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Questions About an Information Text

A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on answering questions about an information text and finding the sentence that proves it.

Questions About an Information Text is a free 40-minute Grade 1 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.1.1 — ask and answer questions about the facts in an information text. 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:
Grade 1
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
RI.1.1

Grade 1 · Reading: Informational Text

RI.1.1

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Objective

Students will be able to answer a question about an information text and underline the sentence that answers it.

Students are successful when they can

  • Answers a question about a stated fact.
  • Underlines the sentence, not the paragraph.
  • Says when the text does not answer a question.

What you need

  • A short information text, one copy per pair
  • Pencils for underlining
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — three questions before we read

5 min
  1. Show the title. Collect three questions the class wants answered.
  2. Write them up. Do not answer any.

Teach — the sentence that proves it

13 min
  1. Read the text once through.
  2. Take the first question. Find the answer and underline the sentence.
  3. Do the second. Then find one of the three that the text does not answer, and say so.
  4. Ask a new question and have the class direct you to the sentence.
  5. Name the standard: the answer and the proof are two different things, and you need both.
“Good. Now show me the words that make that true.”

Guided practice — underline four

12 min
  1. Pairs answer four questions and underline the sentence for each.
  2. Compare with another pair. Disagreements are where the learning is.

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the fact questions page.
  2. The passage is on the sheet.

Close

2 min
  1. Ask one question. Take the answer and the sentence.
  2. Then ask one the text cannot answer.

What goes wrong, and why

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

Answers from prior knowledge rather than from the text.

Why: They already knew it, so the text was not needed.

Fix: Require the underline. A true answer with nothing underlined does not count, and saying so once is usually enough.

Underlines the heading rather than the sentence.

Why: The heading names the topic and is easy to find.

Fix: Ask whether the heading actually states the fact. It almost never does.

Assumes every question must be answerable.

Why: Questions in school usually are.

Fix: Ask an unanswerable one in every session and treat 'the text does not say' as a correct and valuable answer.

If they are not there yet

  • Give the paragraph and ask for the sentence.
  • Two questions rather than four.

If they finish early

  • Answer a question that needs two sentences.
  • Write a question another pair can answer from the text.
  • Find a fact the text implies but does not state.

Exit ticket

Answer this question and underline the sentence that proves it.

What to look for: Both parts. A right answer with nothing underlined is prior knowledge and will not survive an unfamiliar text.

Printable practice for RI.1.1

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

Questions about Questions About an Information Text

How long does the Questions About an Information Text 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 Questions About an Information Text teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.1 — RI.1.1, Reading: Informational Text for Grade 1: “Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.” In plain terms, ask and answer questions about the facts in an information text.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

A short information text, one copy per pair, pencils for underlining 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 from prior knowledge rather than from the text; underlines the heading rather than the sentence and assumes every question must be answerable. 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 and underline the sentence that proves it.” Both parts. A right answer with nothing underlined is prior knowledge and will not survive an unfamiliar text. 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 Questions About an Information Text?

Yes — 1 printable RI.1.1 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 Questions About an Information Text 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 RI.1.1 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.