Courseversity

Lesson

Comparing sources

Primary EducationGrade 5English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G05-ELA-U04-L0845–60 min

You will learn

  • Find similarities.
  • Find differences.
  • Check reliability.
  • Combine information.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. Read both sources.
  2. List shared facts.
  3. Note differences.
  4. Judge reliability.

Words to know

source
where information comes from
primary source
an original account from someone who was there
secondary source
an account written later about the event
reliable
able to be trusted

1. Discover: The market flood

Source 1 (a diary by Ayo, who was there): The water rose to my knees at noon. We carried goods to the roof of the hall.

Source 2 (a textbook written years later): On that day the river rose about one metre and many traders moved goods to higher ground.

Both say the water rose and goods moved up. The diary gives a personal detail; the textbook gives an overview. The diary is a primary source; the textbook is a secondary source.

Think: How do they agree and differ?

2. Understand: Two views of one event

Idea 1: Sources

A source gives information. A primary source comes from someone present; a secondary source is written later.

Idea 2: Compare

Look at what both say and what only one says. Note different details or points of view.

Idea 3: Reliability

Ask who wrote it, when, why, and whether it can be checked. A reliable source can be trusted.

Remember: Compare sources for shared facts, differences and reliability; primary and secondary sources both help.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Same

What do both agree on?

  1. Rising water.

Answer: the water rose and goods were moved up

Example 2 (We do it together): Differ

What is different?

  1. Detail.

Answer: the diary gives personal detail; the textbook gives an overview

Example 3 (You try): Type

Which is primary?

Show the steps and answer
  1. Ayo.

Answer: the diary

Did you know?

Historians compare many sources before they decide what happened.

Why this matters

Comparing sources gives a fuller and fairer picture.

4. Explore: Source match

Compare two sources.

  1. Find two sources on a topic.
  2. List shared facts.
  3. List differences.
  4. Judge reliability.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can compare sources.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • Both sources say ___.
  • Only ___ mentions ___.
  • The primary source is ___.
  • The more reliable source is ___ because ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. Where information comes from is the ___.

source

Question 2. An original account by someone present is a ___ source.

primary

Question 3. An account written later is a ___ source.

secondary

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. Where information comes from is the ___.
  2. An original account by someone present is a ___ source.
  3. An account written later is a ___ source.
  4. Able to be trusted means ___.
  5. The water rose to Ayo’s ___.

Level 2: Grow

  1. Who wrote the diary?
  2. Where were goods carried?
  3. How high did the river rise?

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Can sources agree?
  2. Can they differ in detail?
  3. Is a diary a primary source?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Compare two sources about the same event or topic.

Show a sample answer

a comparison note

Another one. Compare two sources about the same topic with a family member.

Show a sample answer

a completed task

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Rushing without checking.
Fix: Slow down and check your work.
Another mistake: Skipping the worked example.
Fix: Study the example first, then try.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can find similarities.
  • I can find differences.
  • I can check reliability.
  • I can combine information.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. A primary source comes from someone who was ___.

2. A secondary source is written ___.

3. A reliable source can be ___.

4. Comparing sources shows similarities and ___.

5. Which is primary?

6. Which is secondary?

7. What do both sources agree on?

8. What does only the diary give?

9. What does the textbook add?

10. What should you ask about a source?

11. Why use more than one source?

12. What is the best approach?

Challenge 1. Which is a primary source about a school fair?

Challenge 2. Which shows reliability checking?

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • Read both sources.
  • List shared facts.
  • Note differences.
  • Judge reliability.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Summarising arguments. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. Define primary and secondary source. [2 marks]
  2. Give one thing both sources agree on. [1 mark]
  3. Give one difference between them. [1 mark]
  4. What makes a source reliable? [1 mark]
  5. Explain how to compare sources. [3 marks]

Total: 8 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. primary: original account by someone present [1]; secondary: written later [1]
  2. the water rose and goods were moved up [1]
  3. the diary has personal detail; the textbook gives an overview [1]
  4. it can be trusted and checked [1]
  5. read both and list shared facts [1]; note differences [1]; judge reliability [1]

Score guide: 7 to 8 = secure. 5 to 6 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 5 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. Where information comes from is the ___.
  2. An original account by someone present is a ___ source.
  3. An account written later is a ___ source.
  4. Able to be trusted means ___.
  5. The water rose to Ayo’s ___.
  6. Who wrote the diary?
  7. Where were goods carried?
  8. How high did the river rise?
  9. Can sources agree?
  10. Can they differ in detail?

Homework

Compare two sources about the same topic with a family member.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. Where information comes from is the ___. source 1
2. An original account by someone present is a ___ source. primary 1
3. An account written later is a ___ source. secondary 1
4. Able to be trusted means ___. reliable 1
5. The water rose to Ayo’s ___. knees 1
6. Who wrote the diary? Ayo 1
7. Where were goods carried? to the roof of the hall 1
8. How high did the river rise? about one metre 1
9. Can sources agree? yes 1
10. Can they differ in detail? yes 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 source; 2 primary; 3 secondary; 4 reliable; 5 knees. Level 2: 1 Ayo; 2 to the roof of the hall; 3 about one metre. Level 3: 1 yes; 2 yes; 3 yes.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Find similarities Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Find differences Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Check reliability Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Combine information Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child practises a key Grade 3 English skill with clear examples and a quiz. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Listen while your child explains the idea.
  • Ask for one new example.
  • Praise effort and careful work.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: find similarities; find differences; check reliability; combine information.

Prerequisite knowledge. Evaluating explanations.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Introduce the idea with the opening example.

Explanation (10 min). Teach the key words.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise together.

Independent activity (10 min). Check understanding with the quiz.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What is the key idea? Can I give my own example?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use the sentence frames and work with a partner. Extension. Create a harder example of your own.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 8-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames. Enrichment. Make up your own example and teach it to someone at home. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 5 » Reading: Foundational Skills; Grade 5 » Reading: Literature; Grade 5 » Reading: Informational Text. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core RI.5.6 and RI.5.9 (integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably); Cambridge Primary English Stage 5 (using sources). These sources informed the lesson.

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