 'worth asking' and 'not today'.
- For each in the first pile they name a user of the answer.
- Take the two the room split on.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the worth-asking page.
- Read each question aloud.
Close
2 min- Add one question to the wall and name who would use the answer.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Answers the question rather than judging it.
Why: Answering is still the reflex, and street questions often have guessable answers.
Fix: Cover the answer. Ask only who would use it.
Names only themselves as the user.
Why: Their own curiosity is the reason they asked.
Fix: Ask who else. Widening beyond the self is exactly the Grade 1 step over Kindergarten.
Rejects a question because they already know the answer.
Why: Known feels like not worth asking.
Fix: Ask whether everybody knows it. A question worth asking can have a known answer.
If they are not there yet
- Four questions rather than eight.
- Give the user and collect the reason.
If they finish early
- Find a question the whole street would want answered.
- Turn a 'not today' question into a useful one.
- Ask a question about somewhere you have never been.
Exit ticket
Ask one question about our street. Who besides you would use the answer?
What to look for: Somebody other than themselves. 'Me' alone means the who-else prompt needs another round.
Printable practice for D1.1.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Worth Asking About Our StreetCircle the best reason for asking each question.
Questions about Worth Asking About Our Street
How long does the Worth Asking About Our Street 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 Worth Asking About Our Street teach?
D1.1.K-2 — D1.1.K-2, Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Explain why the compelling question is important to the student.” In plain terms, say why a big question matters to you.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Photographs of the streets round the school, a class question wall 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: answers the question rather than judging it; names only themselves as the user and rejects a question because they already know the answer. 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: “Ask one question about our street. Who besides you would use the answer?.” Somebody other than themselves. 'Me' alone means the who-else prompt needs another round. 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 Worth Asking About Our Street?
Yes — 1 printable D1.1.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 Worth Asking About Our Street 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 D1.1.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.