How Two Things Are Connected
A 30-minute Kindergarten lesson on describing the link between two things in an information text, using because.
How Two Things Are Connected is a free 30-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.K.3 — say how two things in a fact book are connected. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten
- Length:
- 30 minutes
- Standard:
- RI.K.3
Kindergarten · Reading: Informational Text
RI.K.3
With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
Objective
Students will be able to say how two things in a text are connected, using the word because.
Students are successful when they can
- Names both things.
- Says how one leads to the other.
- Uses because, or so, in the sentence.
What you need
- An information text with a clear cause in it
- Two large cards and an arrow
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — because
4 min- Give three sentence halves: 'I put my coat on because...'
- Take answers. The word because is the whole warm-up.
Teach — one thing leads to another
10 min- Read the text. Pick two facts that are linked: the Sun warms the water, and the water goes up.
- Put one on each card with the arrow between them.
- Say the sentence: the water goes up BECAUSE the Sun warms it.
- Now swap the cards and say it backwards. Ask whether that still makes sense. It does not.
- Do a second pair from the same text.
“The arrow only points one way. Which one causes the other?”
Guided practice — make the sentence
8 min- Give pairs two cards from the text and the arrow.
- They arrange them and say the because sentence aloud.
- Take three sentences from the room.
Independent practice
6 min- Students complete the connections page.
- Read the passage aloud twice.
Close
2 min- Give one card and ask for the other, plus the because sentence.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Says the two things are connected because they are both in the book.
Why: It is true, and it is the easiest available connection.
Fix: Require the word because in the sentence. 'Because they are both in the book' can be rejected on the spot as not saying how.
Reverses the cause and the effect.
Why: Two facts side by side have no direction on the page; the direction is in the meaning.
Fix: Say the sentence both ways out loud. One of them will sound wrong, and hearing it is what teaches the direction.
Connects two things that are not connected.
Why: Any two facts from one text can be joined with a sentence if the sentence is vague enough.
Fix: Ask 'if the first one did not happen, would the second still happen?' A real cause fails that test.
If they are not there yet
- Give the two cards already in the right order and ask only for the sentence.
- Use a physical cause they have seen: rain, then a puddle.
If they finish early
- Find a chain of three: the Sun, the water, the cloud.
- Ask what would happen if the first thing did not happen.
- Find two facts in the text that are NOT connected, and say so.
Exit ticket
How are these two things connected? Say it in one sentence with the word because.
What to look for: The word because and the right direction. A reversed sentence means saying it both ways aloud needs repeating.
Printable practice for RI.K.3
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- How Two Things Are LinkedRead the text, then answer the questions.
Questions about How Two Things Are Connected
How long does the How Two Things Are Connected lesson take?
30 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 4 min, teach 10 min, guided practice 8 min, independent practice 6 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does How Two Things Are Connected teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.3 — RI.K.3, Reading: Informational Text for Kindergarten: “With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.” In plain terms, say how two things in a fact book are connected.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
An information text with a clear cause in it, two large cards and an arrow and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: says the two things are connected because they are both in the book; reverses the cause and the effect and connects two things that are not connected. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “How are these two things connected? Say it in one sentence with the word because.” The word because and the right direction. A reversed sentence means saying it both ways aloud needs repeating. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with How Two Things Are Connected?
Yes — 1 printable RI.K.3 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is How Two Things Are Connected free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to RI.K.3 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.