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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 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:
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

  • Says "The ice melted because the sun was hot."
  • Puts the SUN IS HOT card before the arrow and ICE MELTS after it.
  • Finds the connection in a new text: "The plants dried up because it did not rain."

What you need

  • The fact text "Sun and Ice" (in Teach), on chart paper
  • Three large cards (SUN IS HOT, ICE MELTS, DUCKS SWIM) and two arrows
  • An ice cube in a cup
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — because

4 min
  1. Say: "I put on my coat because..." Fish for "it was cold."
  2. Say: "The floor was wet because..." Fish for "someone spilled water."
  3. Say: "I am smiling because..." Let them guess. Say: "Because tells us why something happened."
  4. Put the ice cube in a cup on a sunny windowsill or near a warm spot. Say: "We will check it at the end."

Teach — one thing leads to another

10 min
  1. Read: "In winter, the pond turns to ice. The ducks cannot swim. When spring comes, the sun gets hot. The hot sun melts the ice. Then the ducks can swim again."
  2. Ask: "Why did the ice melt?" Fish for "the sun was hot." Point to the sentence "The hot sun melts the ice."
  3. Place SUN IS HOT, then an arrow, then ICE MELTS. Say: "The sun is hot, so the ice melts. The arrow means makes happen. The ice melted because the sun was hot."
  4. Ask: "Why can the ducks swim again?" Fish for "because the ice melted." Add an arrow and DUCKS SWIM after ICE MELTS.
  5. Read the chain left to right with the class: "The sun was hot, so the ice melted, so the ducks could swim."
  6. Then read it backwards with because: "The ducks could swim because the ice melted. The ice melted because the sun was hot."
“The first thing made the next thing happen. Arrow means makes happen. We say it with because.”

Guided practice — make the sentence

8 min
  1. Read: "Plants need water to grow. When it does not rain for a long time, plants dry up. So people water their gardens."
  2. Pairs finish aloud: "The plants dried up because ___." Fish for "it did not rain."
  3. Pairs finish: "People water their gardens because ___." Fish for "the plants need water" or "so the plants do not dry up."
  4. Ask a pair to build it with blank cards and an arrow, drawing a cloud with a cross on one and a droopy plant on the other.
  5. Ask: "Which card goes first, the reason or the thing that happened?" Fish for "the reason, because it happened first."
“Which happened first? That one is the because part.”

Independent practice

6 min
  1. Read the text on the sheet aloud twice.
  2. Read each why question. Children circle the reason, or number the steps in order when the sheet asks what happens next.

Close

2 min
  1. Check the ice cube. Ask: "What happened, and why?" Fish for "it melted because it was warm."
  2. Point out that the class just made a because sentence about a real thing, the same as the book.

What goes wrong, and why

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

Turns it round: "The sun was hot because the ice melted."

Why: "Because" joins two things, and the child has not fixed that the reason is the thing that happened first.

Fix: Use the arrow cards and the real ice cube. Ask: "Which happened first?" That one goes after because. Read it both ways and ask which one makes sense.

Gives a story reason: "The ice melted because the ducks wanted to swim."

Why: In stories, things happen because characters want them to, and the child is applying story logic to a fact text.

Fix: Ask: "Can ducks make ice melt by wanting to?" Reread: "What does the book say melts the ice?" Find "The hot sun melts the ice."

Answers "Why did the ice melt?" with "Because." and nothing else.

Why: The child knows why-questions are answered with because, but has not yet learned that because needs a reason after it.

Fix: Give the frame and point to the card: "Because the ___ was ___." Let them read the card to finish it.

If they are not there yet

  • Act the cause and effect with props: an ice cube in a warm hand.
  • Use a frame with a gap: "The ice melted because the ___ was hot."
  • Work on one connection only, not the chain of three.

If they finish early

  • Build a three-card chain from a new text about rain, puddles and worms.
  • Say what would happen if the sun did not come out: "The ice would not melt, so..."
  • Find a because connection in a class fact book and teach it to a partner.

Exit ticket

Why did the ice on the pond melt? Use because.

What to look for: "The ice melted because the sun was hot." Reversed order means the child cannot yet tell which came first. "Because the ducks wanted to" means story logic in a fact text. "Because" alone means the sentence frame is still needed.

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.

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?

The fact text "Sun and Ice" (in Teach), on chart paper, three large cards (SUN IS HOT, ICE MELTS, DUCKS SWIM) and two arrows, an ice cube in a cup 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: turns it round: "The sun was hot because the ice melted."; gives a story reason: "The ice melted because the ducks wanted to swim." and answers "Why did the ice melt?" with "Because." and nothing else. 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: “Why did the ice on the pond melt? Use because.” "The ice melted because the sun was hot." Reversed order means the child cannot yet tell which came first. "Because the ducks wanted to" means story logic in a fact text. "Because" alone means the sentence frame is still needed. 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 October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to RI.K.3 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.