What Language Arts Should a 1st Grader Know?
In 1st grade students should start understanding and using new words throughout the year. A typical course of study for 1st grade language arts will include will include a number of language arts concepts such as:
Pre-reading – Students should be familiar with the parts of a book, as well as the roles of an author and illustrator; blend sounds, such as consonant-vowel-consonant combinations; be able to read the kindergarten sight/Dolch words.
Writing – Students should be able to write all the letters of the alphabet in lower- and upper-case; write their first and last name; spell shorter words correctly, and longer words phonetically.
The alphabet – Students should be able to recite the alphabet, recognize all the letters, and know the sounds they make.
The ideal first grade language arts curriculum should ensure mastery of these concepts and skills for your student. Read on to find out how we can help your student master these crucial concepts, what’s included.
First Grade Reading Goals/Objectives
Reading is a big part of first grade. As your child begins to broaden their reading skills, you’ll notice that they’ll begin to read words everywhere they go and relish in their newly developed skill. It’s important that you read to your child, and vice versa, on a daily basis to help them develop their literacy skills even further. A comprehensive and effective first grade language arts curriculum will help your child accomplish the following goals and objectives:
Increase vocabulary as they blend consonant sounds, vowel and consonant digraphs, and more.
Know the names and sounds of all the consonants and vowels.
Read simple stories fluently and independently.
Retell the main idea of a story and answer questions about the text.
Understand phonics concepts such as consonant combinations.
Develop an understanding of composition.
Identify parts of a story or book.
In first grade, students begin to learn how to organize their thoughts in order to write sentences that are coherent, while also taking into account a number of factors such as those listed below. They’ll learn that paragraphs should have a beginning, middle and end. And although spelling skills may not be fully mastered, using ‘invented’ spelling means that students are understanding letter sounds and spelling things as they hear them when they sound them out.
Below are a few objectives that first graders should be able to master.
Write from top to bottom, left to right while using spacing between words.
Correctly write 3- 4-letter words and longer words phonetically.
Write simple sentences and short stories or paragraphs in chronological order.
Writing Goals/Objectives
Grammar and writing go hand in hand. Without proper grammar skills, students won’t be able to form complete, coherent sentences. In addition to the objectives listed below, using the proper subject-verb agreement, verb tenses, and correct punctuation are just some of the goals first graders should work toward.
Use correct capitalization and punctuation.
Understand and identify the parts of speech and types of sentences.
Identify compound words and distinguish between proper and possessive nouns.
Grammar Goals/Objectives
A child’s first grade language arts education is of the utmost importance for a number of reasons. During this year, students will be introduced to a number of foundational concepts and learn a vast array of crucial skills that will pave the way for the reading and writing that they will continue to build on for years to come.
A first grade language arts curriculum should cover several topics, all with the shared goal of building and improving communication skills. This is accomplished by teaching topics such as phonics, reading, reading comprehension, writing, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling.