2nd Observed Lesson

Grade: 4th

Standards:
- Reading Informational Text Standard 6: Compare and contrast a firsthand and
secondhand account of the same event or topic.
- Social Studies Standard 3 Objective 1: Describe the responsibilities and rights of
individuals in a representative government as well as in the school and community.

Objectives:
- Students will be able to identify how Martin Luther King Jr. had an impact on their lives.
- Students can identify if a text is a firsthand or secondhand account.
- Students can compare and contrast the information given from a firsthand account and
a secondhand account.

Materials:
- Example story with firsthand and secondhand account
- Handouts
- Firsthand and secondhand accounts on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream
Speech”.
- Post-its

Essential Questions:
- What is Martin Luther King Jr. famous for?
- What problem was happening in the world? How did he hope to solve this problem?
- Why is his “I Have a Dream” speech so famous?
- What are the events that happened during Martin Luther King Jr.’s life?

Vocabulary:
- Firsthand, secondhand, segregation

Phase I:
- As a whole group, we will introduce what firsthand account and secondhand account
means.
- Explain how firsthand is from someone who actually experienced something and that
secondhand is someone who has heard about it and is retelling.
- Give a short example for students to understand how to differentiate between firsthand
and secondhand account.

Transition to Phase II:

- Share two excerpts of the same story, with different accounts of the same topic.
- Have students raise a number 1 if they think the text is firsthand or a number 2 if the
text is secondhand.
- Draw a venn diagram on the board to compare and contrast.
 - Review what was similar in both accounts, and what was different. Have students share
with a partner and write a similarity on a post-it note. Then post on the board.
- Do the same post-its for differences between the stories.

Phase II:
- Monitor that students are working in pairs and that they agree upon a similarity of
difference in the accounts.
- Ask students if the narrator was there for the event.

Transition to Phase III:

- Review who Martin Luther King Jr. is and what he is known for. Explain what the
importance of “I Have a Dream Speech” is.
- Students will now listen or read an account of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream
Speech”. While doing this, they will complete a graphic organizer where they need to
determine if it is a firsthand or secondhand account and any details they notice.
- After all 4 accounts have been show to students, have them think about what was
similar between all the accounts.
- Then have them think about what might have been different between the firsthand and
secondhand accounts.

Phase III:
- If needed, break students into a small group to help with the comparing and contrasting
of the two stories.
- Give students ample opportunity to determine if it is firsthand or secondhand.

Adaptations for EL/Special Needs:

- Pull small groups if necessary.
- Explain graphic organizer visually and orally.
- Write objectives on the board.
- Give students extra time if needed to complete the graphic organizer.
- Provide adequate wait time after asking a question.
- Students can give information orally rather than written if needed.