English Language Arts — Grade 1

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Stop signs, McDonald's, and Cheerios: Writing with environmental print

Students read words found on everyday objects and use them to identify individual letters in this lesson that teaches alphabet recognition and initial reading skills. First, the teacher uses packaging and logos from common products to encourage students... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Shhh! Bear's sleeping: learning about nonfiction and fiction using read-alouds

The teacher introduces students to many different genres of literature in this lesson that explores the differences between fiction and nonfiction. After reading “Big Paws,” the teacher engages students in a discussion about bears and creates... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Reading and writing about whales using fiction and nonfiction texts

This lesson from ReadWriteThink teaches students how to formulate research questions and write letters. The lesson uses the nonfiction picture book Big Blue Whale by Nicola Davies to present factual information about blue whales and the fiction... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Rain, ice, steam: Using reading to support inquiry about the water cycle

This unit of study allows students to discover the repetitive cycle of water. Read-alouds introduce the topic of rain and hands-on experiments and classroom centers teach students about the water cycle and how it functions. After introducing the topic of... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Persuasive writing: What can writing in family message journals do for students?

This ReadWriteThink lesson shows children how they can use daily journal communication with families to serve their needs. By involving children in writing several messages with varied purposes, each related to school activities, this lesson helps students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Our community: Creating ABC books as assessment

Students study the theme of community and collect vocabulary words and key concepts from areas they study in class. Using this information, they create alphabet books that relate each letter of the alphabet with a fact, keyword, or phrase from the unit... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Mail time! An integrated postcard and geography study

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students write to friends and family asking them to send picture postcards. This activity provides motivation for writing and reading and provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about maps as students discover where... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Social Studies)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

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

Launching family message journals

This lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces Family Message Journals, a tool for encouraging family involvement and supporting writing to reflect and learn. First and second graders are led into composing through demonstration, guided writing, and finally... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Get Writing with "Weekend News!"

In this lesson, from ReadWriteThink, students write about their weekends, using skills they have learned in writing workshop. Following the writing, students self-assess their work based on criteria developed in the classroom. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Family message journals teach many purposes for writing

This lesson from ReadWriteThink describes the use of Family Message Journals. Family Message Journals are tools for learning, thinking, and self-expression. By writing several messages with varied purposes, students begin to experience that journal writing... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Egyptian symbols and figures: Scroll painting

This lesson plan from EDSITEment introduces students to the writing, art, and religious beliefs of ancient Egypt through hieroglyphs, one of the oldest writing systems in the world, and through tomb paintings. The lesson plan is in two parts. In this second... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Egyptian symbols and figures: Hieroglyphs

This lesson plan from EDSITEment introduces students to the writing, art, and religious beliefs of ancient Egypt through hieroglyphs, one of the oldest writing systems in the world. The lesson plan is in two parts. In this first lesson, the class creates... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Draw a story: Stepping from pictures to writing

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students draw a series of pictures that tell a simple story that includes character action, problem and solution. They 'read' their story to others, transcribe it into writing, and create an accordion book with the drawings... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Draw a math story: From the concrete to the symbolic

This ReadWriteThink activity begins with the reading aloud of several math-oriented stories, identifies key mathematical vocabulary terms, models math story writing, and then gives students an opportunity to write addition and subtraction stories. Students... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Completing the circle: The craft of circular plot structure

In this lesson, from ReadWriteThink, students explore the organizing structure and writer's craft of picture books. They then identify, explore, and apply the elements of circle plot structures to their own stories. This lesson uses an interactive Circle... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Collaborating on a class book: Exploring before-during-after sequences

In this ReadWriteThink classroom project, students and the teacher produce a class book through a group-writing activity focusing on a basic before-during-after sequence of events. In this case, the book focuses on the carving of the class jack-o-lantern,... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Book buddy biographies: Intermediate and primary students working together

This lesson from ReadWriteThink has students create a personalized biography for their reading buddy, and each child is the author, illustrator, and editor. Book Buddies is a program which pairs up a child from a primary class and a child from an intermediate... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

The big green monster teaches phonics in reading and writing

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink students begin with a shared reading of the story, Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley. After the shared reading, students engage in a paired reading of the online version to build fluency and word... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink