The Author's Reasons is a free printable Grade 1 English worksheet on finding the reason an author gives for a point, aligned to Common Core standard RI.1.8. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions, 21 of them with different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
21 of these 25 sets ask different questions — this skill does not have 25 questions to give. The rest reorder them, so no two pupils have the same paper in front of them.
The Author's Reasons
RI.1.8
NameDate
Read the text, then answer the questions.
1.Read the text, then answer the questions.
From Flower to Jar
A honeybee visits about a hundred flowers on one trip. She sucks up nectar and stores it in a special stomach.
Back at the hive, she passes the nectar to another bee. That bee chews it for about half an hour. Then it goes into a wax cell.
The bees fan the cell with their wings. The water dries out and the nectar thickens into honey. Then the cell is sealed with wax.
1. Why do the bees fan the cell with their wings?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.
Why Tall Buildings Do Not Fall Over
A tall building needs a wide, deep base. The base is called a foundation. It spreads the weight into the ground.
Wind pushes hard on a tall building. Inside, a strong core of concrete runs from the bottom to the top like a spine. The core stops the building bending too far.
The tallest buildings sway a little in strong wind. That is meant to happen. A building that could not bend at all would crack.
1. The author says swaying is meant to happen. What reason is given?
LessonPrint · RI.1.8 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — The Author's Reasons
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. To dry the water out of the nectar.
2.1. A building that could not bend at all would crack.
Questions about The Author's Reasons
What does the The Author's Reasons worksheet cover?
It practises finding the reason an author gives for a point — 2 questions for Grade 1, all on Common Core RI.1.8: Find the reasons the writer gives for what they claim. The instruction to pupils is “Read the text, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does The Author's Reasons practise?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.8 — RI.1.8, in the Reading: Informational Text domain for Grade 1. The published standard reads: “Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
The Author's Reasons is written for Grade 1, typically ages 6-7. It is one of the sheets on RI.1.8, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does The Author's Reasons come with an answer key?
Yes. All 2 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of The Author's Reasons can I print?
25 versions, of which 21 ask genuinely different questions — this skill does not have 25 distinct questions to give, so the rest reorder them and no two pupils still share a paper. Set 1 downloads all 25 as one PDF.
Is The Author's Reasons free to print and photocopy?
Yes. The Author's Reasons, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
Is there a lesson plan to teach RI.1.8?
Yes — “Finding an Author's Reasons” is a 40-minute Grade 1 plan for RI.1.8, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. The Author's Reasons is the practice that follows it.
More practice for RI.1.8
Find the reasons the writer gives for what they claim.
Teaching this next? Finding an Author's Reasons is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.