Intentions Are Not Outcomes
A 55-minute Grade 5 lesson on judging usefulness by topic, with the sharpest case being a plan used as an outcome.
Intentions Are Not Outcomes is a free 55-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.His.13.3-5 — judge how useful a source is for a particular topic. 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.13.3-5
Grade 3 to Grade 5 · History
D2.His.13.3-5
Use information about a historical source, including the maker, date, place of origin, intended audience, and purpose to judge the extent to which the source is useful for studying a particular topic.
Objective
Students will be able to give two different verdicts on one source for two topics.
Students are successful when they can
- Judges usefulness against a named topic.
- Says what a source supplies and what it is silent about.
- Gives opposite verdicts on one source for two topics.
What you need
- The white paper, the council report, the poll and the letters
- Topic cards
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — is the white paper a good source?
5 min- Hold it up and ask whether it is a good source.
- Refuse an answer until somebody asks 'for what?'
Teach — one source, two verdicts
18 min- Topic: what the government intended. The white paper is excellent.
- Topic: what was built. The same paper is of no use at all: it predates every home.
- Say the rule: usefulness is a relation between a source and a question.
- Do the poll on 'public opinion': partly useful, with an urban sample.
- Do the poll on 'rural opinion': of no use, by its own method.
- Do the letters on 'what most readers thought': limited, because an editor selected.
- Insist that every verdict names the topic, or it is not a verdict.
“Useful for what, exactly?”
Guided practice — flip a verdict
17 min- Pairs take one source and two topics and give two verdicts.
- They write what the source is silent about in each case.
- Groups present a source whose verdict flipped completely.
Independent practice
12 min- Students complete the 'Intentions Are Not Outcomes' page.
- Check every verdict names the topic.
Close
3 min- Ask which source serves the widest range of topics.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Judges a source good or bad in general.
Why: That is how sources are usually praised.
Fix: Ask 'for what?' every time. A verdict with no topic is not a verdict.
Uses a plan as evidence of an outcome.
Why: It states figures.
Fix: It predates every home built. Check the date against the topic.
Calls a partly useful source useless.
Why: It did not answer the whole question.
Fix: Name what it supplies before naming what it lacks.
If they are not there yet
- One source and two topics, with the first verdict given.
- Choose between two verdicts for a stated topic.
If they finish early
- Find a source useful for a topic it was not made for.
- Say which topic has no useful source at all.
- Rank three sources for one topic and defend the order.
Exit ticket
Is the 1946 white paper useful for finding out how many homes were built? Say why.
What to look for: No: it predates every home and states intention, not outcome. A general verdict means the topic-relative rule needs another run.
Printable practice for D2.His.13.3-5
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Intentions Are Not OutcomesCircle the best answer.
Questions about Intentions Are Not Outcomes
How long does the Intentions Are Not Outcomes 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 Intentions Are Not Outcomes teach?
D2.His.13.3-5 — D2.His.13.3-5, History for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Use information about a historical source, including the maker, date, place of origin, intended audience, and purpose to judge the extent to which the source is useful for studying a particular topic.” In plain terms, judge how useful a source is for a particular topic.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The white paper, the council report, the poll and the letters, topic cards 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: judges a source good or bad in general; uses a plan as evidence of an outcome and calls a partly useful source useless. 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: “Is the 1946 white paper useful for finding out how many homes were built? Say why.” No: it predates every home and states intention, not outcome. A general verdict means the topic-relative rule needs another run. 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 Intentions Are Not Outcomes?
Yes — 1 printable D2.His.13.3-5 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 Intentions Are Not Outcomes 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.13.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.