Compare Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts

Compare accounts of the same event, noticing differences in focus, point of view, and information provided.

How the lesson starts: Compare Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts

The Great Snail Race
Every spring, Mossy Hollow holds the Great Snail Race. This year, two writers told the story. Pim the snail raced in it. Kwame the crow wrote about it later for the newspaper. Who was really there?
Spot the clues
A firsthand account is written by someone who was there. It uses I and we. It shares feelings and close-up sights and sounds. A secondhand account is written by someone who wasn't there. It uses he, she, and they, with numbers and facts.
Pim's diary
Pim writes: I lined up at the start, and my shell felt wobbly. The crowd cheered so loudly that my antennae tingled. Look at the clues. I and my. A wobbly feeling. Tingling antennae. Pim was there. It's a firsthand account!