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Taking Only What the Question Needs

A 45-minute Grade 3 lesson on gathering from a source what a question actually needs and leaving the rest.

Taking Only What the Question Needs is a free 45-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D3.1.3-5 — gather what you need from several sources, choosing each for a reason. 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:
45 minutes
Standard:
D3.1.3-5

Grade 3 to Grade 5 · Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence

D3.1.3-5

Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, structure, and context to guide the selection.

Objective

Students will be able to extract from a source only the information their question requires.

Students are successful when they can

  • Takes information that answers the question.
  • Leaves out information that does not.
  • Says why a source was chosen.

What you need

  • Four sources and one written question
  • Note cards, deliberately small
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — copy it all out

5 min
  1. Give one question and one source and ask for everything relevant on a small card.
  2. Let the card run out of room.

Teach — choose the source, then the line

15 min
  1. Take the question: did canal work decline after 1846?
  2. Ask which sources bear on it. The directory and the register. Say why each was chosen.
  3. From the directory take one line: four wharf labourers, eleven porters.
  4. From the register take one line: canal work ended.
  5. Leave the fares, the polling day and the toll rates. They are true and irrelevant.
  6. Say the standard: gathering means choosing, and the reason for the choice is part of the work.
“Does this line move the question forward, or is it just interesting?”

Guided practice — one card each

13 min
  1. Pairs answer one question using two sources, on one small card.
  2. They write beside each line why they took it.
  3. Groups compare cards and challenge anything unnecessary.

Independent practice

9 min
  1. Students complete the 'Taking What You Need From a Source' page.
  2. Check the answers use the source's own words.

Close

3 min
  1. Ask what got left out that somebody was tempted to keep.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Copies everything on the topic.

Why: More looks thorough.

Fix: Read the question again after each line. If the line does not serve it, it goes.

Chooses a source because it is easiest to read.

Why: Effort is the visible cost.

Fix: Ask what it can tell you about this question. Difficulty is not relevance.

Takes a line without recording where it came from.

Why: The source is on the desk now.

Fix: It will not be tomorrow. Write the source name beside every line.

If they are not there yet

  • One source and a question with two lines marked.
  • Choose which of three lines answers the question.

If they finish early

  • Answer a question no single source can serve.
  • Say which source you chose not to use, and why.
  • Gather for two questions from one source without mixing them.

Exit ticket

For 'did canal work decline?', name one line you would take from the trade directory and why.

What to look for: The count of wharf labourers, because it measures the trade. Taking a fare or a date means the relevance test needs another run.

Printable practice for D3.1.3-5

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Taking Only What the Question Needs

How long does the Taking Only What the Question Needs lesson take?

45 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 15 min, guided practice 13 min, independent practice 9 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 Taking Only What the Question Needs teach?

D3.1.3-5 — D3.1.3-5, Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, structure, and context to guide the selection.” In plain terms, gather what you need from several sources, choosing each for a reason.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Four sources and one written question, note cards, deliberately small 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: copies everything on the topic; chooses a source because it is easiest to read and takes a line without recording where it came from. 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: “For 'did canal work decline?', name one line you would take from the trade directory and why.” The count of wharf labourers, because it measures the trade. Taking a fare or a date means the relevance test 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 Taking Only What the Question Needs?

Yes — 1 printable D3.1.3-5 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 Taking Only What the Question Needs 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 D3.1.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.