LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

English Language Arts — Grade 1

Goal 1: The learner will develop and apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write.

Objective 1.02. Demonstrate decoding and word recognition strategies and skills:

  • generate the sounds from all the letters and appropriate letter patterns which should include consonant blends and long and short vowel patterns.
  • use phonics knowledge of sound-letter relationships to decode regular one-syllable words when reading words and text.
  • recognize many high frequency and/or common irregularly spelled words in text (e.g., have said, where, two).
  • read compound words and contractions.
  • read inflectional forms (e.g., -s, -ed, -ing) and root words (e.g., looks, looked, looking).
  • read appropriate word families.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

Teaching phonological awareness to LD students
This lesson is designed to help students understand the part/whole word relationships at the sentence level. It enables students to relate the 44 phonemes of the English language to words in print (reading) better. Although this lesson is written based on first-grade goals and objectives, it is designed for second-grade students who are not reading at a first-grade level. This lesson should be taught only with a small group.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts)
By Cynthia Bumgarner.
Phonics fun
Kid Pix Deluxe software is needed for this lesson. Using this program, students will decode and blend one-syllable short-vowel words and words ending with silent "e" to match pictures with words as well as to spell names of pictures.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts)
By Jo Voigt.
Magic E: Decoding/encoding with CVC & CVCE
Students will participate in two activities involving the consonant-vowel-consonant-silent e (CVCE) pattern: a decoding activity involving attaching a clothes pin with the letter e printed on it to consonant-vowel-consonant words (CVC) and sounding the new CVCE words; and an encoding activity involving dictation of CVC and CVCE words from the first activity which students are to write using auditory and tactile strategies. These activities require that students have prior knowledge of consonant and long and short vowel sounds as well as blending of these sounds in CVC pattern words.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts)
By Julia Huff Jerome.
Fishing For vowels
This is an excellent hands-on activity in which the students actively participate in imagining a fishing trip. This lesson is designed to help students learn to recognize grade appropriate sight words. Students are expected to listen to a word and identify the short vowel sound heard.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts)
By Shannon Bradley.

Resources on the web

Writing poetry with rebus and rhyme
This ReadWriteThink lesson uses Jean Marzollo's book I Love You: A Rebus Poem (Scholastic, 2000) as a model to use rebus writing to create wonderful poetry; however, any of the rebus books included on the accompanying book list would be appropriate... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Word wizards: Students making words
This ReadWriteThink lesson uses an active, hands-on activity in which students learn how to look for patterns in words and how to make new words by adding or changing the sequence of letters. Authentic literature provides an excellent framework for teaching... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Word sorts for beginning and struggling readers
In this lesson that introduces short vowel word families, the teacher begins the lesson by reading The Magic Hat and modeling strategies for making predictions using illustrations and rhyming words. The teacher then explains... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Word recognition strategies using nursery rhymes
This lesson from ReadWriteThink uses familiar nursery rhymes to draw attention to words that end with the same letters. Kindergarten and first-grade students are encouraged to create word family lists and compare them to words in different word families. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Whole-to-parts phonics instruction: Teaching letter-sound correspondences
This lesson from ReadWriteThink uses whole-to-parts phonics instruction as an approach to beginning reading. Letter-sound correspondences are taught within a meaningful context, and in an explicit, systematic, and extensive manner. This lesson uses onset-rime... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Using songwriting to build awareness of beginning letter sounds
In this lesson, from ReadWriteThink, students begin by singing a song to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Kindergartners identify and learn letter names and beginning consonant sounds. First graders extend the activity by creating new verses... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Using folk tales: Vowel influences on the letter "G"
In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students are introduced to the irregular spelling pattern of hard and soft g at the beginning of words, using the folk tale genre. Students use the Internet to find and categorize animal names that begin with the letter... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Using a predictable text to teach high-frequency words
In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students develop fluency as they participate in a choral reading of the predictable text. After reading the story, students construct sentences using the words found in the predictable text. Students then have the opportunity... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Teaching short vowel discrimination using Dr. Seuss rhymes
The study of common rimes, or word families, is vital to students' early reading and writing skills. Through the contrast of short vowel patterns, this ReadWriteThink lesson supports first- and second-grade students' use of analogy to apply their knowledge... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Poetry portfolios: Using poetry to teach reading and writing
Students learn to read and write when they have an active interest in what they are reading and writing about. This ReadWriteThink lesson supports students' exploration of language and writing skills as they read and dissect poetry. Through a weekly poem,... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Play with words: Rhyme & verse
Children of all ages enjoy listening to bouncy rhythms and reciting catchy rhymes. In this lesson, students will use their senses to experience poetry. Students will listen to poems and rhymes, clap out syllables, and sing along with familiar tunes. They... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)
Provided by: EDSITEment
Phonics in context
In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, teachers choose literature that contains the necessary phonics elements for instruction, then plan before, during, and after activities for read-aloud or shared reading experiences. Careful and ongoing assessment of students'... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Phonic generalizations in "Chrysanthemum"
This ReadWriteThink lesson uses an active, hands-on activity to teach students how to determine the common and alternative sounds for specific vowel combinations. Authentic literature provides an excellent framework for teaching decoding and spelling. The... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Learning vocabulary down by the bay
This lesson from ReadWriteThink uses a popular children's song that contains several high-frequency vocabulary words to assist students in recognizing, reading, writing, and using the words in several contexts. Students sing the song repeatedly, while following... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Learning centers: From shared to independent practice
To become proficient at any skill, hands-on practice is necessary. This ReadWriteThink lesson provides a framework for using a shared reading experience to introduce independent literacy learning centers. Teaching students to work independently is critical... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Hey diddle, diddle! Generating rhymes for analogy-based phonics instruction
In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, shared reading, guided reading, and small, cooperative-group instruction are used in a first-grade classroom to informally assess students' ability to demonstrate awareness of rhyme or other visual similarities in words.... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink