Grade 1. English language arts curriculum

Reading

1 read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning;
- 1 read a few different types of literary texts (e.g., pattern books, rhymes, books from home, simple fiction stories), graphic texts (e.g., calendars, environmental print, signs), and informational texts (e.g., morning messages, strategy charts, instructions, simple non-fiction books, labels)
- 2 identify a few different purposes for reading and choose reading materials appropriate for those purposes (e.g., picture books for entertainment, information, or reflection; simple factual and visual texts for information; magazines for entertainment and interest)
- 3 identify a few reading comprehension strategies and use them before, during, and after reading to understand texts, initially with support and direction (e.g., activate prior knowledge by brainstorming about the cover, title page, or topic; describe how they visualize a character or scene in a text; ask questions about information or ideas presented in a text: I wonder if…?, What if…? Why did…?; identify important ideas in a text)
  - Does the adjective tell you what kind or how many? (1-R.4)
  - Does the adjective compare two or more than two? (1-R.8)
  - Identify time-order words (1-T.2)
  - Put the sentences in order (1-T.3)
  - Use context to identify the meaning of a word (1-X.1)
  - Use words with prefixes and suffixes (1-X.10)
  - Understand words with prefixes and suffixes (1-X.11)
  - What am I? (1-Y.5)
- 4 demonstrate understanding of a text by retelling the story or restating information from the text, including the main idea (e.g., retell a story or restate facts, including the main idea and important events, in accurate time order; role-play or dramatize a story or informational text using puppets or props)
  - Identify time-order words (1-T.2)
  - Put the sentences in order (1-T.3)
- 5 use stated and implied information and ideas in texts, initially with support and direction, to make simple inferences and reasonable predictions about them
  - Compare pictures using adjectives (1-R.1)
  - Compare pictures using comparative and superlative adjectives (1-R.6)
  - Does the adjective compare two or more than two? (1-R.8)
  - What am I? (1-Y.5)
- 6 extend understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge and experience, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (e.g., identify personally significant events in stories, such as losing a tooth or getting a pet; relate information in a text to previous experiences, other familiar texts, movies, or trips)
- 7 identify the main idea and a few elements of texts, initially with support and direction (e.g., narrative: characters, setting, problem/solution; information text: introductory statement, facts, photographs)
- 8 express personal thoughts and feelings about what has been read (e.g., through role playing, drama, visual arts, music, discussion; by developing a plan to act on issues raised in the text)
- 9 begin to identify, with support and direction, the speaker and the point of view presented in a text and suggest a possible alternative perspective (e.g., dramatize the story, taking on the role of different characters; create drawings, paintings, or models to represent the perspective of different characters in a text)
2 recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning;
- 1 identify and describe the characteristics of a few simple text forms, with a focus on literary texts such as a simple fictional story (e.g., characters, setting, events, problem/solution), graphic texts such as a calendar (e.g., names of months and days, a grid, numbers), and informational texts such as a simple “All About____” book (e.g., labels, headings, pictures)
- 2 recognize simple organizational patterns in texts of different types and explain, initially with support and direction, how the patterns help readers understand the texts (e.g., signal words such as first, second, then, finally help to identify time order or sequence)
  - Place sentences on a timeline (1-P.12)
  - Place sentences with irregular verbs on a timeline (1-P.15)
  - Identify time-order words (1-T.2)
  - Put the sentences in order (1-T.3)
- 3 identify some text features (e.g., illustrations, symbols, photographs, title, page number, table of contents) and explain how they help readers understand texts
- 4 identify some simple elements of style, including voice and word choice, and explain, initially with support and direction, how they help readers understand texts (e.g., descriptive words help the reader make better mind pictures of the characters or setting in a story)
  - Compare pictures using adjectives (1-R.1)
  - Use number words (1-R.2)
  - Use sense words (1-R.3)
  - Does the adjective tell you what kind or how many? (1-R.4)
  - Identify adjectives (1-R.5)
  - Compare pictures using comparative and superlative adjectives (1-R.6)
  - Identify comparative and superlative adjectives (1-R.7)
  - Does the adjective compare two or more than two? (1-R.8)
- 3 use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently;
  - 1 automatically read and understand some high-frequency words and words of personal interest or significance, in a variety of reading contexts (e.g., the same word in different graphic representations such as: on the word wall; in shared-, guided-, and independent-reading texts; on shared- and interactive-writing charts; in personal writing; in a variety of fonts)
  - 2 predict the meaning of and solve unfamiliar words using different types of cues, including:
    - semantic (meaning) cues (e.g., familiar words, phrases, sentences, and visuals that activate existing knowledge of oral and written language);
      - Use context to identify the meaning of a word (1-X.1)
      - Choose the synonyms (1-X.2)
      - Choose the antonyms (1-X.3)
      - Use words with prefixes and suffixes (1-X.10)
      - Understand words with prefixes and suffixes (1-X.11)
    - syntactic (language structure) cues (e.g., predictable word order, predictable language patterns, punctuation);
      - Statement, question, command or exclamation? (1-M.6)
      - Is it the naming or action part of the sentence? (1-M.8)
      - Identify nouns in a sentence (1-N.4)
      - Identify proper nouns (1-N.6)
      - Identify action verbs (1-P.2)
      - Identify articles (1-Q.2)
      - Identify adjectives (1-R.5)
      - Identify comparative and superlative adjectives (1-R.7)
    - graphophonic (phonological and graphic) cues (e.g., blending and segmenting of individual sounds in words; visual features of words such as shape and orientation; sound-letter relationships for initial, final, and medial sounds; onset and rime; common spelling patterns; words within words)
      - Use words with prefixes and suffixes (1-X.10)
      - Understand words with prefixes and suffixes (1-X.11)
    - 3 read appropriate, familiar texts at a sufficient rate and with sufficient expression to convey the sense of the text to the reader (e.g., make oral reading of a role in a simple readers’ theatre script sound like natural speech)
  - 4 reflect on and identify their strengths as readers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after reading.
    - 1 begin to identify, with support and direction, a few strategies they found helpful before, during, and after reading
    - 2 explain, initially with support and direction, how their skills in listening, speaking, writing, viewing, and representing help them make sense of what they read (e.g., reading a text independently is easier after hearing it read aloud and/or talking about it in class)

Writing

1 generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience;
- 1 identify the topic, purpose, audience, and form for writing, initially with support and direction (e.g., a personal recount of a past experience, including pictures, to share with family or friends; an “All About the Seasons” book for the class library; labels and captions for a pictograph to share findings with a group after a math investigation)
- 2 generate ideas about a potential topic, using a variety of strategies and resources (e.g., ask questions to identify personal experiences, prior knowledge, and information needs; brainstorm ideas with the class)
- 3 gather information to support ideas for writing in a variety of ways and/or from a variety of sources (e.g., from listening to stories told by family members; from paired sharing with a peer; from observations; from various texts, including teacher read-alouds, mentor texts, and shared-, guided-, and independent-reading texts)
- 4 sort ideas and information for their writing in a variety of ways, with support and direction (e.g., by using pictures, labels, key words, hand-drawn or computer graphics, or simple graphic organizers such as a web, a list, or a five-W’s framework: who, what, when, where, why)
  - Sort words into categories (1-X.4)
- 5 identify and order main ideas and supporting details, initially with support and direction, using simple graphic organizers (e.g., a story ladder, sequence chart) and simple organizational patterns (e.g., time order: first, then, next, finally; order of importance; beginning, middle, and end)
- 6 determine, after consultation with the teacher and peers, whether the ideas and information they have gathered are suitable for the purpose (e.g., use pictures and words to explain their material to a classmate and ask for feedback)
2 draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience;
- 1 write short texts using a few simple forms (e.g., a recount of personally significant experiences; a simple report on topics of interest to the writer and identified in non-fiction reading; “How to” books identifying the steps in a procedure such as “How to Make Applesauce”, including pictures, symbols, and words; a story modelled on characters and events from stories read; their own variation on a familiar poem, chant, or song; a poster for the classroom)
- 2 begin to establish a personal voice in their writing by using pictures and words that convey their attitude or feeling towards the subject or audience (e.g., use pictures and words that project interest or enthusiasm)
- 3 use familiar words and phrases to convey a clear meaning (e.g., some simple, familiar descriptive adjectives of size, feeling, or colour: The black dog was happy.)
- 4 write simple but complete sentences that make sense
- 5 begin to identify, with support and direction, their point of view and one possible different point of view about the topic
- 6 identify elements of their writing that need improvement, including content, organization, and style, using feedback from the teacher and peers
- 7 make simple revisions to improve the content, clarity, and interest of their written work, using a few simple strategies (e.g., cut out words or sentences and reorder them to improve clarity; insert words from oral vocabulary and the class word wall or word webs to clarify meaning and/or add interest)
- 8 produce revised draft pieces of writing to meet criteria identified by the teacher, based on the expectations
3 use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively;
- 1 spell some high-frequency words correctly (e.g., words from their oral vocabulary, the class word wall, and shared-, guided-, and independent-reading texts)
- 2 spell unfamiliar words using a variety of strategies that involve understanding sound-symbol relationships, word structures, and word meanings (e.g., segment words to identify and record individual sound-symbol correspondences, including short vowels and simple long-vowel patterns; listen for rhyming patterns; look for common letter sequences and onset and rime in frequently used words; make analogies between words that look similar; illustrate words to link meaning to spelling)
- 3 confirm spellings and word meanings or word choice using one or two resources (e.g., find pictures or words in a picture dictionary; locate words on an alphabetical word wall using first letter; refer to class-created word webs posted in the classroom)
  - Put the letters in ABC order (1-W.1)
  - Put the words in ABC order (1-W.2)
- 4 use punctuation to help communicate their intended meaning, with a focus on the use of: a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence; a period, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end
- 5 use parts of speech appropriately to communicate their meaning clearly, with a focus on the use of: nouns for names of people, places, and things; the personal subject pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, they; verbs to tell what they do and feel; some adjectives; and simple prepositions of place (e.g., in, on, at, to)
- 6 proofread and correct their writing using a simple checklist or a few guiding questions posted by the teacher for reference (e.g., Can I read it? Does it “sound right”? Does it make sense? Are my word wall words spelled correctly?)
- 7 use some appropriate elements of effective presentation in the finished product, such as print, different fonts, graphics, and layout (e.g., use drawings, photographs, or simple labels to clarify text; print legibly; leave spaces between words)
- 8 produce pieces of published work to meet criteria identified by the teacher, based on the expectations
4 reflect on and identify their strengths as writers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful at different stages in the writing process.
- 1 identify some strategies they found helpful before, during, and after writing (e.g., during a regular writing conference, respond to teacher prompts about what strategies helped at a specific phase in the writing process; identify strategies used before, during, and after writing on a class anchor chart; identify a strategy for future use on a strategy bookmark or chart)
- 2 describe, with prompting by the teacher, how some of their skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing, and representing help in their development as writers
- 3 select pieces of writing they think show their best work and explain the reasons for their selection