English Language Arts — Grade 1

Whole language reading: Pumpkin pie baking activity

A whole language literature-based reading lesson that culminates in a cooking extension activity.

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts and Mathematics)

By Amy Durso.

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.

Supermarket sweep: Day 1

Students will talk about choices that families make when purchasing groceries. Students will make a booklet of frequently purchased grocery items.

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Social Studies)

By Angela Hunt and Melody Holmes.

Problem solving with Swimmy

This lesson will stress to the students the importance of working together to solve a problem.

Format: lesson plan (grade K–5 Guidance and Healthful Living)

By Amy Taylor.

The emperor's prize egg

This lesson will introduce students to the life of a penguin. They will explore penguins' habitats, eating habits, and other unique adaptations that they use to survive in Antarctica.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Computer/Technology Skills, English Language Arts, and Science)

By Betty Burleson.

Bulletin board of story elements

This lesson will introduce young children to the elements of stories starting with characters. Children will be involved with interactive writing as they respond to shared reading lessons. Students will illustrate a caption of a character to be displayed on a bulletin board.

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Resources on the web

Let's build a snowman

This ReadWriteThink lesson suggests building a snowman as one way to provide food for birds and animals during the winter. Students read fiction and nonfiction books and access the Internet to gain information about how animals survive during the winter.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

It's okay to be different: Teaching diversity with Todd Parr

After a shared reading of Todd Parr's It's Okay to Be Different, students work in small groups to discuss and write down what makes them diverse. The teacher introduces the topic of diversity by engaging students in an activity... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

From fact to fiction: Drawing and writing stories

Getting children to use their imaginations when writing a story can sometimes be difficult. Drawing, however, can create a bridge between the ideas in a child's head and the blank piece of paper on the desk. In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students use factual... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

The frog beyond the fairy tale character: Searching informational texts

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students consider their prior knowledge about frogs by predicting whether eight statements are true or false. Students verify their predictions through the guided use of the website The Somewhat Amusing World of... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Deeper reading response: A template for teachers

Interacting with and responding to various texts is an important foundation to build in the primary years of a child's education. This lesson from ReadWriteThink details the five expressive and performative engagements for responding to text, as identified... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink