First-grade students will be expected to comprehend the most basic features of reading. Students will select letter patterns and translate them into spoken language through the use of phonics, syllables and word parts. This knowledge will be applied to help achieve fluency in both oral and silent reading. The students will also develop a grade-appropriate vocabulary, phonemic awareness, decoding and word recognition, and concepts about print such as matching spoken words to printed words.
The students will be taught to draw upon different comprehension strategies to read and understand first-grade appropriate material. The objective is to have first-graders make progress toward the goal of reading and understanding 1.5 million words annually by grade four in a variety of areas. Reading material will include school texts, as well as other forms of literature, magazines, newspapers and online content.
The first grade student will be expected to read and respond to a wide range of children's literature, and recollect, discuss and write about books read during the year. Students will be taught structural features and literary terms of the text, such as setting, theme, plot, characters, as well as how to determine the beginning, middle and end of a story, and the author's role.
Students will develop progressive writing strategies to help them print legibly to construct coherent sentences and paragraphs with a main idea. They will be taught to write descriptive compositions about familiar objects and experiences.
The standard for written and oral language conventions are necessary for both the writing standard and the standard for developing listening and speaking skills. Students are expected to write and speak with a command of standard English appropriate for the first grade. This includes writing and speaking in complete and coherent sentences and correctly using grammar, such as singular and plural nouns. Students are also expected to understand contractions, when to use punctuation and capitalization, and be able to spell grade-appropriate sight words.
The student will develop listening and speaking strategies by listening critically and responding correctly to oral communication. This includes staying on topic, using descriptive words, properly modulating words, and using the correct phrasing and pitch. Using the listening and speaking strategies, first-grade students will be able to recite poetry, songs, rhymes, stories, and be able to retell stories and share personal experiences in a sequential order.