This parent guide supports parents in helping their child at home with 1st Grade ELA content.

These resources accompany our Rethink 1st Grade ELA course. They include ideas for use, ways to support exceptional children, ways to extend learning, digital resources and tools, tips for supporting English Language Learners and students with visual and hearing impairments. There are also ideas for offline learning. 

This unit was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This unit is aligned to the NC Standards for 1st Grade ELA. 

Students are prompted to use comparisons to discuss what they see as they picture walk through books about the ocean. They identify what these comparisons have in common to arrive at an informal name and definition of simile. They then create illustrations showing these comparisons. Next, students picture walk through two additional picture books about the ocean and comment about what they see. They are introduced to metaphor by rewording some of their comments into metaphors. They continue to note metaphors as the books are read aloud, and then name and define this new type of comparison. They again draw pictures to illustrate some of these metaphors. Students discuss why writers use these types of comparisons, then work to revise existing writing to incorporate figurative language through guided practice or independent work. Finally, students use templates to create a book on the ocean that features similes and metaphors.

In this lesson, students will study four different versions of the Cinderella story. As a group students will identify the good characters, mean characters, problem, and solution of each story. Story elements will be written down on a large poster board and categorized so students can draw identify patterns and differences. Then, students will work in small groups of seven to identify the main parts of the traditional story. Each student will choose a part in the story to illustrate. After illustrations are complete students will practice retelling their part of the story. Students will then scan in their illustrations and use the program, Movie Maker, to format their group's story. Students will record their portion of the retelling with a microphone.

Students learn about how the nervous system is the body's control center.

From EngageNY.org of the New York State Education Department. Grade 1 ELA Domain 2: The Human Body. Available from engageny.org/resource/grade-1-ela-domain-2-the-human-body; accessed 2015-05-29.

This is the Core 40 vocabulary board that was created by the AAC team in BCPS. It pairs an image with a term for 40 of the most commonly used words in the English Language. 

For this lesson, students read the wordless picture book, Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola telling the story themselves as they read the pictures. Next, they draw a picture of a person doing something, and tell the story of their picture. Working at their own pace, they continue the story by drawing pictures showing the problem and solution. When all the pictures are complete, students put them in order and write or dictate the story that goes with them. Finally, students create an accordion book from their drawings and text.

In this unit, students will build upon the concept that people are not free to do whatever they want, and that there are reasons for rules at home, in school, and in their community. Students need a strong foundation in Civics and Government to help them better understand their own community and their own lives. Building upon the concept that people are not free to do whatever they want. Concepts of power and authority are introduced as students identify examples of people using power with and without authority in the school setting.

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 lesson, students use factual information gathered from the Internet as the basis for creating a nonfiction story. Story elements, including setting, characters, problem, solution, and endings, are then used as a structure for assembling students' ideas into a fiction story.

Flipgrid is a fantastic FREE Tool where students can create a video presence to support collaboration and their learning. Students will use FlipGrid to share information on any given topic of your choice. It is a platform where they can communicate ideas and eventually collaborate with others.

This 5-E lesson introduces the use of nonfiction materials from the library with a maker component. Students willexamine nonfiction materials,draw diagrams,make models,ask questions of others,and explain their work. 

Students listen to A Pocket for Corduroy and three other Corduroy stories and discuss the characters and plots. A letter to parents introduces a follow-up writing activity, in which a stuffed classroom "Corduroy" goes home with a different student each night. With parents' help, students write and illustrate a two- to three-sentence adventure story about Corduroy's stay with them, and share their stories with the class.

K-2 students will learn basic technology terms with a scavenger hunt and games!

Rationale - Many students today come to school not knowing how to handle their emotions and conflicts. Through this project, students will gain knowledge and the tools they need throughout the school year.

Overview - Students explored different emotions through stories, videos, and experiences. They learned about rules and their importance for safety. Students learned about calming techniques such as: breathing, going to a safe place, and expressing emotions appropriately. Students designed and implemented a safe place in the classroom by making posters, sensory bottles, stress balls, and breathing pinwheels.

In this lesson, students will read 'The Moon Book' by Gail Gibbons. Each page, the teacher will stop and talk with the students about what they are learning about the moon. After the students read the book, additional actvities are provided in the lesson including arts and crafts, oreo moons, and much more.

This resource contains extensions, assessments/reflections, and five different session ideas to teach students how to: use prior knowledge to categorize words as parts of speech; use reading skills to create sentences with word cards; discover the required elements of a complete sentence by manipulating everyday words; share and learn new vocabulary; use descriptive words and phrases to complete complex sentences; and demonstrate reading comprehension through illustrations.

In this lesson, student will listen to the book, "A New Coat for Anna". Students will learn about resources, scarcity, costs, trade/bartering, and decision making through a young girl, Anna, whose mother wanted to buy her a coat but did not have the money. Students will explain how families have needs and wants and various ways in which people earn and use materials, such as money, for goods and services. Students will see how supply and demand effects the choices families and communities make.

In this lesson, students begin by singing a song to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Kindergartners can identify and learn letter names and beginning consonant sounds. First graders will enjoy extending the activity by creating new verses to the song as a class, thus building phonemic awareness and vocabulary. The activity culminates by illustrating the song verses.

In this lesson, students will see how the setting influences a story in several ways: the plot, the characters, and the tone. Students will use the illustrations and details to describe the setting of a fiction story. Students will practice writing narratives using complete sentences and visual displays that help to clarify ideas.