Answering from What You Know
A 35-minute Kindergarten lesson on answering a question from memory or from a given source, and saying which it was.
Answering from What You Know is a free 35-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard W.K.8 — remember something you did, or look in a given book, to answer a question. 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:
- 35 minutes
- Standard:
- W.K.8
Kindergarten · Writing
W.K.8
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Objective
Students will be able to answer a question and say whether the answer came from memory or from a book.
Students are successful when they can
- Answers the question.
- Says where the answer came from.
- Knows the difference between remembering and looking up.
What you need
- Two labelled boxes or columns: I REMEMBERED and I LOOKED IT UP
- One information book
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — how do you know?
5 min- Ask three easy questions: what did you have for breakfast, how many legs a bee has, what your teacher is called.
- After each, ask how they know.
Teach — two ways of knowing
11 min- Put up the two columns. Sort the three warm-up questions into them.
- Answer a new question from memory and put it in the left column.
- Answer another by opening the book, and put it in the right.
- Ask which is better. Neither — they are for different questions.
- Ask a question that could go either way and let them argue it.
“Some things you know. Some things you go and find. Both count, but you have to say which.”
Guided practice — sort six questions
9 min- Give pairs six questions. They decide which column each belongs to.
- Take feedback on any that split the class.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the answering page — half from the text on the sheet, half from experience.
- Read the passage aloud twice.
Close
2 min- Ask one question and take an answer.
- Then ask which column it came from.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Says they remembered something they in fact just read.
Why: It is in their head now, and where it came from is a minute old and not memorable.
Fix: Ask when they learned it. 'Today, from the book' is a different answer from 'I always knew that'.
Refuses to answer from memory because they think looking up is required.
Why: The reading lessons have insisted on going back to the page, and the rule has generalised.
Fix: Name the two kinds of question explicitly. What you had for breakfast is not in any book.
Looks up a question that memory would answer faster.
Why: Looking up feels more like schoolwork.
Fix: Time it once. Ask their own name and have them look for it in the book. The point makes itself.
If they are not there yet
- Sort three questions rather than six.
- Use questions about the classroom, where the answer is visible.
If they finish early
- Find a question that needs both — something remembered and something checked.
- Ask which source they would trust more, and why.
- Ask what to do when memory and the book disagree.
Exit ticket
Answer this question. Now tell me: did you remember it, or did you look it up?
What to look for: The attribution, not the answer. Claiming to remember something just read is the specific confusion this lesson is for.
Printable practice for W.K.8
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Remember and AnswerDraw in the space, then write on the lines.
Questions about Answering from What You Know
How long does the Answering from What You Know lesson take?
35 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 11 min, guided practice 9 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 Answering from What You Know teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.8 — W.K.8, Writing for Kindergarten: “With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.” In plain terms, remember something you did, or look in a given book, to answer a question.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Two labelled boxes or columns: I REMEMBERED and I LOOKED IT UP, one information book 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 they remembered something they in fact just read; refuses to answer from memory because they think looking up is required and looks up a question that memory would answer faster. 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: “Answer this question. Now tell me: did you remember it, or did you look it up?.” The attribution, not the answer. Claiming to remember something just read is the specific confusion this lesson is for. 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 Answering from What You Know?
Yes — 1 printable W.K.8 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 Answering from What You Know 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 W.K.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.