What Facts Would Settle It?
A 40-minute Grade 2 lesson on naming exactly which facts would settle a question, and which are missing.
What Facts Would Settle It? is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D1.3.K-2 — name the facts a smaller question needs. 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:
- D1.3.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries
D1.3.K-2
Identify facts and concepts associated with a supporting question.
Objective
Students will be able to name the facts a question needs and say whether a source records them.
Students are successful when they can
- Names the facts needed.
- Says which source would hold each.
- Spots a fact no source records.
What you need
- The council minutes, the census page and the school log
- Question cards
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — what would settle it?
5 min- Ask 'did the roof repair pass?'. Take what would settle it.
- The numbers for and against.
Teach — and does anything record it?
13 min- Name the facts needed and find them in the minutes.
- Now ask 'why did two vote against?'. Name the fact needed: their reasons.
- Look in the minutes. It is not there.
- Say the Grade 2 addition: a needed fact may simply never have been written down.
- Ask what other source might hold it — a newspaper, a letter, a memory.
“The minutes record what was decided, not why. That is a gap, and it is worth naming.”
Guided practice — need it, find it
12 min- Pairs name the facts four questions need.
- They locate each in a source or mark it unrecorded.
- They suggest another source for one unrecorded fact.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the what-facts page.
- Read each question aloud.
Close
2 min- Take one fact no source records.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Assumes every needed fact exists somewhere.
Why: School questions usually have answers.
Fix: The minutes do not record reasons. Some facts were never written down.
Names a fact vaguely.
Why: 'Information about the vote' feels sufficient.
Fix: Ask exactly what number or name would settle it.
Guesses the fact rather than locating it.
Why: A plausible number arrives quickly.
Fix: Point at it in the source, or mark it unrecorded.
If they are not there yet
- Two questions rather than four.
- Give the source and find the fact.
If they finish early
- Find a fact two sources record differently.
- Say what record you wish had been kept.
- Say how a historian works round a missing fact.
Exit ticket
To answer 'why did two councillors vote against?', what fact do you need? Does any source hold it?
What to look for: Their reasons, and 'not in the minutes'. Assuming it is recorded means the gap point needs repeating.
Printable practice for D1.3.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- What Facts Would Settle It?Circle what you would need to know.
Questions about What Facts Would Settle It?
How long does the What Facts Would Settle It? 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 Facts Would Settle It? teach?
D1.3.K-2 — D1.3.K-2, Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Identify facts and concepts associated with a supporting question.” In plain terms, name the facts a smaller question needs.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The council minutes, the census page and the school log, question 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: assumes every needed fact exists somewhere; names a fact vaguely and guesses the fact rather than locating it. 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: “To answer 'why did two councillors vote against?', what fact do you need? Does any source hold it?.” Their reasons, and 'not in the minutes'. Assuming it is recorded means the gap point needs repeating. 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 Facts Would Settle It??
Yes — 1 printable D1.3.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 Facts Would Settle It? 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 D1.3.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.