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Asking About an Explanation

A 40-minute Kindergarten lesson on asking a question that fills the gap in somebody's explanation.

Asking About an Explanation is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D4.5.K-2 — ask and answer questions about an explanation. 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 to Grade 2
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
D4.5.K-2

Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action

D4.5.K-2

Ask and answer questions about explanations.

Objective

Students will be able to name the part of an explanation they did not follow and ask about it.

Students are successful when they can

  • Says what they did follow.
  • Names the part they did not.
  • Asks a question about that part.

What you need

  • Explanations with a step missing
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — follow this

5 min
  1. Give an explanation with a step missing and ask the class to follow it.
  2. Wait for somebody to notice.

Teach — say where you got to

13 min
  1. Take 'I do not get it' and say why it is hard to help with.
  2. Model the better shape: 'I followed it up to the mill. After that I am not sure.'
  3. Name the two halves: what you did follow, then what you did not.
  4. Answer it and have the child say it back.
  5. Do a second with a different missing step.
“Tell me the last part you understood. Then I know where to start.”

Guided practice — find the gap

12 min
  1. Pairs give explanations with a deliberate gap.
  2. The listener asks a two-part question to find it.
  3. They swap.

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the asking-about-an-explanation page.
  2. Read each explanation aloud.

Close

2 min
  1. Give a gappy explanation. Take the best question.

What goes wrong, and why

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

Says 'I do not get it' and stops.

Why: It is true and it is all they can locate.

Fix: Ask for the last thing they did follow. Working forward from there finds the gap.

Says nothing and pretends to follow.

Why: Not understanding feels like failing.

Fix: Build the gap in on purpose. When the explanation is genuinely incomplete, asking is correct.

Asks about a part they did understand.

Why: It is easier to ask about something familiar.

Fix: The two-part shape forces them to locate the boundary first.

If they are not there yet

  • Give the question frame.
  • Three-step explanations.

If they finish early

  • Find a gap nobody else noticed.
  • Ask a question whose answer needs two steps.
  • Explain the missing step yourself.

Exit ticket

This explanation is missing something. Write a question that would fill it.

What to look for: A question naming a part. 'I do not get it' means the last-thing-you-followed prompt needs to become routine.

Printable practice for D4.5.K-2

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

Questions about Asking About an Explanation

How long does the Asking About an Explanation 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 Asking About an Explanation teach?

D4.5.K-2 — D4.5.K-2, Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Ask and answer questions about explanations.” In plain terms, ask and answer questions about an explanation.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Explanations with a step missing 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 'I do not get it' and stops; says nothing and pretends to follow and asks about a part they did understand. 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: “This explanation is missing something. Write a question that would fill it.” A question naming a part. 'I do not get it' means the last-thing-you-followed prompt needs to become routine. 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 Asking About an Explanation?

Yes — 1 printable D4.5.K-2 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 Asking About an Explanation 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 D4.5.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.