Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts 4th Grade Worksheets

Print worksheet gives 6 lines from accounts: circle firsthand or secondhand under each.

A sample is on the sheet. What you type replaces it.

What you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to us.

Made at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.6.Firsthand or secondhand?The science magazine reported that viewers counted dozens of meteorsthat night.firsthandsecondhandA book about the launch explains that the rocket burned its fuel inminutes.secondhandfirsthandI was standing on the dock when the whale rose out of the water.secondhandfirsthandMy ears rang for an hour after the drum line marched past me.firsthandsecondhandThe yearbook says the kite contest was won by a fourth grader.firsthandsecondhandWe watched from our porch as the creek crept up to the road.firsthandsecondhand
Made at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.6.Firsthand or secondhand?Answer keyThe science magazine reported that viewers counted dozens of meteorsthat night.firsthandsecondhandA book about the launch explains that the rocket burned its fuel inminutes.secondhandfirsthandI was standing on the dock when the whale rose out of the water.secondhandfirsthandMy ears rang for an hour after the drum line marched past me.firsthandsecondhandThe yearbook says the kite contest was won by a fourth grader.firsthandsecondhandWe watched from our porch as the creek crept up to the road.firsthandsecondhand
More options

All 140 lines

Lines from an account 74

  • A book about the launch explains that the rocket burned its fuel in minutes.
  • A history of the school says the first concert was held in the gym.
  • A magazine story says the winner spelled her last word in ten seconds.
  • A news report said the balloon festival drew pilots from six states.
  • A pamphlet at the library tells how the old lighthouse was moved inland.
  • A summary of the game says the home team scored twice in the last minute.
  • A writer who interviewed the climbers described the view from the top.
  • According to the newspaper, about two hundred people came to the school fair.
  • According to the weather report, three feet of snow fell on the town.
  • An online article says the students' robot finished the course first.
  • The article says the keeper opened the zoo gates at nine.
  • The author, who was born long after the flood, based the chapter on old letters.
  • The biography says the inventor built her first robot at age twelve.
  • The caption in the history book says the mural took one weekend to paint.
  • The class read an article about how the eclipse darkened the sky at noon.
Show all 140 lines (125 more)

Lines from an account, continued

  • The documentary explains how the volunteers planted a thousand trees.
  • The encyclopedia entry describes how the dam was built.
  • From my seat in the third row, I saw the magician drop the card.
  • The guidebook says campers once cooked over open fires at the lake.
  • Historians think the town's first train arrived in the spring.
  • I carried the flag at the front of the parade, and my arms trembled.
  • I could smell the popcorn before I even reached the school fair.
  • I counted eleven shooting stars from my sleeping bag that night.
  • I dug up the first potato myself, and it was the size of my shoe.
  • I felt the basket lift as our balloon left the ground.
  • I heard the crowd gasp when my kite snapped its string.
  • I held my breath as the zoo gates swung open.
  • I helped cut the ribbon, and then we all walked across the new bridge.
  • I pressed my nose to the glass and watched the first train pull in.
  • I remember the smell of campfire smoke on my jacket for days after the trip.
  • I saw the goalie dive, and the ball slipped right past her glove.
  • I shook the mayor's hand, and she pinned a ribbon on my shirt.
  • I tasted salt on my lips as our boat bounced over the waves.
  • I waited in line for an hour to see the dinosaur bones up close.
  • I was standing on the dock when the whale rose out of the water.
  • I wore two pairs of gloves, and my fingers still froze at the sled race.
  • In my diary that night, I wrote that my legs felt like noodles after the climb.
  • The museum sign says the bridge took two years to build.
  • My cousin told me what her friend saw at the telescope night.
  • My ears rang for an hour after the drum line marched past me.
  • My hands shook when I lit the first candle on the stage.
  • My heart raced as I stepped up to spell the final word.
  • My sister and I sold forty cups of lemonade before the rain started.
  • My team built the robot, and I pushed the button that started it.
  • The newsletter says the mayor gave ribbons to twelve students.
  • The newspaper reported that the lights were out for ten minutes.
  • Our boots filled with water as we carried sandbags to the river.
  • Our canoe tipped, and I laughed as I waded to shore.
  • The radio announcer told listeners that the parade lasted two hours.
  • The reporter, who arrived the next day, wrote about what the storm had been like.
  • Reporters wrote that the families carried sandbags to the river all night.
  • Researchers who studied the photos say the creek rose four feet.
  • The retelling in our reader says the crowd waited an hour to see the bones.
  • The science magazine reported that viewers counted dozens of meteors that night.
  • Scientists who read the old ship logs say the waves that day were ten feet high.
  • The sky went dark at noon, and I heard the birds around me go quiet.
  • The teacher told us what her grandfather had said about the sled race.
  • The textbook explains that forty neighbors built the barn in a single day.
  • The town records show that the harvest that year filled twelve wagons.
  • We cheered until our throats hurt when the last runner crossed the line.
  • We felt the ground rumble as the rocket left the pad.
  • We huddled in the hallway while hail pounded the roof above us.
  • We painted the mural all weekend, and I still have blue under my fingernails.
  • We passed boards up the ladder all morning until the barn had a roof.
  • We planted the last tree at sunset, and my arms ached all night.
  • We sang so loudly at the concert that I lost my voice.
  • We set up our telescope on the hill and took turns at the eyepiece.
  • We shoveled for three hours before we could even see our mailbox.
  • We watched from our porch as the creek crept up to the road.
  • The website states that the whale stayed near the dock for an hour.
  • When the lights went out, I grabbed my brother's hand and we counted to ten.
  • Witnesses told the reporter that the goalie dove the wrong way.
  • The yearbook says the kite contest was won by a fourth grader.
  • Years later, a writer who had only read about the storm described how the hail broke windows across town.

Kinds of source 66

  • a biography of a deep-sea diver written by a historian
  • a blog post about a parade the writer saw only in photos
  • a blog post by a runner about the race she ran
  • a book report about an astronaut's memoir
  • a children's book about the balloon festival by an author who was not there
  • a classmate's retelling of what her uncle saw
  • a daily log written by a zookeeper about her animals
  • a diary entry by a sailor on the ship
  • a documentary made fifty years after the race
  • a field notebook from a student on the pond trip
  • a grandson's account of what his grandmother saw at the launch
  • a history book about the lighthouse
  • a journal kept by a hiker during the climb
  • a letter from a baker describing his opening day
  • a letter home from a girl at summer camp
  • a logbook entry by the lighthouse keeper on duty
  • a magazine article that sums up three interviews
  • a memoir by a musician about her first concert
  • a memory book written by the class that built the garden
  • a movie based on a climber's journal
  • a museum sign that explains how the bridge was built
  • a news broadcast that repeats what the fire chief said
  • a newsletter article that quotes people who rode the train
  • a newspaper story about the blizzard by a reporter who reached town a day later
  • a pamphlet about the mural written by the tourist office
  • a photo caption written by the photographer who took the picture
  • a podcast in which a host describes an eclipse he read about
  • a poem a fisherman wrote about his night at sea
  • a postcard from a boy watching the parade
  • a poster about the garden made by a class that read about it
  • a radio call from the pilot during the landing
  • a recap of the game written by someone who read the box score
  • a recording of a rescuer describing what she did
  • a reference book entry about the sled race
  • a report by the goalie on the save she made
  • a research paper on the blizzard written decades later
  • a retelling of a sailor's diary in a storybook
  • a scrapbook page written by a camper about her week
  • a ship's log kept by the captain during the voyage
  • a short history of the bakery written for its fiftieth year
  • a sketchbook note by an artist who painted the mural
  • a slideshow a student made from library books about the flood
  • a speech by the pilot about her own flight
  • a study of old ship logs by a scientist
  • a survey filled in by people who rode the first train
  • a teacher's lesson about the town's first harvest fair
  • a text message from a fan inside the stadium
  • a textbook chapter about the flood
  • a thank-you note from a child who rode in the balloon
  • a timeline of the storm made by students from news articles
  • a tour guide's talk about how the dam was built long ago
  • a travel journal by a family on a road trip
  • a video diary recorded by an astronaut in orbit
  • a weather journal kept by a girl during the blizzard
  • a website that retells the story of the first train
  • an article about a rescue based on phone calls with the rescuers
  • an autobiography of a deep-sea diver
  • an email from a volunteer who planted the trees
  • an encyclopedia article about the voyage
  • an essay on the funnel cloud based on eyewitness reports
  • an eyewitness report from a farmer who saw the funnel cloud
  • an interview with a firefighter who fought the blaze
  • an online encyclopedia entry on the zoo's opening day
  • an oral history told by a woman who lived through the flood
  • notes a scientist wrote while watching the eclipse
  • testimony from a witness who saw the bridge open

How this list was compiled: Written for this page. A firsthand account comes from someone who was there and tells what they saw, heard, felt or did; a secondhand account comes from someone who was not there and retells what others reported. In the first set each line is one or two sentences from such an account; in the second each line names a kind of source, such as a diary entry or an encyclopedia article. Every event is invented and no real person is quoted. The two terms are used as the Common Core reading standard RI.4.6 uses them, read 2 October 2026. Wikipedia's articles Primary source and Secondary source, read the same day, note that historians sometimes treat a memoir written long afterward as a secondary source; these sheets follow school usage, where any account by a person who was there is firsthand. Licence: own work

How it works

A firsthand account comes from someone who was there; a secondhand account retells what others reported. Each sheet draws 6 of our lines, all about invented events, with the two words to circle under each.

Read the full guide

Lines from an account

Ask who is telling. I held my breath as the zoo gates swung open is firsthand: the writer stood at the gate. The article says the keeper opened the zoo gates at nine is secondhand: someone is passing on what others reported.

Kinds of source

The second set under Set names a source in place of quoting it: a diary entry by a sailor on the ship, an encyclopedia article about the voyage. A source is firsthand when its maker saw or did the thing.

  • Clue words for secondhand: the article says, according to, historians think.
  • These sheets stop at telling the two kinds apart; comparing two accounts of one event takes two passages.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a firsthand and a secondhand account?

A firsthand account is told by a person who took part in the event or watched it, often with I or we and what they saw and felt. A secondhand account is written by someone who was not there, from what others said or wrote.

Is a diary a firsthand or secondhand account?

Firsthand, when the writer records what happened to them. So are letters, journals, autobiographies, logbooks and interviews with people who were there. Encyclopedias, textbooks, biographies and most news articles are secondhand.

What grade learns firsthand and secondhand accounts?

Grade 4. The Common Core asks fourth graders to compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic (RI.4.6). These sheets practice the first step: telling which kind a line or a source is.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. It prints as the last page and circles firsthand or secondhand under every line of your sheet. Uncheck Add an answer key as the last page under More options to leave it off.

More tools

Show 5 more

Browse Handwriting