Grade 4 · Reading · Informational

4th Grade Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts worksheets

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Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts

Grade 4 Reading Worksheet

NameDate

Read the two texts. Circle the answer to each question.

Read this first
The Fire Drill
Text 1
I was in the library when the alarm rang. My heart pounded, and I held my friend's hand as we walked outside. The librarian counted us again and again. We stood by the fence for a while, and I felt relieved when the bell told us to go back in.
Text 2
A fire drill took place at Maple School on Tuesday. According to the school's records, 146 students left the library in under four minutes. The principal said the drill met the safety goal. Teachers counted each class twice before everyone returned inside.
1.
Which text is the firsthand account?
- both texts
- Text 2
- Text 1
2.
Which text tells how the writer felt?
- Text 1
- Text 2
- both texts
3.
Which text reports facts such as numbers and dates?
- both texts
- Text 1
- Text 2
4.
Which text uses the words I or we?
- Text 2
- both texts
- Text 1
5.
Which text tells about the fire drill?
- Text 2
- Text 1
- both texts

4th Grade Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts worksheet 1 – printable PDF — Download PDF: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Comparing firsthand and secondhand accounts helps fourth graders think about source perspective. A firsthand account comes from someone who experienced or saw the event, while a secondhand account is written by someone describing it later. Students may judge sources by length or excitement instead of asking who created the account and why. This worksheet uses paired texts to compare purpose, evidence, and viewpoint.

Ask your child to identify the speaker before comparing details. Then have them explain how that speaker's role could affect what is included. The best work on this page comes from rereading the text, naming the exact evidence, and explaining why that evidence fits. Encourage students to prove each answer from the passage rather than from memory or a quick impression.

What your child will learn

Identify firsthand accounts
Identify secondhand accounts
Compare source perspectives
Use account evidence

Common Core standard: RI.4.6

Worked example

A diary entry from a storm is firsthand; a textbook paragraph about the same storm is secondhand.

Common mistake

Calling the longer account more reliable without checking who wrote it.

Helpful hint

Ask whether the writer experienced the event directly.

Next skill: Use Visual Information Earlier: Explain Events, Procedures, and Ideas

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with firsthand and secondhand accounts?

Calling the longer account more reliable without checking who wrote it.

How can I help my child with firsthand and secondhand accounts?

Ask whether the writer experienced the event directly.

Are these 4th grade reading worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions on this page are free to download and print, with no account needed.

More 4th grade informational

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