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How Sentences and Paragraphs Connect

A 40-minute Grade 3 lesson on describing the logical connection between sentences and paragraphs in a text.

How Sentences and Paragraphs Connect is a free 40-minute Grade 3 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.3.8 — name how one sentence or paragraph connects to the next. 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 3
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
RI.3.8

Grade 3 · Reading: Informational Text

RI.3.8

Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).

Objective

Students will be able to name what a paragraph does to the one before it — adds to, gives an example of, compares with, contrasts with or explains why — and point to the words that show it.

Students are successful when they can

  • Chooses one of the five connection cards for a paragraph and explains the choice.
  • Names the signal word where there is one ("for example," "like," "instead").
  • Names a connection correctly even when there is no signal word.
  • Describes what the paragraph DOES, not just what it is about.

What you need

  • "Surviving Winter" (five short numbered paragraphs, below), displayed and one copy per pair
  • "Desert Survivors" (five short numbered paragraphs) for guided practice
  • Connection cards per pair: adds to, gives an example of, compares with, contrasts with, explains why
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — what does this one do?

5 min
  1. Read two sentences: "Ants are very strong for their size. For example, an ant can carry a leaf fifty times heavier than itself." Ask pairs to hold up the card that names what the second sentence does.
  2. Most will hold up "gives an example of." Ask: "What made you choose it?" Take "for example" — and point out that is a signal word. Ask: "Would it still be an example without those words?" Yes.

Teach — every paragraph has a job

13 min
  1. Read "Surviving Winter." 1: "Many animals have clever ways to survive the cold winter." 2: "For example, the dormouse curls up in a nest of leaves and sleeps for up to six months." 3: "Like the dormouse, the hedgehog hibernates. It hides under a pile of leaves or logs and sleeps until spring." 4: "Swallows do something completely different. Instead of sleeping, they fly thousands of miles to Africa, where it is warm." 5: "The insects they eat disappear in the cold. With no food, a swallow could not survive the winter here."
  2. For each paragraph after the first, ask: "What does it DO to the one before?" Model 2: gives an example of paragraph 1 — signal "For example."
  3. Model 3: compares with paragraph 2 — signal "Like the dormouse." Ask: "Why not just adds to?" Because it says the hedgehog is the SAME as the dormouse; "adds to" would hide that.
  4. Model 4: contrasts with paragraphs 2 and 3 — signals "completely different" and "Instead."
  5. Read 5 and ask for a card. There is no signal word at the start. Ask: "Does it tell us more, or tell us WHY the swallows leave?" Take "explains why." A connection is still there when nobody announces it.
  6. Remove paragraph 4 and read 3 then 5 aloud. Ask what broke: paragraph 5 talks about "they" and insects, and now nobody knows who or why. Paragraphs are not just chunks — each one does a job for the one before.
“It is not just "the next thing." Every paragraph is doing something to what came before — giving an example, comparing, contrasting, explaining why. Ask what it DOES, not only what it SAYS.”

Guided practice — label four

12 min
  1. Pairs read "Desert Survivors." 1: "Desert animals must survive great heat." 2: "The fennec fox, for example, has huge ears that let heat escape from its body." 3: "Its pale fur reflects sunlight, and its furry feet protect it from the hot sand." 4: "Unlike the fox, the camel does not lose heat through its ears. Instead, it saves water and can go a week without drinking." 5: "There may be no water for many miles."
  2. Pairs label paragraphs 2 to 5 with a card and write the signal word, or "none."
  3. Expected: 2 gives an example of 1 ("for example"); 3 adds to 2 (more about the fox, no signal); 4 contrasts with 2 and 3 ("Unlike," "Instead"); 5 explains why the camel saves water (no signal).
  4. Take feedback on paragraph 5 first — it is the one most pairs will label "adds to." Ask: "Why would a camel need to go a week without drinking?" The answer is paragraph 5, so it explains why.
“If you want to choose "adds to," first check the other four cards. "Adds to" is only right when none of the others fits.”

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the printable practice sheet: a passage with numbered paragraphs and a connection to name for each.
  2. Circulate and ask anyone who has written "adds to" twice: "Which other card did you try first?"

Close — hold up a card

2 min
  1. Read: "Most birds build nests in trees. The cuckoo does not build a nest at all." Pairs hold up a card. Expect "contrasts with," with "does not" as the clue.

What goes wrong, and why

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

Labels every paragraph "adds more information."

Why: It is nearly always true — almost every paragraph does add something — so it feels like a safe answer that cannot be marked wrong. It hides the specific job the paragraph does.

Fix: Make "adds to" the last card tried: students must check the other four first. Use paragraph 3 of "Surviving Winter" to show that "compares with" tells a reader far more than "adds to."

Says paragraph 5 ("The insects they eat disappear") has no connection because there is no signal word.

Why: Signal words like "for example" and "however" have made the earlier choices easy, so the student has learned that the signal IS the connection.

Fix: Ask the question the paragraph answers: "Why do swallows leave?" If a paragraph answers a why about the one before, it explains why, signal or not. Include a no-signal transition in every practice set.

Writes "It is about hedgehogs" for what paragraph 3 does.

Why: Summarizing is the reading habit students use most, so asked about a paragraph they say what it is about. Content and job sound like the same question.

Fix: Ask: "What does it do to paragraph 2?" and point at the cards. The card names a job, not a topic. Model the full answer: "It compares the hedgehog with the dormouse, because both hibernate."

If they are not there yet

  • Use three cards (gives an example of, contrasts with, explains why) before adding "adds to" and "compares with."
  • Use transitions that all have a signal word first, with the signal word highlighted.
  • Give a question for each card ("Is it the same? Is it different? Does it say why?") to ask of each paragraph.

If they finish early

  • Find a paragraph that connects to one two back rather than the last one — paragraph 4 of "Desert Survivors" contrasts with paragraph 2 — and explain how you could tell.
  • Swap paragraphs 2 and 3 of "Surviving Winter" and write what breaks ("Like the dormouse" comes before the dormouse is introduced).
  • Write a new paragraph 6 for "Surviving Winter" that contrasts with paragraph 5, and underline its signal word.

Exit ticket

Paragraph 1: "Bees need flowers to survive." Paragraph 2: "Flowers give bees nectar, which they make into honey to eat." Which card names what paragraph 2 does to paragraph 1? What clue told you?

What to look for: "Explains why" — it says why bees need flowers, with no signal word. "Adds to": still the default card. "It is about honey": describing content, not the job. Leaving it blank: the student needs a signal word to find a connection.

Printable practice for RI.3.8

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

Questions about How Sentences and Paragraphs Connect

How long does the How Sentences and Paragraphs Connect 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 How Sentences and Paragraphs Connect teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.8 — RI.3.8, Reading: Informational Text for Grade 3: “Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).” In plain terms, name how one sentence or paragraph connects to the next.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

"Surviving Winter" (five short numbered paragraphs, below), displayed and one copy per pair, "Desert Survivors" (five short numbered paragraphs) for guided practice, connection cards per pair: adds to, gives an example of, compares with, contrasts with, explains why 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: labels every paragraph "adds more information."; says paragraph 5 ("The insects they eat disappear") has no connection because there is no signal word and writes "It is about hedgehogs" for what paragraph 3 does. 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: “Paragraph 1: "Bees need flowers to survive." Paragraph 2: "Flowers give bees nectar, which they make into honey to eat." Which card names what paragraph 2 does to paragraph 1? What clue told you?.” "Explains why" — it says why bees need flowers, with no signal word. "Adds to": still the default card. "It is about honey": describing content, not the job. Leaving it blank: the student needs a signal word to find a connection. 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 Sentences and Paragraphs Connect?

Yes — 1 printable RI.3.8 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 How Sentences and Paragraphs Connect 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 RI.3.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.