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Who, What, Where, When, Why and How

A 40-minute Grade 2 lesson on answering the six question words about a story and showing where the answer came from.

Who, What, Where, When, Why and How is a free 40-minute Grade 2 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RL.2.1 — answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions about a story. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, 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:
Grade 2
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
RL.2.1

Grade 2 · Reading: Literature

RL.2.1

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Objective

Students will be able to answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions about a story and point to the words that prove each answer.

Students are successful when they can

  • Answers each question word with the right kind of answer: where = a place, when = a time.
  • Points to or underlines the words in the story that prove the answer.
  • Answers a "why" question by finding the reason in the story, not guessing.
  • Asks one question of their own about the story.

What you need

  • The story "The Lost Kite" on chart paper (in the Teach section)
  • Six question-word cards: who, what, where, when, why, how
  • Highlighters, one per pair
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — question words

5 min
  1. Hold up each card and ask what kind of answer it wants: who = a character, what = an event or thing, where = a place, when = a time, why = a reason, how = the way it happened.
  2. Quick-fire about a story they know well, such as "The Three Little Pigs": "Who blew the houses down?" "Where did the third pig build?" "Why did the wolf fail?"
  3. Ask: "Which question word was hardest to answer?" Most will say why. Today we find "why" answers in the words.
“The question word tells you what to look for. "Where" wants a place. "When" wants a time. "Why" wants a reason.”

Teach — answer, then prove

13 min
  1. Read the story: "The Lost Kite. On a windy Saturday morning, Leo and his grandpa took a red kite to the top of Hill Park. The wind was so strong that the string slipped out of Leo's hand. The kite flew over the trees and landed in a pond. Leo felt like crying. Grandpa found a long stick and gently pulled the kite to the edge. Leo laughed, because the kite was dripping wet but not broken. They laid it in the sun to dry."
  2. Ask: "Who is in the story?" (Leo and his grandpa.) Underline their names.
  3. Ask: "Where were they?" (At the top of Hill Park.) "When?" (On a windy Saturday morning.) Underline both and point out the different kinds of answer.
  4. Ask: "Why did the string slip?" Find the proof: "The wind was so strong..." Show that the reason is right before the event.
  5. Ask: "How did Grandpa get the kite back?" (With a long stick, pulling it to the edge.) Ask: "Why did Leo laugh?" The story tells us: "because the kite was dripping wet but not broken." Circle "because."
  6. Model a wrong answer: "Leo laughed because Grandpa told a joke." Ask: "Can you find that in the story?" No — so it is a guess, not an answer.
“Answer it, then prove it. If you can't put your finger on the words, check again.”

Guided practice — question and prove

12 min
  1. Read a second short story: "After lunch, Mia found a tiny bird on the playground. Its wing was hurt. Mia carried it to Mr. Okoro, the caretaker, in a shoebox. He said they should call the animal rescue. Mia felt proud because she had helped."
  2. Pairs answer: "Who found the bird?" "When?" "Where?" "Why did Mia carry it in a shoebox?" "Why did she feel proud?" and highlight the proof for each.
  3. The shoebox "why" has no "because." Ask: "What can you work out?" (Its wing was hurt, so she wanted to carry it gently.) Point out this answer uses a clue in the story.
  4. Each pair writes one question of their own and swaps with another pair.
“Look for "because" and "so." They often point to the reason.”

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the printable. One sheet gives a story with who, what, where and when questions about details and setting; the other asks them to quote the words that prove an answer.
  2. Remind them to underline the proof before writing each answer.

Close

2 min
  1. Ask: "Why did Leo feel like crying?" Take an answer and ask the child to show the sentence that tells us (the kite landed in a pond).

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Answers "When?" with a place: "When did they fly the kite?" "At Hill Park."

Why: They read the question for its topic (the kite) and pick any detail about it, without noticing which question word was asked.

Fix: Ask them to say the question word aloud and the answer type: "When... a time." Then scan for time words like morning, Saturday, after lunch.

Answers "why" from imagination: "Leo laughed because he was silly."

Why: "Why" feels like an invitation to think, and their own ideas come faster than rereading.

Fix: Ask "Show me where it says that." Reread to find "because the kite was dripping wet but not broken." Praise answers that change after rereading.

Copies the whole paragraph as the answer to "Who is in the story?"

Why: They know the answer is in there and copying everything feels safe.

Fix: Ask for the shortest answer that works: "Leo and his grandpa." Then the proof: underline just the names.

If they are not there yet

  • Use three question words (who, where, when) with picture cues before adding why and how.
  • Read the story aloud twice and pre-highlight the sentence for each answer.
  • Accept oral answers with pointing as proof.

If they finish early

  • Write a "why" question whose answer needs a clue, not a "because," and explain the clue.
  • Find a question the story does not answer ("How old is Leo?") and explain why we cannot know.
  • Write a short story of four sentences that answers all six question words, and swap it with a partner.

Exit ticket

Read: "At bedtime, Sam heard a scratch at the door. He opened it and found his cat, wet from the rain." When did Sam hear the scratch? Why was the cat wet?

What to look for: "At bedtime" and "because of the rain" / "it was raining." "At the door" for when: question word not read. "It fell in a pond": guessing — needs the prove-it habit. Both right with the words underlined: secure.

Printable practice for RL.2.1

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Who, What, Where, When, Why and How

How long does the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 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 Who, What, Where, When, Why and How teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1 — RL.2.1, Reading: Literature for Grade 2: “Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.” In plain terms, answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions about a story.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

The story "The Lost Kite" on chart paper (in the Teach section), six question-word cards: who, what, where, when, why, how, highlighters, one per pair 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: answers "When?" with a place: "When did they fly the kite?" "At Hill Park."; answers "why" from imagination: "Leo laughed because he was silly." and copies the whole paragraph as the answer to "Who is in the story?". 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: “Read: "At bedtime, Sam heard a scratch at the door. He opened it and found his cat, wet from the rain." When did Sam hear the scratch? Why was the cat wet?.” "At bedtime" and "because of the rain" / "it was raining." "At the door" for when: question word not read. "It fell in a pond": guessing — needs the prove-it habit. Both right with the words underlined: secure. 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 Who, What, Where, When, Why and How?

Yes — 1 printable RL.2.1 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 Who, What, Where, When, Why and How 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 October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to RL.2.1 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.