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History · Years 3-6
How can I teach children to compare two historical accounts?
Compare simulated accounts of one event and identify shared details and different perspectives.
Download: One event, two accounts
A4 PDF · 2 pages · free · no sign-up
Print page 1 for the activity and keep page 2 for teaching notes, answers or review criteria.
Use A4 paper at 100% or Actual size. Suggested years or grades are selection aids, rather than curriculum alignment claims.
How to use this resource
- Underline the shared rain detail, then show how each writer selects a different part of the event.
- Use the supplied example or task brief. Let the learner respond through writing, drawing, discussion or their usual communication method.
- Review the answers or criteria below. Look for agreement and difference identified separately from a judgement about overall reliability.
What is in the printable?
Simulated sources for an invented 1998 fair. A, organiser's diary: "Rain began after lunch. We moved two stalls inside and the book stall stayed busy." B, visitor's note: "I arrived after lunch in the rain. The outdoor game was closed, so I left early." These are teaching examples, not authentic historical documents.
- Name one detail both accounts support.
- Name one detail found only in A.
- Name one detail found only in B.
- Must the accounts contradict each other? Explain.
- What extra evidence would help investigate how the whole fair went?
Make it easier or add challenge
More support
Use a both / A only / B only table and compare one sentence at a time.
More challenge
Explain how each writer's role might influence what they noticed without assuming either is lying.
What to look for
Look for agreement and difference identified separately from a judgement about overall reliability.
Teacher answers and suggested responses
1. Rain after lunch.
2. Two stalls moved inside or the book stall stayed busy.
3. The outdoor game was closed or the visitor left early.
4. No. They describe different experiences and features of the same event.
5. Examples: other visitors' accounts, stall records, a programme, photographs with context. One organiser and one visitor do not represent everyone.
Further teaching guidance
Related guidance from EP for Schools: How can we make history source work more accessible for pupils with SEND?
Try another activity
Deliver individually or in a small group
Choose one learning aim from this activity. Model one example, work through another together, then give each pupil a turn with a fresh example. In a group, ask everyone to think or show a response before sharing; one confident answer does not show what the whole group understands.
Keep the task’s more-support option available. Allow the usual communication tools, practical materials or drawing where these preserve the learning aim. Reduce the number of examples if needed, rather than rushing through the sheet.
What progress should I look for?
Look for agreement and difference identified separately from a judgement about overall reliability.
Note the example used and whether the response was independent, followed a general prompt or needed a model. Try a different example on a later occasion and look for clearer reasoning or less support on a comparable task. Use these observations to plan the next teaching step.
Printing, access and sharing
Use separate paper or a different recording method when more space or an accessible format is needed. Free to print and copy within your school, setting or family. Retain the website credit and share this teaching page with other settings.