How Sentences Connect is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on sorting linked sentences by cause and effect, comparison or sequence, aligned to Common Core standard RI.3.8. It prints 3 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 17 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

One paper per student

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

How Sentences Connect

RI.3.8

NameDate

Sort each one into the right box.

1.Sort each one: Cause and effect or Comparison or Sequence?

Sort: The heat sets the gluten, so the bubbles are locked in., Nobody had looked after the violin, so the bridge came loose., The smaller gear spins faster than the larger one., After the yeast wakes up, it begins to feed on the sugars., In the fall the swallows fly south. The following spring they return., The top millstone turns; the bottom one does not.

Cause and effectComparisonSequence

2.Sort each one: Cause and effect or Comparison or Sequence?

Sort: The salmon does not eat, so it grows thin on the climb., The water comes down by gravity. That is why no pump is needed., The salmon hatches, then swims to the sea, and later returns., Raised letters were slow, while braille dots fit under one fingertip., First the grain falls between the stones. Finally flour comes out at the edge., Q is rare and long, whereas E is common and short.

Cause and effectComparisonSequence

3.Sort each one: Cause and effect or Comparison or Sequence?

Sort: Like the swallow, the salmon returns to where it was born., The gluten traps the gas, and as a result the dough swells., Braille was twelve when he saw the dots; three years later his code was finished., Before the upper gate opens, the water must reach the level above., The insects disappear in October, so the swallows leave., Swallows travel by day, but many other birds travel at night.

Cause and effectComparisonSequence

LessonPrint · RI.3.8 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — How Sentences Connect

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. After the yeast wakes up, it begins to feed on the sugars. — Sequence 2. In the fall the swallows fly south. The following spring they return. — Sequence 3. Nobody had looked after the violin, so the bridge came loose. — Cause and effect 4. The heat sets the gluten, so the bubbles are locked in. — Cause and effect 5. The smaller gear spins faster than the larger one. — Comparison 6. The top millstone turns; the bottom one does not. — Comparison
2.1. First the grain falls between the stones. Finally flour comes out at the edge. — Sequence 2. Q is rare and long, whereas E is common and short. — Comparison 3. Raised letters were slow, while braille dots fit under one fingertip. — Comparison 4. The salmon does not eat, so it grows thin on the climb. — Cause and effect 5. The salmon hatches, then swims to the sea, and later returns. — Sequence 6. The water comes down by gravity. That is why no pump is needed. — Cause and effect
3.1. Before the upper gate opens, the water must reach the level above. — Sequence 2. Braille was twelve when he saw the dots; three years later his code was finished. — Sequence 3. Like the swallow, the salmon returns to where it was born. — Comparison 4. Swallows travel by day, but many other birds travel at night. — Comparison 5. The gluten traps the gas, and as a result the dough swells. — Cause and effect 6. The insects disappear in October, so the swallows leave. — Cause and effect

More practice for RI.3.8

Name how one sentence or paragraph connects to the next.

Teaching this next? How Sentences and Paragraphs Connect is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.3.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.