Reading ideas for first grade (2024)

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First Grade Reading Comprehension Activities

First grade is an exciting time of discovery for early readers. They’re spending less time decoding and word solving and more time comprehending and making sense of the texts they’re reading. Early readers are building reading identities and reading for meaning and joy. Explicitly teaching reading comprehension strategies like making predictions, asking questions, retelling, and inferring helps young readers build the skills they need. These first grade reading comprehension activities are a good place to start.

1. String up a retelling rope

Learning how to retell a story helps young learners as readers and thinkers. It helps them organize their thoughts as they read and recognize when their thinking changes. Using these symbols representing different elements of a story, students can string up a cute retelling rope while gaining valuable comprehension skills.

Learn more: First Grade W.O.W.

2. Visualize the story with illustrations

Visualizing is an important skill for understanding what you’re reading. This blog includes two fun visualizing activities. In the first, students are given a title and are asked to draw an illustration that matches that title. In the second, students are given clues about an object and are asked to draw the object the clues are hinting at.

Learn more: You Clever Monkey

3. Make predictions with a graphic organizer

Making predictions is a just-right reading strategy for emerging readers. During a read-aloud, find a few good stopping points to ask students what they think will happen next.

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Learn more: Brown Bag Teacher

4. Make a “beginning, middle, and end” flip chart

One tried-and-true way to teach summarizing to early readers is instructing them to identify the beginning, middle, and end of a story. This easy-to-make flip chart is just an 8 x 11 piece of plain paper folded vertically then divided into thirds. On the front half, students will draw a picture of what happens in the three sections of the story. Underneath each flap is a short written description.

Learn more: Bishop’s Blackboard

5. Ask questions with story sticks

Good readers ask questions before, during, and after they read. These cute story sticks make a game of first grade reading comprehension. Perfect to use with small reading groups or with partners.

Learn more: The Happy Teacher

6. Master the five-finger retell

One strategy you can teach students is the five finger retell. Each finger stands for a different part of the story. Assigning a different finger for each part gives students a kinesthetic connection and makes it easier for them to remember.

Learn more: Mrs. Wheeler’s First Grade Tidbits

7. Summarize using simple signal words

Sometimes with early readers, simpler is better. Start with these basic questions—who?, what?, when?, where?, how?, and why?—to help kids go deeper into their understanding.

Learn more: This Reading Mama

8.

Practice with story maps

There are tons of fun tools to help students build reading comprehension, and story maps are one of them. Here are 15 free downloadable story maps to help your first graders practice going beyond just the words when they read.

Learn more: Education.com

9. Figure out problem and solution with a graphic organizer

Every fiction story has, among other elements, a problem and solution. This lesson helps students understand that a story’s problem and solution fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

Learn more: My Primary Paradise

10. Retell the story using LEGO bricks

Put two things that first graders love together: reading and building. Read a story together, then allow students to use blocks to build a scene from the story. As they build, they can describe details from the story.

Learn more: The Educators’ Spin On It

11. Retell using story cubes

Retelling is a helpful comprehension skill for readers. These six cubes encourage readers to retell the story in different ways. They are prefect for reading partners and to use with small groups.

Learn more:Every educaid

12. Play the Oh Snap! word game

Sight words (aka high-frequency words) are words readers encounter most frequently in texts. Early readers benefit from knowing a large bank of sight words, which encourages fluent reading. This fun sight word game is a great way to improve reading skills and build reading fluency.

Learn more: School Time Snippets

13. Use scooping phrases

The goal of reading fluency is better comprehension. To read with fluency or expression, readers must comprehend the story events. Teach early readers to use “Scooping Phrases” to scoop up words to form phrases within sentences. This effective strategy also works well with struggling readers.

Learn more: This Reading Mama

14. Introduce wordless picture books

As readers encounter more-difficult texts, character traits become less explicit. To determine what the character is like, the reader has to do more inferential work. Using wordless picture books is a great way to introduce early readers to making inferences.

Learn more:Ashleigh’s Education Journey

15. Inference using thought bubbles

Foundational inference activities give first graders an opportunity to practice their inferring skills. As they move into texts, first graders can infer what a character is thinking in the story and then add a thought bubble to explain it.

Learn more:The Teacher Next Door

If you like these first grade reading comprehension activities, check out our fun, printable first grade writing prompts.

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29 Fun and Easy 1st Grade Reading Comprehension Activities

First grade is such an important time for a child. They are becoming more independent in a variety of ways! One of the most important aspects of this independence is their reading. Reading will be the foundation for everything they do in the future. This is why reading comprehension comes in full force during these pivotal developmental years.

Building comprehension skills can be a daunting experience for parents, caregivers, and educators. This is most likely why you ended up here. Keep reading for a total breakdown of some of the best comprehension strategies that can be both used at home and in the classroom!

Keeping It Fun 1. Puzzle Retelling

In first grade, we LOVE puzzles. This is why puzzle retelling builds such excellent comprehension skills. Using background knowledge helps kids to be confident and excited about a comprehension activity. Puzzle retelling is also super easy to set up!

Learn more: teacherspayteachers.com

2. Five Finger Retell

Any elementary teacher will tell you how much they love the 5-finger retelling comprehension activity. This activity gives students the visual of retelling a story. It’s also, so much fun! Teachers have been known to incorporate finger puppets, a comprehension worksheet, and many different creative comprehension strategies.

Learn more: teacherspayteachers.com

3. Sight Word Practice

Sight word practice is one of the all-important reading and comprehension skills for Grade 1. Creating active readers by building vocabulary through an active vocabulary game is one of the best ways to keep your children engaged. Here are a few great sight word comprehension activities.

Cute story sticks are always a great way to teach sight words! This is something you can easily make for your classroom and at home!

4. Sight Word Bingo

Bingo is always a favorite! It is great and always a highly rated vocabulary game. Here you'll find a FREE resource that allows you to generate a bingo card based on the sight words students are learning and the basis of their background knowledge.

5. Color By Sight Word

There are so many colorful reading comprehension reading worksheets that go along with sight word vocabulary. There are tons of these worksheets throughout the web, here is a FREE resource to see how your students and children will respond.

6. Mental Images

First grade is a time of discovery for children. Visualizing and making mental images is an exciting time for young learners. Providing them with the comprehension skills they need for a love of reading. Mental images can be a great way to incorporate writing prompts into your child’s reading comprehension activities.

Mrs. Jump’s class has some great comprehension activities. Here are some mental image comprehension activities!

standards for grades and quarters

Reading is a key skill that opens the gate to the land of knowledge for a child. Thanks to this skill, children learn about the phenomena and events of the world around them, get acquainted with the characters and actions of people, meet new problems and ideas. This skill helps them to broaden their horizons and ideas about the world, develops critical thinking and trains cognitive abilities - attention, imagination, memory. Reading is the foundation for further successful learning. nine0003

To understand how well a child develops this skill, it helps to check the reading technique. Reading technique is a multifactorial test that characterizes the development of a skill from different angles. In the technique of reading are evaluated:

reading speed,
reading method,
reading awareness,
correct reading,
expressiveness of reading.

A difficult reading skill consists of both a technical and a semantic component and is aimed at achieving the main goal - understanding and assimilation of the information read. nine0003

Reading technique parameters

Let's consider all the components of reading technique in more detail.

Reading speed - the number of words read in a certain period of time. Often, parents focus on the formation of fluent reading, while the child makes many mistakes, does not understand and does not remember what he read. It is not necessary to force only speed, slower conscious reading and a gradual increase in tempo are better than fast mechanical reading with errors and inaccuracies. nine0008
Way of reading — syllabic reading or reading the whole word, smoothly. With the development of the skill, the child has a gradual transition from syllabic reading to smooth reading in whole words.
The correct reading of is characterized by the absence of errors and hesitation. Inattention, problems of diction lead to inaccurate reading, indistinct articulation and, as a result, to a distortion of meaning. Pay attention to the correct reading - this will be the key to competent writing. nine0008
Reading awareness involves reading comprehension, awareness of the idea and meaning of the text, and in the future - this is the ability to catch the subtext, humor, irony, the attitude of the author. Interfering with reading comprehension can be low reading speed, distorted reproduction - guessing words, changing the shape of words, not reading endings.
Reading expressiveness - the use of pauses, finding the right intonation, the correct placement of stresses. The expressiveness of reading is inextricably linked with awareness. When understanding what is read, it is easier for the child to observe the necessary pauses, select the correct intonation and place logical stresses. nine0008

Reading speed standards for elementary school

GEF standards determine the desired reading speed for a child by a certain point in learning, help to understand whether the development of a skill is successful or whether additional attention is required. Standards - indicative values; it is important to take into account the individual psychophysiological characteristics of each child and evaluate the growth of his personal indicators.

Grade 1 reading speed standards

Reading speed standards in grade 2

Reading speed standards in grade 3

Reading velocity

Reading speed, to which it is necessary schools, is reading at the speed of conversational speech, 110-120 words per minute. The human articulatory apparatus has adapted to this speed over time. And most importantly, the reading should be conscious, correct, expressive. nine0003

How can I test my child's reading skills on my own?

Have your child see how well they read already. Children usually love to know how many centimeters they have grown, and they may also be interested in knowing their progress in reading. Warn about the upcoming test and ask the child to read quickly.

The control of reading technique in sensitive children who, due to their temperament, can hardly tolerate various tests, can be carried out imperceptibly or in the form of a game. Do not create unnecessary excitement around the upcoming test, do not arrange a test in the form of an exam. If the child is worried, stutters, transfer control to another time. nine0003

Verification process:

Prepare a clock with a second hand or use the stopwatch on your phone, and choose the appropriate text.
Ask the child to take a seat.
Show him the text and ask him to read it aloud.
Track the time from the moment your child starts reading. Not all children are able to immediately start reading on command, which leads to inaccurate results.
Usually, one minute is noted for checking, but some experts recommend taking 2 minutes for monitoring, since not all children are equally quickly included in the work. Divide the result obtained in 2 minutes in half. nine0008
Do not correct or interrupt while reading. It is better to discuss the mistakes made after the child has finished reading.
Assess the speed, correctness, awareness and expressiveness of reading.
Retest and compare results. Reading technique may differ depending on the child's fatigue, health status and mood.

Which text is suitable for verification?

Both fiction and non-fiction texts appropriate for the child's age are suitable for this purpose. The text should be unfamiliar, but understandable to the child, have educational and educational value. The texts of V. Bianchi, L. Tolstoy, N. Nosov, B. Zhitkov, K. Ushinsky, V. Dragunsky are suitable. The text for verification can be found in special manuals or in a textbook on the Russian language and literature. nine0003

You should find the text that is located on the spread of the book so that the child does not have to waste time turning pages. Choose text without an abundance of punctuation marks and distracting illustrations. It is not desirable that the passage contains common complex sentences and dialogues. The font must be large enough and legible. The text should not have a technical focus and contain terms incomprehensible to the child.

Test score

Speed score

Count how many words the child read in one minute. When counting words, pay attention:

prepositions, conjunctions, particles of 1-2 letters are counted as one word;
when wrapping, the word is counted as 2 words;
if the word is written with a hyphen, look at how many letters are on both sides of the hyphen: if there are more than three, we count it as 2 words, for example, "long, long", if less than three, for example, "somehow", - as one .

Compare your score with the recommended range and your child's previous performance. nine0003

Comprehension score

Determine how well the child understood what they read. If the student reads slowly and has read only a couple of sentences, let him read the passage to the end. Ask your child a few questions about the text. Ask what or who he read about. Ask the child to identify the main idea of what they read and retell the text.

For a deeper check of the meaning of the reading and learning, use special teaching kits. nine0003

Correctness assessment

Pay attention to whether the child reads what is written correctly, whether he pronounces words clearly, whether there are hesitations and corrections, whether he alters words, whether he changes endings, whether he places stresses correctly. Discuss the mistakes with the student.

Evaluation of expressiveness

To assess the expressiveness of reading, the child is offered a familiar text. Listen to whether the child observes pauses and other punctuation marks, whether he changes intonation, whether he highlights the main idea. nine0003

Improving reading technique

Poor results in reading technique are not a reason to be upset, but only a signal that additional efforts need to be made to improve the skill. You can work with the child on your own or contact a specialist who will analyze the weak points and select the appropriate exercises. Conduct additional activities with the child in the mode of "sparing reading" without pressure. It is more important to observe the regularity and frequency of classes: 10-20 minutes daily. nine0003

How can you motivate your child to read:

Reward your efforts with stickers, stars.
Mark progress visually - create a success board so your child can visually see their progress
Conduct activities in the form of a game, such as "going to the library" or "reading to your favorite toys. "
Choose books and texts that are interesting for your child.
Let the child read to pets, they are grateful and accepting listeners. Reading to them, the child is not afraid to make a mistake, he relaxes and overcomes the fear of failure. nine0008
Have a reading competition between peers and siblings.

To improve the speed of reading will help:

Reading by syllabic tables.
Multiple reading. Read the same text several times, increasing the pace. From the second time the child will be able to read faster.
"Tug". An adult leads a finger along the line, setting the pace. The child tries to read at a given pace.
Tops and roots. The child reads the words, covering the upper or lower half of the letters with a ruler. nine0008
Reading in a book turned upside down.
Lightning. Alternating reading at a comfortable pace with reading at the highest possible speed for 20 seconds on the command "Lightning!".
"Sprint". Reading speed competition between classmates.
Work on expanding the field of view according to Schulte tables.
Reading with a window to eliminate "regression" - recurrent eye movements that lead to repeated reading.

For correct reading:

Work on clear diction, do articulation exercises.
Read tongue twisters and tongue twisters.
Invite the child to correct the deformed sentences: "The weather is good on the street."
"Imaginary word". When reading, the wrong word is pronounced, the child must correct it.

Reading comprehension

Wave Reading. First, the child reads aloud, then retells what he read.
The student reads to himself at a comfortable pace, tells what he understood and felt, what he thought about
Discuss unfamiliar words and expressions.
Invite the child to draw a picture of the passage they read.
Ask them to tell you what they liked about the text, what they remember.

For expressive reading

Role-playing, staging.
Put on a "radio show". nine0008
Expressive recitation of poems.
Voice flexibility training. The ability to speak quieter-louder, higher-lower.
Conducting reading indicating the tone or strength of the voice.
Live Picture. One reads, the other reacts with facial expressions.

Improving reading skills in elementary school is very important. It is fluent and meaningful reading that activates the processes of thinking, attention, memory and is the basis for a child's successful education in the future. This detailed instruction on reading technique control will help you track and improve your child's skill development. nine0003

Russian language for students in grades 1-4

We develop thinking skills, prepare for the Olympiads and improve the results of the Russian language in an interactive format

learn more

15 simple ways to make the class beautiful and study really interesting

Creativity is salvation for study. Creative classrooms don't just look different, they're qualitatively different from everyone else. They create an environment in which children express their ideas, think outside the box, and learn faster and more effectively. The author of the creativity101 telegram channel tells the main theses from Anna Guerrero’s article “19ways to make learning in your classroom more creative.” Sometimes for this it is enough even just to change the poster near the board.

The authors of the Teaching and Learning International Survey concluded that the Russian education system is the most bureaucratic in the world. The researchers found that a Russian teacher works more than 46 hours a week and spends as many as 15 hours filling out plans and reports, as well as preparing for lessons. In general, Russian teachers turned out to be the busiest among colleagues from 36 countries. nine0003

In our schools it is difficult to change something quickly. But let's imagine that everything is fine and no one bothers to experiment. Below are a few tips that can be implemented today, and for this you do not need to wait for reforms.

1. Create a place in the classroom for visual thinking

This can be a separate wall in the classroom or auditorium, on which you can stick stickers, on which you can draw with markers and fix the acquired knowledge in a visual form, and also simply express your attitude to what is happening . nine0003 An example of visual thinking by students on the difference between “fixed pattern thinking” and “open thinking”

Visual thinking enables students to understand information more deeply. By encouraging students to link what they have learned to the “visual associations” on the board, you are giving them a great opportunity to think more openly.

2. Implement learning by doing

Experiential learning is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of traditional program content and engage students on a deeper emotional level by building strong memory. nine0003

"Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I'll remember, let me do it and I'll understand."

Confucius

Mathematics. Here are some great examples of "practical mathematics" on The Guardian. One of the tasks is to ask students to make a paper airplane and try to measure its speed. Is it true that such a lesson can be remembered better than cramming?

Study of language and literature. Instead of reading at home, try group reading in class, have each student have a chance to read their own passage, and then discuss what they heard as a class. nine0003

3. Make the classroom more flexible

As part of your school curriculum, students can work on group projects, individual tasks, view presentations, and other activities. Do you have it like this now?

And so, to support creativity and increase motivation, you can adapt your class to the best format for the current work. Yes, it will most likely require re-equipment, but you can first show the effectiveness of the method, and then go to the director and show how cool it worked and how it can be done even better, let's change chairs and desks. nine0003

Teach Thought (again English) has an interesting solution to increase seating "flexibility" to focus on different areas and different tasks.

And here is another cool example - Flexible Learning Environments. About how to make children feel good and increase comfort and motivation for learning. And there is no need to say that "our boobies will quickly turn the wheels" - it is in your power to change it.

4. Introduce non-traditional learning materials

In general, my favorite of the proposed ideas. Today, one of the easiest to implement, it helps to develop students' "thinking outside the box" and get them strongly involved in the topic.

And here again is a small list of ideas in English on how to make the learning process more interactive and interesting. And here are the most affordable and modern ways.

TED talks . One of the best educational and motivating projects with thousands of video performances, many with Russian subtitles. You can find almost any topic. By the way, TED is very well represented in Russia (for sure there are in large cities) and the guys from the team of Russian TED representatives are open to any cooperation. You can try to invite to your school and hold some TED Kids (thought up on the go). nine0003

Podcasts. The author of the original article lists 50 educational podcasts full of ideas to inspire your curriculum. And I will give an interesting project in which I took part last year - “It will be done!”, I am sure that schoolchildren and university students will like it.

5. Encourage discussion

Avoiding the useless chatter of students in class is a difficult task for the teacher. But, on the other hand, if you moderate the discussion, then this will create fertile ground for the generation of new ideas and the expression of their opinion by students. Unless you are a supporter of "shove your opinion, I'm talking here." nine0003

Open discussions help students:

think critically about the material;
other opinions and evaluate their contribution and the strength of ideas;
provides an opportunity to comprehend each other's ideas and plan joint actions.

Yes, this will require the teacher to give everything, but the reward will be priceless!

6. Encourage more colors

Color in the classroom is not only the prerogative of elementary school. Add more color in non-traditional ways - make inspirational posters with students to hang in the classroom, create themed "customized" corners. nine0003

Allow students to use more colors when taking notes, not just blue. Who came up with this stupid one-color rule anyway? You will be surprised at how quickly students absorb and retain new information when using multiple colors.

7. Don't limit the task to one format

Allow students to choose their own task format, let them explore the problem using the format that appeals to them the most. For example, imagine that students have to write a summary of some program work. Instead, present them with other formats for completing the task - a presentation, a documentary, a public speaking, developing a group game, a comic, an infographic, a poster, a collage . ..

Unless you're afraid of hard work.

8. Add humor to the curriculum

Humor is an important part of creating a creative atmosphere in the classroom. You can add it and control the process so as not to slide into the Comedy Club.

Let your students come up with jokes based on the material covered, help them. Draw posters or print posters of the class's best puns. Make digital formats for posting on social networks, children actively use them. Didn't you know? nine0003 Here is a small example of a pun in English, it will fit perfectly into language lessons

The use of humor in your class is limited only by your imagination, if you don’t know what and how to do, but really want to, write to our Creative chat, we will help.

9. Increase motivation with rewards

Recognition of student achievement is an important part of the creative learning process. Come up with diplomas or certificates, it is possible for each subject separately. Make a Hall of Honor in the classroom and hang certificates there, this will give students an incentive to keep trying. nine0003

Started looking for "high school creative certificate" and started crying. If you make your own, involve students in its development, they will do it cool and will be proud of their work.

10. Start a video diary of your class

The main goal of creative thinking is that the learning process never ends. Help students look at themselves in retrospect by filming a video diary throughout the entire class cycle. You can shoot both the process itself and a short reflection about the past lesson. nine0003

Here are some questions to ask students when recording a video diary:

What are you most excited about right now?
What is the most difficult thing you need to do right now?
Who helped you learn this week and what?
Was it interesting or boring?
What could be added or removed?

These questions add emotion to the learning process, allowing students to become more involved. nine0003

11. Visualize goals and objectives with deadlines

Implement a “self-planning board” where each student writes for themselves the tasks they want to accomplish for the day or week.

Setting goals for yourself and declaring them publicly is an incredible motivational practice. Goals should always be achievable.

The board, of course, is not from the Russian school, but the principle conveys perfectly

12. Use motivational posters and posters

This paragraph continues many of those already listed. And about color, and about humor, and about motivation, but it can be taken out separately. It is simple and very quickly implemented at the classroom level, if you are still afraid to go beyond the regulated educational process and plan or ask for new furniture in the classroom, then you can do it today.

Remember above each board the inscription “Study, study and study again. V. I. Lenin? This is just such an example, only the deprecated .

Browse through an amazing list of 50 inspirational posters (in English again, but what is it?), choose the best ones and print them out for your class.

For example, “Only the one who does nothing makes no mistakes.” True, this is not a translation, but simply the meaning is very suitable.

13. Have cool team games

The most important thing here is that there are no right or wrong answers, strategy and team play are important. Joint games allow students to get to know themselves from the outside, develop creative thinking, improve communication and cooperation skills. nine0003

14. Use design thinking or TRIZ

Today only lazy people have not heard about design thinking and TRIZ. It's a joke, you might not have heard of these methodologies, and no one has the right to accuse you of this. So I'm just interested, if possible.

Design Thinking is today the foundation for teaching creativity and innovation in schools and universities around the world. It allows you to break the problem into parts and work step by step with each of them.

The main stages of design thinking and feedback between them

There is no picture about TRIZ, there is a simplified list of steps (algorithm):

Define the problem and formulate it (how the problem is posed and how you understand it are two different things).
Find a contradiction and what prevents solving the problem (understand the problem of the situation, find a bottleneck).
Select the resources that we have (consider resources not only in the system itself, but also in subsystems and supersystems).
Apply one of the decision methods (based on the accumulated data and developed tables). nine0008
Analyze the solution, consider whether it can be improved.

I suggest reading more about design thinking and TRIZ.

15. Celebrate the victories

We already talked about certificates and diplomas, but this is a bit more. The celebration of victories is not only the end of a quarter, semester or year of study, it is also a topic passed, tests or exams passed, a project completed, a model assembled, a project prepared, a miniature delivered. As you can see, almost everything that can be imagined has a beginning, an end, and an evaluation criterion, which means that you can also celebrate the victory. nine0003

Let the students figure out how they will celebrate the victory, let them plan the whole ceremony, although you can limit yourself to a photo with funny faces ...

For example, at the end of the year, you can make a whole magazine that will include the best moments from your places of visual thinking , mood boards, thematic "customized" corners, a video diary.

It can be very interesting, creative and unique.

Here, of course, is a very cool example, it can be simpler. But who knows? nine0302

A small test for consolidation

I propose to answer the question, choose one answer:

If you make your class more creative today, tomorrow you will:

(a) get fired
(b) love
(c) notice
( d) something else

In the West, there is such a term "learning journey" - a learning journey or a journey during learning.

Learn more

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Children learning website
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5 year old vocabulary list
Simple sentence in english for kids
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