You will learn
- Define document, author, purpose, audience.
- Read slowly.
- Ask questions of a document.
- Separate fact and opinion.
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
- Documents are written records.
- Ask who, when, why and for whom.
- Documents show only part of the story.
- Separate fact from opinion.
Words to know
a written or printed record, such as a letter, notice or register
the person who wrote or made something
the reason something was made
the people a document was written for
1. Discover: The market notice
Mr Cole shows a model notice made for this lesson and labelled as an example: “Market day will be on Saturday. Traders must arrive before eight. The best rice in town is sold by the river.” “Who wrote it?” he asks. “The market committee,” says Abu. “Why?” “To tell traders the rules,” says Mei. “And which part is opinion?” “The best rice,” says Abu. “That is a view, not a fact,” says Mr Cole.
Think: What does the notice not tell us?
2. Understand: Reading documents
Idea 1: What a document is
A document is a written or printed record, such as a letter, notice, register, diary page or official paper. The author made it. Its purpose is why it was made. Its audience is who it was meant for. Some documents were written long ago in different language, so read slowly and ask a teacher for help with hard words.
Idea 2: Questions to ask
Ask: Who wrote this? When? Why? For whom? What does it say? What does it leave out? A document shows one person’s view at one time. Compare it with other sources before deciding what is true.
Idea 3: Fact and opinion
A fact can be checked, such as “Market day is on Saturday.” An opinion is what someone thinks, such as “The best rice is sold by the river.” Documents often mix the two. Underline facts in one colour and opinions in another.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Find
The author of the notice.
- Read.
- Think.
- Say.
Answer: The market committee.
Example 2 (We do it together): Decide
Fact or opinion: Traders must arrive before eight.
- Think.
- Check.
- Say.
Answer: Fact.
Example 3 (You try): Decide
Fact or opinion: The best rice is by the river.
Show the steps and answer
- Think.
- Check.
- Say.
Answer: Opinion.
Did you know?
Some very old documents were written on clay, bark or animal skin, and experts spend years learning to read them.
Why this matters
Reading documents carefully helps us learn from the past without being misled.
4. Explore: Document detectives
Read a short model document prepared by the teacher and labelled as an example. Fill in a chart: author, date, purpose, audience, two facts, one opinion, and one thing it does not tell us.
- Read.
- Ask.
- Underline.
- Share.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Documents hide as well as show.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- A document is ___.
- The author is ___.
- The purpose is ___.
- The audience is ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What is a document?
A written record.
Question 2. Who is the author?
The writer.
Question 3. What is the purpose?
The reason.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What is a document?
- Who is the author?
- What is the purpose?
- Who is the audience?
- Give a fact.
Level 2: Grow
- Why read slowly?
- Why compare documents?
- Why separate opinion?
Level 3: Stretch
- Fill in the chart.
- Underline facts.
- Find what is missing.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Give the author, purpose and one fact from the model notice.
Show a sample answer
Committee; rules; Saturday.
Another one. Find a notice or label at home and ask who wrote it and why.
Show a sample answer
Share.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: Check it.
Fix: They show part of it.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can define document, author, purpose, audience.
- I can read slowly.
- I can ask questions of a document.
- I can separate fact and opinion.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- Documents are written records.
- Ask who, when, why and for whom.
- Documents show only part of the story.
- Separate fact from opinion.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Interpreting maps. 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.
- Define author and audience. [2 marks]
- Give one fact and one opinion. [2 marks]
- Name three questions to ask of a document. [3 marks]
- Explain why a document may not show the whole story. [3 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Author [1]; audience [1]
- Fact [1]; opinion [1]
- Three [3]
- One view [1]; leaves out [1]; compare [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- What is a document?
- Who is the author?
- What is the purpose?
- Who is the audience?
- Give a fact.
- Why read slowly?
- Why compare documents?
- Why separate opinion?
- Fill in the chart.
- Underline facts.
Homework
Make your own notice.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What is a document? | A written record. | 1 |
| 2. Who is the author? | The writer. | 1 |
| 3. What is the purpose? | The reason. | 1 |
| 4. Who is the audience? | Who it is for. | 1 |
| 5. Give a fact. | Market day is Saturday. | 1 |
| 6. Why read slowly? | To understand. | 1 |
| 7. Why compare documents? | Find the truth. | 1 |
| 8. Why separate opinion? | It is not checked. | 1 |
| 9. Fill in the chart. | Chart. | 1 |
| 10. Underline facts. | Facts. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 A written record.; 2 The writer.; 3 The reason.; 4 Who it is for.; 5 Market day is Saturday.. Level 2: 1 To understand.; 2 Find the truth.; 3 It is not checked.. Level 3: 1 Chart.; 2 Facts.; 3 Missing..
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 Define document, author, purpose, audience | 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 Read slowly | 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 Ask questions of a document | 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 Separate fact and opinion | 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
- Find the misconception: “Everything in a document is true.” Check it.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Make a document questions card.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child reads a short model document. Please ask who wrote notices and why. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Read labels together.
- Ask who wrote it.
- Spot facts and opinions.
- 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: define document, author, purpose, audience; read slowly; ask questions of a document; separate fact and opinion.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 4 ideas: sources, maps and timelines from earlier units.
Materials. Model documents, charts. 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. Prepare model documents.
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). Tell the market notice story.
Explanation (10 min). Teach reading documents.
Guided activity (10 min). Document detectives.
Independent activity (10 min). Discuss.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. How do we read a historical document carefully?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with a picture, story, map or local example. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always ask “how do you know?” and invite more than one view. Treat every family, culture and community with respect, and never ask learners to share private information.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures, maps, real objects and short sentences, and let learners work with a partner. Let learners point, show, act or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example from their own community and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Everything in a document is true.” Check it.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-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. Make a document questions card. Enrichment. Find one new example near your home or school, draw or write about it and explain it to someone. 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: NCSS standards and C3 Framework, Cambridge Primary Humanities and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Social Studies curriculum, Grade 4 Unit 10, topic 3; NCSS C3 Framework, developing questions and planning enquiries; Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities, enquiry and evidence; IB Primary Years Programme, research skills in the approaches to learning. These sources informed the lesson.