First-hand or second-hand account?

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RI.4.6England: Y4 Reading (recounts and reports)England: Y5/6 Reading (viewpoint)

Objective and success criteria

Students will: First-hand or second-hand account?.

I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
I can explain each step and say why it works.
I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Who is telling the story? First person or third person

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 6 min

Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Who is telling the story? First person or third person). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

Is this told in the first person or the third person? They built the biggest sandcastle on the beach. (first person (I, me, we) / third person (he, she, they, names)) → third person (he, she, they, names)Prompt: Look at the pronouns. Is the narrator part of the story?
Which sentence retells this in the THIRD person? We packed our bags for the trip. (We packed their bags for the trip. / The twins packed our bags for the trip. / The twins packed their bags for the trip. / They packed our bag for the trip.) → The twins packed their bags for the trip.Prompt: Every first-person word (I, my, we, our) must change.
Is this told in the first person or the third person? The fox watched the farmhouse from the shadows. (first person (I, me, we) / third person (he, she, they, names)) → third person (he, she, they, names)Prompt: Look at the pronouns. Is the narrator part of the story?

Hook · 6 min

Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
Share the objective: First-hand or second-hand account?. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 12 min

Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
Example: Is this a first-hand or a second-hand account? We finally reached the top of the mountain. My legs were aching, but the view made me forget the pain.
Step 1: A first-hand account is by someone who was there. A second-hand account is by someone who heard or read about it.
Step 2: So the answer is: first-hand: written by someone who was there
Answer: first-hand: written by someone who was there
Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 12 min

Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

Is this a first-hand or a second-hand account? I watched the rocket launch from the beach. The ground shook under my feet and the roar was deafening. (first-hand: written by someone who was there / second-hand: written by someone who was not there) → first-hand: written by someone who was therePrompt: Did the writer see or do this themselves?
Read the question. Which source is a SECOND-HAND account of a football final? (a sports website article written from the TV pictures / a player's diary after the match / a blog by a fan who was in the stadium / a video diary filmed by the goalkeeper) → a sports website article written from the TV picturesPrompt: Ask: was the writer actually there?

You do: independent practice · 17 min

Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 7 min

Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

Read the question. What is a strength of a second-hand account? (It tells you exactly how one person felt. / It can bring together facts from many sources. / It is always more exciting. / The writer was always there.) → It can bring together facts from many sources.Prompt: Ask: was the writer actually there?
Is this a first-hand or a second-hand account? Today I held a baby chick for the first time. It was so light and its heart was beating fast. (first-hand: written by someone who was there / second-hand: written by someone who was not there) → first-hand: written by someone who was therePrompt: Did the writer see or do this themselves?

Watch out for

Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

Review first: Who is telling the story? First person or third person.
Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-4.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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First-hand or second-hand account?

Name

Date

Score/ 8

1
Question 1
Is this a first-hand or a second-hand account? The rocket launched at 9 a.m. Witnesses said the ground shook and the noise could be heard for miles.
- A. first-hand: written by someone who was there
- B. second-hand: written by someone who was not there
2
Question 2
Read the question. Which source is a SECOND-HAND account of a football final?
- A. a video diary filmed by the goalkeeper
- B. a blog by a fan who was in the stadium
- C. a player's diary after the match
- D. a sports website article written from the TV pictures

Pepper's First Week: A Diary

Saturday. Today we collected Pepper from the rescue centre. She is a skinny brown dog with one floppy ear and one ear that stands straight up. In the car, she shook the whole way home, and I held her blanket so she could smell it. I felt nervous too. Sunday. Pepper hid behind the sofa all day. Mum says rescue dogs sometimes need time to trust people because they do not know what is going to happen next. I lay on the floor and read my comic out loud so she could get used to my voice. Tuesday. A breakthrough! When I got back from school, Pepper crept out and sniffed my shoes. Then she licked my hand. I stayed completely still, although I wanted to cheer. Thursday. We went to the park on her lead. A bicycle rang its bell, and Pepper jumped behind my legs. I knelt down and talked to her calmly until her tail started wagging again. Friday. Tonight Pepper fell asleep with her head on my foot. I didn't move for an hour, even though my foot went numb. I think she has decided she lives here now.

3
Question 3
Read "Pepper's First Week: A Diary". Is this diary a first-hand or a second-hand account?
- A. second-hand: it was copied from a book
- B. second-hand: the writer only heard about it
- C. first-hand: the writer was there and shares their own feelings
- D. neither: it is a poem

A Helicopter on Mars

In February 2021, NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars. Tucked underneath it was a passenger: a tiny helicopter called Ingenuity. It weighed only about 1.8 kilograms, a little less than a big bag of flour. Flying on Mars is much harder than flying on Earth. The air on Mars is extremely thin, about one hundredth as thick as the air we breathe. Helicopter blades push against the air to lift off, so with so little air, Ingenuity's blades had to spin very fast: about 2,400 times a minute. On 19 April 2021, Ingenuity rose about three metres into the Martian sky, hovered for about forty seconds and landed again. It was the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. Engineers on Earth cheered, even though the radio signals took several minutes to reach them. Ingenuity was only meant to make five test flights. Instead, it made 72. It scouted ahead for the rover, taking photos of rocks and slopes so that drivers on Earth could choose safe routes. In January 2024, one of Ingenuity's blades was damaged during a landing, and the mission ended. The little helicopter still sits on Mars today, and engineers are already using what they learned to design bigger flying machines for future missions.

4
Question 4
Read "A Helicopter on Mars". Is this a first-hand or a second-hand account?
- A. second-hand: the writer reports facts but was not there
- B. first-hand: it is the helicopter's diary
- C. first-hand: the writer flew the helicopter
- D. first-hand: the writer lives on Mars

5
Question 5
Is this a first-hand or a second-hand account? I was there when our team scored the winning goal. Everyone around me jumped and screamed.
- A. first-hand: written by someone who was there
- B. second-hand: written by someone who was not there
6
Question 6
Read the question. Which source is a SECOND-HAND account of the first Moon landing?
- A. a children's history book written in 2020
- B. a photo taken by an astronaut on the Moon
- C. a diary written by an astronaut on the mission
- D. the astronauts' own radio words
7
Question 7
Is this a first-hand or a second-hand account? We finally reached the top of the mountain. My legs were aching, but the view made me forget the pain.
- A. first-hand: written by someone who was there
- B. second-hand: written by someone who was not there
8
Question 8
Read the question. Which source is a FIRST-HAND account of a volcano erupting?
- A. a scientist's notes written while watching the eruption
- B. a textbook chapter about volcanoes
- C. a poster about famous volcanoes
- D. a TV quiz about volcanoes

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Answer key: First-hand or second-hand account?

1. B. second-hand: written by someone who was not there
2. D. a sports website article written from the TV pictures
3. C. first-hand: the writer was there and shares their own feelings
4. A. second-hand: the writer reports facts but was not there
5. A. first-hand: written by someone who was there
6. A. a children's history book written in 2020
7. A. first-hand: written by someone who was there
8. A. a scientist's notes written while watching the eruption