Unit Plan 28 (Grade 1 ELA): Cause & Effect and Idea Connections
Grade 1 informational reading and listening unit: students describe cause-and-effect relationships, ask key-detail questions, and practice clarifying information during discussions or media.
Focus: Event/idea relationships; listening questions & clarifications
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading Informational • Speaking/Listening)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Informational texts often tell why something happens and what happens because of it. This week, students will notice event/idea relationships (cause → effect), use question words to find key details in text, and practice asking for clarification when listening—so they can understand and explain how ideas connect.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Describe connections between events/ideas in a text using simple language such as because, so, then (RI.1.3).
- Ask and answer questions about key details (who/what/where/when/why/how) to understand the text (RI.1.1).
- While listening to a speaker or media, ask/answer questions to gather more information or clarify what wasn’t understood (SL.1.3).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 1
- RI.1.3 Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
- RI.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- SL.1.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.
Success Criteria — student language
- I can tell why something happened (because) and what happened next (so/then).
- I can ask a question to find a key detail in the text.
- I can ask for clarification politely: “Could you repeat that?” “Do you mean ___?” and answer to help a partner understand.