Grade 1 Reading Curriculum

Family-facing version of the grade 1 reading curriculum

Quarterly Overview of Grade 1 Reading

The objectives and outcomes for each unit are common across FCPS and based on the Virginia Standards of Learning. The pacing by quarter and by week provides an example of how the curriculum can be organized throughout the year. Teacher teams may adjust the pacing or order of units to best meet the needs of students.

Units and Details

Unit 1: Building a Community of Readers

Students will be able to: 

  • Develop oral communication skills: 
    • Listen actively and speak using agreed-upon rules for discussion. 
    • Initiate conversation with peers and adults. 
    • Adapt or change oral language to fit the situation. 
    •  Use appropriate voice level, phrasing, and intonation.
    • Participate in collaborative and partner discussions about various texts and topics.
    •  Follow rules for conversation, using appropriate voice level in small - group settings.
    •  Ask and respond to questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information.
    •  Restate and follow simple two-step directions.
    • Give simple two - step oral directions.
    • Express ideas orally in complete sentences. 
    •  Work respectfully with others. 
    •  Increase listening and speaking vocabularies
  • Demonstrate growth in early literacy skills:
    • Listen and respond to a variety of print and media materials.
    • Tell and retell stories and events in sequential order.
    • Participate in a variety of oral language activities, including choral speaking and recitation.
    • Participate in creative dramatics.
  • Orally identify, produce, and manipulate various phonemes within words to develop phonological and phonemic awareness:
    • Create rhyming words.
    • Count phonemes (sounds) in one-syllable words.
    • Blend sounds to make one-syllable words.
    • Segment one-syllable words into individual phonemes.
    • Add or delete phonemes to make new words.
  • Apply knowledge of how print is organized and read:
    • Read from left to right and from top to bottom.
    • Match spoken words with print.
    • Identify letters, words, sentences, and ending punctuation.
  • Apply phonetic principles to read and spell:
    • Use initial and final consonants to decode and spell one- syllable words.
    • Use two-letter consonant blends to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Use consonant digraphs to decode and spell one-syllable words. 
    • Use short vowel sounds to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Blend initial, medial, and final sounds to recognize and read words.
    • Use word patterns to decode unfamiliar words.
    • Read and spell commonly used sight words.
  • Use semantic clues and syntax when reading:
    • Use words, phrases, and sentences.
    • Use titles and pictures.
    • Use information in the story to read words.
    • Use knowledge of sentence structure.
    • Reread and self-correct.
  • Expand vocabulary and use of word meanings:
    • Discuss meanings of words in context.
    • Develop vocabulary by listening to and reading a variety of texts.
    • Use vocabulary from other content areas.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts:
    • Preview the selection. 
    • Set a purpose for reading. 
    • Relate previous experiences to what is read. 
    • Make and confirm predictions. 
    • Ask and answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about what is read. 
    • Identify characters, setting, and important events. 
    • Retell stories and events, using beginning, middle, and end in a sequential order.
    • Identify the main idea or theme.

Unit 2: Understanding Characters

Students will be able to: 

  • Develop oral communication skills: 
    •  Listen actively and speak using agreed-upon rules for discussion. 
    • Initiate conversation with peers and adults. 
    • Adapt or change oral language to fit the situation. 
    • Participate in collaborative and partner discussions about various texts and topics.
    • Express ideas orally in complete sentences. 
    • Work respectfully with others. 
  • Demonstrate growth in early literacy skills:
    • Listen and respond to a variety of print and media materials.
    • Tell and retell stories and events in sequential order.
    • Participate in a variety of oral language activities, including choral speaking and recitation.
  • Orally identify, produce, and manipulate various phonemes within words to develop phonological and phonemic awareness:
    • Create rhyming words.
    • Count phonemes (sounds) in one-syllable words.
    • Blend sounds to make one-syllable words.
    • Segment one-syllable words into individual phonemes.
    • Add or delete phonemes to make new words.
    • Blend and segment multisyllabic words at the syllable level.
  • Apply knowledge of how print is organized and read:
    • Read from left to right and from top to bottom.
    • Match spoken words with print.
    • Identify letters, words, sentences, and ending punctuation.
  • Apply phonetic principles to read and spell:
    • Use initial and final consonants to decode and spell one- syllable words.
    • Use two-letter consonant blends to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Use consonant digraphs to decode and spell one-syllable words. 
    • Use short vowel sounds to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Blend initial, medial, and final sounds to recognize and read words.
    • Use word patterns to decode unfamiliar words.
    • Read and spell simple two-syllable compound words.
    • Read and spell commonly used sight words.
  • Use semantic clues and syntax when reading:
    • Use words, phrases, and sentences.
    •  Use titles and pictures.
    •  Use information in the story to read words.
    •  Use knowledge of sentence structure.
    •  Reread and self-correct.
  • Expand vocabulary and use of word meanings:
    • Discuss meanings of words in context.
    • Develop vocabulary by listening to and reading a variety of texts.
    • Use text clues such as words or pictures to discern meanings of unknown words.
    • Use vocabulary from other content areas.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts:
    •  Preview the selection. 
    • Set a purpose for reading. 
    •  Relate previous experiences to what is read. 
    •  Make and confirm predictions. 
    • Ask and answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about what is read. 
    • Identify characters, setting, and important events. 
    • Retell stories and events, using beginning, middle, and end in a sequential order.
    • Identify the main idea or theme.

Unit 3: Understanding Nonfiction

Students will be able to: 

  • Develop oral communication skills:
    • Listen actively and speak using agreed-upon rules for discussion. 
    • Initiate conversation with peers and adults. 
    • Adapt or change oral language to fit the situation. 
    • Use appropriate voice level, phrasing, and intonation.
    • Participate in collaborative and partner discussions about various texts and topics.
    • Follow rules for conversation using appropriate voice level in small-group settings. 
    •  Ask and respond to questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information.
    • Restate and follow simple two-step oral directions. 
    • Give simple two-step oral directions. 
    •  Express ideas orally in complete sentences. 
    • Work respectfully with others. 
    •  Increase listening and speaking vocabularies.
  • Demonstrate growth in early literacy skills:
    • Listen and respond to a variety of print and media materials.
    •  Participate in a variety of oral language activities, including choral speaking and recitation.
  • Orally identify, produce, and manipulate various phonemes within words to develop phonological and phonemic awareness:
    • Create rhyming words.
    • Count phonemes (sounds) in one-syllable words.
    • Blend sounds to make one-syllable words.
    • Segment one-syllable words into individual phonemes.
    • Add or delete phonemes to make new words.
    • Blend and segment multisyllabic words at the syllable level.
  • Apply knowledge of how print is organized and read:
    • Read from left to right and from top to bottom.
    • Match spoken words with print.
    • Identify letters, words, sentences, and ending punctuation.
  • Apply phonetic principles to read and spell:
    •  Use initial and final consonants to decode and spell one syllable words.
    • Use two-letter consonant blends to decode and spell one syllable words.
    • Use consonant digraphs to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Use short vowel sounds to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Blend initial, medial, and final sounds to recognize and read words.
    • Use word patterns to decode unfamiliar words.
    • Read and spell simple two-syllable compound words.
    • Read and spell commonly used sight words.
  • Use semantic clues and syntax when reading:
    • Use words, phrases, and sentences.
    • Use titles and pictures.
    • Use information in the story to read words.
    • Use knowledge of sentence structure.
    • Reread and self-correct.
  • Expand vocabulary and use of word meanings:
    • Discuss meanings of words in context.
    • Develop vocabulary by listening to and reading a variety of texts.
    • Ask for the meaning of unknown words and make connections to familiar words.
    • Use text clues such as words or pictures to discern meanings of unknown words.
    • Use vocabulary from other content areas.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of nonfiction texts:
    • Preview the selection.
    • Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
    • Set a purpose for reading.
    • Identify text features such as pictures, headings, charts, and captions.
    • Make and confirm predictions.
    • Ask and answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about what is read.
    • Identify the main idea.
    • Read and reread familiar texts with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expression.

Unit 4: Poetry

Students will be able to:

  • Develop oral communication skills:
    • Listen actively and speak using agreed-upon rules for discussion. 
    • Initiate conversation with peers and adults. 
    • Adapt or change oral language to fit the situation. 
    • Use appropriate voice level, phrasing, and intonation.
    • Participate in collaborative and partner discussions about various texts and topics.
    • Follow rules for conversation using appropriate voice level in small-group settings. 
    • Ask and respond to questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information.
    • Restate and follow simple two-step oral directions. 
    • Give simple two-step oral directions. 
    • Express ideas orally in complete sentences. 
    • Work respectfully with others. 
    • Increase listening and speaking vocabularies
  • Demonstrate growth in early literacy skills:
    •  Listen and respond to a variety of print and media materials.
    •  Participate in a variety of oral language activities, including choral speaking and recitation.
  • Orally identify, produce, and manipulate various phonemes within words to develop phonological and phonemic awareness:
    •  Create rhyming words.
    • Count phonemes (sounds) in one-syllable words.
    • Blend sounds to make one-syllable words.
    • Segment one-syllable words into individual phonemes.
    • Add or delete phonemes to make new words.
    • Blend and segment multisyllabic words at the syllable level.
  • Apply knowledge of how print is organized and read;
    • Read from left to right and from top to bottom.
    • Match spoken words with print.
    • Identify letters, words, sentences, and ending punctuation.
  • Apply phonetic principles to read and spell;
    • Use initial and final consonants to decode and spell one syllable words.
    • Use two-letter consonant blends to decode and spell one syllable words.
    • Use consonant digraphs to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Use short vowel sounds to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Blend initial, medial, and final sounds to recognize and read words.
    • Use word patterns to decode unfamiliar words.
    • Read and spell simple two-syllable compound words.
    • Read and spell commonly used sight words.
  • Use semantic clues and syntax when reading:
    • Use words, phrases, and sentences.
    • Use titles and pictures.
    • Use information in the story to read words.
    • Use knowledge of sentence structure.
    • Reread and self-correct.
  • Expand vocabulary and use of word meanings;
    • Discuss meanings of words in context.
    • Develop vocabulary by listening to and reading a variety of texts.
    • Ask for the meaning of unknown words and make connections to familiar words.
    • Use text clues such as words or pictures to discern meanings of unknown words.
    • Use vocabulary from other content areas.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts:
    • Set a purpose for reading.
    • Relate previous experiences to what is read.
    • Ask and answer who, what, where, why, and how questions about what is read.
    • Identify theme.
    • Read and reread familiar stories and poems with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expression.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of nonfiction texts:
    • Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
    • Set a purpose for reading.
    • Ask and answer questions about who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about what is read.
    • Identify the main idea.
    • Read and reread familiar stories and poems with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expressions

Unit 5: Talking About Books

Students will: 

  • Develop oral communication skills:
    • Listen actively and speak using agreed-upon rules for discussion. 
    • Initiate conversation with peers and adults. 
    • Adapt or change oral language to fit the situation. 
    • Use appropriate voice level, phrasing, and intonation.
    • Participate in collaborative and partner discussions about various texts and topics.
    • Follow rules for conversation using appropriate voice level in small-group settings. 
    • Ask and respond to questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information.
    • Restate and follow simple two-step oral directions. 
    • Give simple two-step oral directions. 
    • Express ideas orally in complete sentences. 
    • Work respectfully with others. 
    • Increase listening and speaking vocabularies
  • Demonstrate growth in early literacy skills:
    • Listen and respond to a variety of print and media materials.
    • Tell and retell stories and events in sequential order.
    • Participate in a variety of oral language activities, including choral speaking and recitation.
  • Orally identify, produce, and manipulate various phonemes within words to develop phonological and phonemic awareness:
    • Create rhyming words.
    • Count phonemes (sounds) in one-syllable words.
    • Blend sounds to make one-syllable words.
    • Segment one-syllable words into individual phonemes.
    • Add or delete phonemes to make new words.
    • Blend and segment multisyllabic words at the syllable level.
  • Apply knowledge of how print is organized and read:
    • Read from left to right and from top to bottom.
    • Match spoken words with print.
    • Identify letters, words, sentences, and ending punctuation.
  • Apply phonetic principles to read and spell:
    • Use initial and final consonants to decode and spell one syllable words.
    • Use two-letter consonant blends to decode and spell one syllable words.
    • Use consonant digraphs to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Use short vowel sounds to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Blend initial, medial, and final sounds to recognize and read words.
    • Use word patterns to decode unfamiliar words.
    • Read and spell simple two-syllable compound words.
    • Read and spell commonly used sight words.
  • Use semantic clues and syntax when reading:
    • Use words, phrases, and sentences.
    • Use titles and pictures.
    • Use information in the story to read words.
    • Use knowledge of sentence structure.
    • Reread and self-correct.
  • Expand vocabulary and use of word meanings:
    • Discuss meanings of words in context.
    • Develop vocabulary by listening to and reading a variety of texts.
    • Ask for the meaning of unknown words and make connections to familiar words.
    • Use text clues such as words or pictures to discern meanings of unknown words.
    • Use vocabulary from other content areas.
    • Use adjectives to describe nouns.
    • Use verbs to identify actions.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts:
    • Preview the selection.
    • Set a purpose for reading.
    • Relate previous experiences to what is read.
    • Make and confirm predictions.
    • Ask and answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about what is read.
    • Identify the characters, setting, and important events.
    • Retell stories and events, using beginning, middle, and end in a sequential order.
    • Identify the theme.
    • Read and reread familiar stories and poems with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expression.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of nonfiction texts:
    • Preview the selection.
    • Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
    • Set a purpose for reading.
    • Identify text features such as pictures, headings, charts, and captions.
    • Make and confirm predictions.
    • Ask and answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about what is read.
    • Identify the main idea.
    • Read and reread familiar texts with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expression.

Unit 6: Learning About Print Through Research

Students will be able to: 

  • Develop oral communication skills:
    • Listen actively and speak using agreed-upon rules for discussion. 
    •  Initiate conversation with peers and adults. 
    • Adapt or change oral language to fit the situation. 
    • Use appropriate voice level, phrasing, and intonation.
    • Participate in collaborative and partner discussions about various texts and topics.
    • Follow rules for conversation using appropriate voice level in small-group settings. 
    • Ask and respond to questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information.
    • Restate and follow simple two-step oral directions. 
    • Give simple two-step oral directions. 
    • Express ideas orally in complete sentences. 
    • Work respectfully with others. 
    • Increase listening and speaking vocabularies
  • Demonstrate growth in early literacy skills:
    • Listen and respond to a variety of print and media materials.
    • Tell and retell stories and events in sequential order.
    • Participate in a variety of oral language activities, including choral speaking and recitation.
  • Orally identify, produce, and manipulate various phonemes within words to develop phonological and phonemic awareness:
    • Create rhyming words.
    • Count phonemes (sounds) in one-syllable words.
    • Blend sounds to make one-syllable words.
    • Segment one-syllable words into individual phonemes.
    • Add or delete phonemes to make new words.
    • Blend and segment multisyllabic words at the syllable level.
  • Apply knowledge of how print is organized and read:
    • Read from left to right and from top to bottom.
    • Match spoken words with print.
    • Identify letters, words, sentences, and ending punctuation.
  • Apply phonetic principles to read and spell:
    • Use initial and final consonants to decode and spell one syllable words.
    • Use two-letter consonant blends to decode and spell one syllable words.
    • Use consonant digraphs to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Use short vowel sounds to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Blend initial, medial, and final sounds to recognize and read words.
    • Use word patterns to decode unfamiliar words.
    • Read and spell simple two-syllable compound words.
    • Read and spell commonly used sight words.
  • Use semantic clues and syntax when reading:
    • Use words, phrases, and sentences.
    • Use titles and pictures.
    • Use information in the story to read words.
    • Use knowledge of sentence structure.
    • Reread and self-correct.
  • Expand vocabulary and use of word meanings:
    • Discuss meanings of words in context.
    • Develop vocabulary by listening to and reading a variety of texts.
    • Ask for the meaning of unknown words and make connections to familiar words.
    • Use text clues such as words or pictures to discern meanings of unknown words.
    • Use vocabulary from other content areas.
    • Use adjectives to describe nouns.
    • Use verbs to identify actions.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts:
    • Preview the selection.
    • Set a purpose for reading.
    • Relate previous experiences to what is read.
    • Make and confirm predictions.
    • Ask and answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about what is read.
    • Identify the characters, setting, and important events.
    • Retell stories and events, using beginning, middle, and end in a sequential order.
    • Identify the theme.
    • Read and reread familiar stories and poems with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expression

Unit 7: Critical Literacy

Students will be able to: 

  • Develop oral communication skills:
    • Listen actively and speak using agreed-upon rules for discussion. 
    • Initiate conversation with peers and adults. 
    • Adapt or change oral language to fit the situation. 
    • Use appropriate voice level, phrasing, and intonation. 
    • Participate in collaborative and partner discussions about various texts and topics.
    • Follow rules for conversation using appropriate voice level in small-group settings. 
    • Ask and respond to questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information.
    • Express ideas orally in complete sentences.
    • Work respectfully with others. 
  • Demonstrate growth in early literacy skills:
    • Listen and respond to a variety of print and media materials.
  • Use semantic clues and syntax when reading:
    • Use titles and pictures. 
    • Use information in the story to read words.
    • Use knowledge of sentence structure.
    • Reread and self-correct.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts:
    • Preview the selection. 
    •  Set a purpose for reading. 
    • Relate previous experiences to what is read. 
    • Make and confirm predictions. 
    • Ask and answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about what is read.
    • Identify characters, setting, and important events. 
    • Identify theme.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of nonfiction texts:
    • Preview the selection.
    • Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning. 
    • Set a purpose for reading. 
    • Make and confirm predictions. 
    • Ask and answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about what is read.
    • Identify the main idea.

Unit 8: Dramatic Storytelling

Students will be able to: 

  • Develop oral communication skills:
    • Listen actively and speak using agreed-upon rules for discussion.
    • Initiate conversation with peers and adults.
    • Adapt or change oral language to fit the situation.
    • Use appropriate voice level, phrasing, and intonation.
    • Participate in collaborative and partner discussions about various texts and topics.
    • Follow rules for conversation using appropriate voice level in small-group settings.
    • Ask and respond to questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information.
    • Give simple two-step oral directions.
    • Express ideas orally in complete sentences.
    • Work respectfully with others.
    • Increase listening and speaking vocabularies.
  • Demonstrate growth in early literacy skills:
    • Listen and respond to a variety of print and media materials.
    • Tell and retell stories and events in sequential order.
    • Participate in a variety of oral language activities, including choral speaking and recitation.
    • Participate in creative dramatics.
  • Orally identify, produce, and manipulate various phonemes within words to develop phonological and phonemic awareness:
    • Create rhyming words.
    • Count phonemes (sounds) in one-syllable words.
    • Blend sounds to make one-syllable words.
    • Segment one-syllable words into individual phonemes.
    • Add or delete phonemes to make new words.
    • Blend and segment multisyllabic words at the syllable level.
  • Apply phonetic principles to read and spell:
    • Use initial and final consonants to decode and spell one syllable words.
    • Use two-letter consonant blends to decode and spell one syllable words.
    • Use consonant digraphs to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Use short vowel sounds to decode and spell one-syllable words.
    • Blend initial, medial, and final sounds to recognize and read words.
    • Use word patterns to decode unfamiliar words.
    • Read and spell simple two-syllable compound words.
    • Read and spell commonly used sight words.
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts:
    • Preview the selection.
    • Set a purpose for reading.
    • Relate previous experiences to what is read.
    • Make and confirm predictions.
    • Ask and answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about what is read.
    • Identify characters, setting, and important events. 
    • Retell stories and events, using beginning, middle, and end in a sequential order.
    • Identify the theme.
    • Read and reread familiar stories and poems with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expression

Virginia Department of Education Resources

Assessments

Student assessments are part of the teaching and learning process.

  • Teachers give assessments to students on an ongoing basis to
    • Check for understanding 
    • Gather information about students' knowledge or skills.
  • Assessments provide information about a child's development of knowledge and skills that can help families and teachers better plan for next steps in instruction.

For testing questions or additional information about how schools and teachers use test results to support student success, families can contact their children's schools.

In Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), first grade tests focus on basic literacy and numeracy development.

Looking for other grade 1 information?