What Counts as a Source?
A 40-minute Kindergarten lesson on the different kinds of thing that can tell you about the past.
What Counts as a Source? is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.His.9.K-2 — name different kinds of historical source. 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:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.His.9.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · History
D2.His.9.K-2
Identify different kinds of historical sources.
Objective
Students will be able to say whether something is a source about the past.
Students are successful when they can
- Names three kinds of source.
- Tells a source from a made-up story.
- Says what a source is left over from.
What you need
- A box of real and pretend sources
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — open the box
5 min- Take out five objects one at a time and name each.
- Do not judge them yet.
Teach — left over from the time it tells you about
13 min- Take the old photograph. Ask when it was made. At the time.
- Take a made-up story about dragons. Ask when it was made. Whenever somebody imagined it.
- Say the test: was it left behind by the time it tells you about?
- Sort five things by that test.
- Add a grandparent's memory and place it — it counts, and it is a person rather than an object.
“It was there at the time. That is what makes it a source.”
Guided practice — sort twelve
12 min- Pairs sort twelve cards into source and not a source.
- For three sources they say what it could tell you.
- Take feedback on the memory card.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the is-it-a-source page.
- Read each item aloud.
Close
2 min- Name a source in this room.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks only old things are sources.
Why: History means old.
Fix: Today's class photograph will be a source in fifty years. Sources are made all the time.
Thinks a story about the past is a source about it.
Why: It is about the past.
Fix: Ask when it was made. A story written now is a source about now.
Thinks a person cannot be a source.
Why: Sources look like objects.
Fix: A grandparent who was there is one of the best sources available.
If they are not there yet
- Six cards rather than twelve.
- Handle the real objects.
If they finish early
- Name a source that could mislead you.
- Say what today would leave behind.
- Say which of two sources you would trust more.
Exit ticket
Is an old letter a source? Is a made-up story? Why?
What to look for: Yes and no, with the left-behind test. Both yes means the when-was-it-made question needs asking.
Printable practice for D2.His.9.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Is It a Source?Sort each one into source or not.
Questions about What Counts as a Source?
How long does the What Counts as a Source? lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 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 What Counts as a Source? teach?
D2.His.9.K-2 — D2.His.9.K-2, History for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Identify different kinds of historical sources.” In plain terms, name different kinds of historical source.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
A box of real and pretend sources 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: thinks only old things are sources; thinks a story about the past is a source about it and thinks a person cannot be a source. 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 an old letter a source? Is a made-up story? Why?.” Yes and no, with the left-behind test. Both yes means the when-was-it-made question needs asking. 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 What Counts as a Source??
Yes — 1 printable D2.His.9.K-2 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 What Counts as a Source? 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.9.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.