North Dakota First Grade Common Core - ND Curriculum Initiative

North Dakota First Grade Common Core!The Next Generation 

Strand: Reading Literature 

Cluster: Key Ideas and Details 

Topic: Ask and Answer Questions (F) 

Standard: RL.1.1 

Ask and answer questions about key details in a 

text. 

I Can: 

• Ask at least one question about the story 

Answer all who, what, when or where questions 

about the story 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• Students ask at least one question and 

answer all of the following: who, what, 

when and where about key details in the 

text. 

Draft - NDCT August 2011 1




Topic: Retell stories 


Retell stories, including key details, and 

demonstrate understanding of their central 

message or lesson. 

I Can: 

Tell what the story is about and tell important 

parts 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• Choose a story such as The Three Little 

Pigs. In a container have retelling props 

like a piece of straw, a piece of wood, 

and a brick. Children will retell the story 

using the props. After discussing the key 

details, the children will tell the lesson. 





pic: Story Elements 


Describe characters, settings, and major events 

in a story, using key details. 

I Can: 

• Tell who was in the story, where it 

happened, when it happened and what 

happened 

Notes: 

• Comprehension strategies supported in 

this standard include monitoring 

understanding. 

Tasks: 

• Tell the students that fables are stories 

that teach us a lesson. The characters in 

the story are usually animals and have 

one main characteristic. Read the 

familiar fable, “The Tortoise and the 

Hare.” Ask students what they can tell 

you about the tortoise. (He’s slow, but 

steady.) What can they tell about the 

hare? (He’s fast, but undependable.) 

Create a chart with cells for the title, 

characters (with one characteristic each), 

setting, key events (i.e., from the 

beginning, middle, and end), and the 

lesson learned (i.e., the moral of the 

story). As you read each fable in this 

unit, continue to fill in the chart. Give 

students more and more responsibility 

for filling in the characters, setting, and 

key events of a fable. Assess 

understanding at the end of the unit by 

reading a fable and then have each child 

write or dictate the entries on his or her 

own chart. 

Source commoncore.org 




Cluster: Craft and Structure 

Topic: Word Meaning within Text 


Identify words and phrases in stories or poems 

that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. 

I Can: 

• Tell how words make me feel 

Notes: 


this standard include making inferences. 

Tasks: 

• Read The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank 

Baum (see Common Core Appendix B 

for Chapter One text) aloud to the class. 

As students meet each character in the 

text, guide them to think about the 

character’s feelings and how the author 

shows us how the character feels. 

Discuss how the author helps us use our 

senses to see, smell, feel, hear, and 

even taste while we are reading a book. 

As you read aloud, model the way you 

are drawn to use your senses. For 

example, in the second paragraph of 

chapter one, the author describes 

Kansas so that you can “see” the 

countryside clearly. Then he goes on to 

describe Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, Toto, 

and Dorothy, with a focus on their 

feelings. 

Source: ADE/ELA Committee 





Topic: Text Structure 


Explain major differences between books that 

tell stories and books that give information, 

drawing on a wide reading of a range of text 

types. 

I Can: 

• Tell which books are stories and which 

tell true things 

Notes: 


this standard include making 

connections. 

Tasks: 

• Teacher reads a fiction story and an 

expository book (The Mixed-Up 

Chameleon by Eric Carle, and 

Chameleons in the Garden by Mary 

Lovein. One tells a story and the other 

gives information. Students identify the 

clues that support the differences 

between fiction and nonfiction (e.g., 

bears wearing clothes, people don’t fly 

like birds). 

• Throughout this unit, students are 

reading from a variety of texts: stories, 

poems, and informational texts. When 

you have a ten-minute block, play “I Spy” 

with the children (e.g., “I spy an 

informational book,” “I spy a non-fiction 

book”). The students then have to guess 

which book you are looking at in the 

display of unit books. 






Topic: Point of View 


Identify who is telling the story at various points 

in a text. 

I Can: 

• Tell who is talking to tell the story 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• Students become familiar with the 

concept of narrator and the use of 

dialogue. Teacher models changing a 

passage from narrative to dialogue: 

Narrative: She went to town. Dialogue: 

“I’m going to town.” 

• When reading aloud to students, model 

using different voices to help students 

identify who is speaking throughout the 

story. 

• As students read independently, remind 

them that different characters often tell 

the story at different times in a book. 

Using a book such as Mouse Tales by 

Arnold Lobel, allow the students to reread 

parts of the text where the weasel 

speaks, where the mouse speaks, and 

where the narrator tells the story. 

Provide a bowl of raw elbow macaroni at 

each table. Ask students to use the 

macaroni to cover the quotation marks in 

the book, reminding them that it means 

someone is speaking. Assigning the 

parts to three readers will show others 

how dialogue works in literature. 





Cluster: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 

Topic: Visuals and Text 


Use illustrations and details in a story to 

describe its characters, settings, or events. 

I Can: 

Tell about the story using pictures and words 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• After reading a selection, complete a 

story map with characters, settings, and 

events while discussing how pictures 

and details clarified the story map. 





Topic: Not applicable to literature 


Not applicable to Literature 

I Can: 

Notes: 

Tasks: 





Topic: Compare and Contrast 


Compare and contrast the adventures and 

experiences of characters in stories. 

I Can: 

Tell how stories are the same and different 

Notes: 

• Comprehension strategy supported in 

this standard include making text-to-text 

connections and monitoring 


Tasks: 

• After reading or hearing two selections 

children prepare a Venn diagram (with 

support) or orally state similarities and 

differences. 

• Tell the students that the Indian fable, 

“The Blind Men and the Elephant” is the 

original telling of a fable more commonly 

known as “Seven Blind Mice.” Read the 

original story by Karen Backstein first, 

and then read Ed Young’s “Seven Blind 

Mice.” (Read aloud to students, or they 

may read on their own if they are able.) 

As the two fables are added to the story 

chart, ask the students to explain how 

these two stories are the same and how 

they are different. 





Cluster: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 

Topic: Text Complexity 


With prompting and support, read prose and 

poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1. 

I Can: 

• I can read and listen to prose and 

poems. 

Notes: 

Tasks 

• Prose is a type of literature without a 

formal pattern of verse or meter (not 

poetry). Poetry may include structure, 

meter and rhyme. 

• Expose children to prose and poetry, 

such as poetry written by Dennis Lee, 

Douglas Florian, and/or Shel Silverstein 

or prose written by Frank Ashe, Arnold 

Lobel, Mo Williams, Ted Arnold, and/or 

Elsie Holmelund Minarik. 



Strand: Reading Standards for Informational Texts 


Topic: Ask and Answer Questions 

Standard: RI.1.1 

Ask and answer questions about key details 

in a text. 

I Can: 

• Ask questions about details in a text 

• Answer questions about details in a 

text 

Notes: 

Comprehension strategies supported in this standard 

include asking questions. 

Tasks: 

Teachers model asking questions (who, what, where, 

when, why, and how) to elicit student responses to 

informational text. 

Who? What? Where? Why? When? H 

Source: commoncore.org 





Topic: Main Topics and Key Details 


Identify the main topic and retell key details 

of a text. 

I Can: 

• Tell important details Notes: 

• Comprehension strategies supported 

in this standard include synthesizing 

information. 

Tasks: 

• Tell the students that just because 

books are called “ABC books” it does 

not mean they are always easy to 

understand. Therefore, to understand 

them, we have to be willing to ask 

questions and to think deeply. Tell the 

students that they are going to look at 

The Graphic Alphabet by David 

Pelletier. On each page there is a 

letter, but there is more going on than 

just that letter. Look at “A.” Have the 

students ask questions about the page 

and try to answer them (e.g., “Why is 

the letter “A” crumbling? Could the 

letter be a mountain? Is that an 

‘avalanche’?”). There will be new 

vocabulary introduced, but as you go 

through the book and throughout the 

unit, students will have an opportunity 

to learn those words. 






Topic: Connections and Relationships in 

Informational Text 


Describe the connection between two 

individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of 

information in a text. 

I Can: 

• Tell how 

things go 

together 

Notes: 

Comprehension strategies supported in this standard include making 

connections 

Tasks: 

Teachers provide graphic organizers (e.g., flowchart, timeline for 

events, webs-forming relationships from main ideas to others, main 

idea and supporting details). 

Students highlight key details written on the graphic organizer. 

Students restate the topic and support key details using the 

information from their graphic organizer. 

Students read a section from a social studies or science 

informational text and identify the main topic and retell key details of 

the text. 

Main Topic 

Detail Detail Detail 

Conclusion 






Topic: Questioning and Clarifying 


Ask and answer questions to help determine 

or clarify the meaning of words and phrases 

in a text. 

I Can: 

• Learn the meaning of words I do not 

know 

Notes: 

Comprehension strategies supported in this 

standard include asking questions. 

Tasks: 

Teachers model (think-aloud) how to identify 

and determine meanings of unknown words 

during shared reading of informational text. 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Look at the illustration or 

graph. 

Use background knowledge 

regarding the subject. 

Look at the sentence before 

and after to help build 

meaning. 

Use morphology, affixes, 

Greek & Latin roots to help 

arrive at meaning. 

Students keep word journals or records for 

easy reference 





Topic: Text Features 


Know and use various text features (e.g. 

headings, table of contents, glossaries, 

electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts 

or information in a text. 

I Can: 

• Use the parts of a book to find 

information 

Notes: 


in this standard include determining 

importance. 

Tasks: 

• Give the students this prompt: “Write 

about your favorite animal. Be sure to 

include interesting facts about your 

animal and end with a solid closing. 

Allow your students to begin by 

working in teams to gather 

information. Using non-fictional texts, 

remind them to use the index or table 

of contents to locate more information 

about the animal. When they have 

some basic information, have them 

write the first draft. Ensure that adults 

are available to help with revision of 

the writing. 






Topic: Pictures and Words for 

Understanding 


Distinguish between information provided by 

pictures of other illustrations and information 

provided by the words in a text. 

I Can: 

• Understand what is read because the 

pictures and words help me 

Notes: 


in this standard include making 

connections and monitoring 


Tasks: 

• Use pictures and illustrations the 

author provided to clarify the 

information. (e.g., Why did the author 

put this graph in the text? What does 

the graph show us? How does this 

picture help you know what the 

author wanted you to understand?) 





Topic: Key Ideas and Details 


Use the illustrations and details in a text to 

describe its key ideas. 

I Can: 

• Use the pictures and words to help 

understand ideas 

Notes: 


in this standard include determining 

importance. 

Tasks: 

• Tell the students that just because 

books are called “ABC books” it does 

not mean they are always easy to 

understand. Therefore, to understand 

them, we have to be willing to ask 

questions and to think deeply. Tell 

the students that they are going to 

look at The Graphic Alphabet by 

David Pelletier On each page, there 

is a letter, but there is something 

more going on than just that letter. 

Look at “A.” Have the students ask 

questions about the page and try to 

answer them (e.g., “Why is the letter 

“A” crumbling? Could the letter be a 

mountain? Is that an ‘avalanche’?”). 

There will be new vocabulary 

introduced, but as you go through the 

book and throughout the unit, 

students will have an opportunity to 

learn those words. 






Topic: Supporting Details 


Identify the reasons an author gives to 

support points in a text. 

I Can: 

• Tell some important things the author 

wanted me to learn 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• The emphasis in this standard is how 

text is created with specific points or 

main ideas and it is supported by 

details or reasons. “Points in text” 

refers to main ideas and supporting 

details. 

• Teachers state main idea and ask 

students for supporting details. 





Topic: Similarities and Differences 


Identify basic similarities in and differences 

between two texts on the same topic (e.g. in 

illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). 

I Can: 

• Tell how two texts are the same or 

different 

Notes: 


in this standard include making textto-text 

connections and determining 

importance. 

Tasks: 

• Read about animals of the Arctic and 

about animals of the Antarctic. Then, 

using a t-chart that contains the most 

important points, key details, 

similarities, and differences, compare 

the two informational texts. 




Cluster: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 

Topic: Text Complexity 


With prompting and support, read 

informational texts appropriately complex for 

grade 1. 

I Can: 

• Read true stories with help 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• Students will read informational texts 

(example biography of Abraham 

Lincoln) with support from their 

teacher. 



Strand: Foundational Skills 

Cluster: Print Concepts 

Topic: Concepts about print 

Standard: RF.1.1 

Demonstrate understanding of the 

organization and basic features of print. 

a) Recognize the distinguishing 

features of a sentence (e.g., first 

word, capitalization, ending 

punctuation). 

I Can: 

• Write a sentence that starts with a 

capital and ends with a mark 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• Teachers provide sentences with convention 

errors (e.g., capitals, punctuation) that have 

been explicitly taught. Students will identify and 

correct errors. 

• Students highlight basic feature of print in a 

passage (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending 

punctuation). 


• Use questions and prompts such as: 

a) Show me the first word of the sentence. 

b) Where does the period (question mark, etc) go? 

c) Show me the capital letter. 

d) How does a sentence begin? 

e) What goes at the end of a sentence? 

Source: NCDE 




Cluster: Phonological Awareness 

Topic: Spoken words, syllables and 

sounds 


Demonstrate understanding of spoken 

words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). 

a) Distinguish long from short vowel 

sounds in spoken single-syllable 

words. 

b) Orally produce single-syllable words 

by blending sounds (phonemes), 

including consonant blends. 

c) Isolate and pronounce initial, medial 

vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) 

in spoken single-syllable words. 

d) Segment spoken single-syllable 

words into their complete sequence 

of individual sounds (phonemes). 

I Can: 

• Hear long and short vowels 

• Blend sounds to make words 

• Know beginning, middle, and ending 

sounds 

Notes: 

Tasks: 


a) Does this word have a long or short vowel 

sound? 

b) Say each sound you hear in this word slowly. 

c) What do you hear at the beginning of this word? 

What do you hear next? At the end? 

Source: NCDE 




Cluster: Phonics and Word Recognition 

Topic: Decoding words/Phonics 


Know and apply grade-level phonics and 

word analysis skills in decoding words. 

a) Know the spelling-sound 

correspondences for common 

consonant digraphs. 

b) Decode regularly spelled onesyllable 

words. 

c) Know final –e and common vowel 

team conventions for representing 

long vowel sounds. 

d) Use knowledge that every syllable 

must have a vowel sound to 

determine the number of syllables in 

a printed word. 

e) Decode two-syllable words following 

basic patterns by breaking the words 

into syllables. 

f) Read words with inflectional endings. 

g) Recognize and read gradeappropriate 

irregularly spelled words. 

I Can: 

• Sound out one-syllable words 

• Sound out words that end with silent 

e. 

• Use vowels to sound out syllables 

• Break words into parts 

• Read words with endings 

• Read first grade sight words 

Notes: 

• Common vowel teams include: ai, ay, ee, ea, 

oa. 

Tasks: 


a) Does that sound right? 

b) Does that look right? 

c) Does that make sense? 

d) Look at the word, does it look like!? 

e) You said!does it look like!? What do these 

two letters sound like together (sh, th, ch) in this 

word? 

f) Can you clap the syllables in this word? 

g) What does this final e tell you about this word? 

h) Look at the beginning of that word, can you get 

it started? 

Source: NCDE 




Cluster: Fluency 

Topic: Accuracy, Fluency and 

Comprehension 


Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to 

support comprehension. 

a) Read on-level text with purpose and 


b) Read on-level text orally with 

accuracy, appropriate rate, and 

expression on successive readings. 

c) Use context to confirm or self-correct 

word recognition and understanding, 

rereading as necessary. 

I Can: 

Understand what I read 

• Know the purpose of what I read 

• Read fluently 

• Self-correct when I read 

Notes: 

• Comprehension strategies supported in this 

standard include monitoring understanding. 

Tasks: 

• Model reading orally with fluency and accuracy, 

as well as expression and self-correcting. Also 

model the reading strategies (such as visualizing, 

background knowledge, important ideas, 

inferring, monitor and clarify, predict and set 

purpose, questioning, story structure, summarize, 

and text structure). 


a) Make your reading sound like the characters are 

talking. 

b) Make your voice sound like the words are 

together. 

c) Make your voice go up when you see the 

question mark at the end. 

d) Make your voice go down when you see the 

period at the end. 

e) Go back and reread when it doesn’t sound or 

look like you think it should. 

Source: NCDE 



Strand: Writing 

Cluster: Text Types and Purposes 

Topic: 

Opinions/Arguments 

Standard: W.1.1 

Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the 

topic or name the book they are writing about, 

state an opinion, supply a reason for the 

opinion, and provide some sense of closure. 

I Can: 

• Write what I think and why I think that 

Notes: 



connections. 

• See Appendix A, pages 24-25 for more 

information about writing arguments. 

Tasks: 

• Students write a book review and write 

why they liked or did not like the book. 

• Students choose the better pet between 

a dog and a cat. They write a reason 

why and end with their opinion. 





Topic: 

Informative/Explanatory 


Write informative/explanatory texts in which 

they name a topic, supply some facts about the 

topic, and provide some sense of closure. 

I Can: 

• Choose a real topic and write my facts. 

Notes: 

See Appendix A, pages 

23-25 for more information about writing 

arguments. 

Tasks: 

• Students choose a nonfiction topic and 

create one of the following: reports, 

definitions, lists, observations, journals, 

procedures, posters, pamphlets, news 

articles, or handouts. 





Topic: 

Narrative 


Write narratives in which they recount two or 

more appropriately sequenced events, include 

some details, regarding what happened, use 

temporal words to signal event order, and 

provide some sense of closure. 

I Can: 

• Write about events that happened first, 

next, and last 

Notes: 

See Appendix A, pages 

23-25 for more information about writing 

arguments. 

Tasks: 

• Students choose a nonfiction topic and 

create one of the following: reports, 

definitions, lists, observations, journals, 

procedures, posters, or news articles. 




Cluster: Production and Distribution of Writing 

Topic: 

Revising Writing 


Begins in 3 rd Grade 

I Can: 

Notes: 

Tasks: 




Cluster: Production and Distribution of Writing 

Topic: 

Revising Writing 


With guidance and support from adults, focus 

on a topic, respond to questions and 

suggestions from peers, and add details to 

strengthen writing as needed. 

I Can: 

• Use suggestions to add details to make 

my writing better 

Notes: 

Comprehension strategies supported in 

this standard include determining 

importance. 

Tasks: 

• After completing a rough draft on a 

chosen topic, share with teacher and 

peers to hear suggestions for adding 

details. Students will then revise as 

needed to strengthen writing. 





Topic: 

Digital Publishing 


With guidance and support from adults, use a 

variety of digital tools to produce and publish 

writing, including in collaboration with peers. 

I Can: 

• Share my writing with technology 

Notes: 



importance. 

Tasks: 

• As a class (or individually), create digital 

stories using PowerPoint, the Internet, 

Kidspiration, Kid Pix, etc. 




Cluster: Research to Build and Present Knowledge 

Topic: 

Shared Research and Writing 


Participate in shared research and writing 

projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” 

books on a given topic and use them to write a 

sequence of instructions). 

I Can: 

• Find facts 

• Write a book with my classmates 

Notes: 



importance. 

Tasks: 

• Read books about forest animals or farm 

animals. Have children list some facts 

and choose two or three facts about a 

few animals and write a class book. 




Cluster: Research to Build and Present Knowledge 

Topic: 

Use sources to answer questions. 


With guidance and support from adults, 

recall information from experiences or 

gather information from provided 

sources to answer a question. 

I Can: 

• Write an answer to a question 

Notes: 

• Comprehension strategies 

supported in this standard 

include making connections, 

synthesizing information, and 

determining importance. 

Tasks: 

• With a question in mind, listen 

to or read books on the topics 

and write an answer to question 

such as, “How are frogs 

different from toads?” 



Strand: Speaking and Listening 

Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration 

Topic: 

Conversation 

Standard:SL.1.1 

Participation in collaborative conversations with 

diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts 

with peers and adults in small and larger 

groups. 

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for 

discussions (e.g., listening to others with 

care, speaking one at a time about the 

topics and texts under discussion). 

b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by 

responding to the comments of others 

through multiple exchanges. 

c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion 

about the topics and texts under 

discussion. 

I Can: 

• Follow rules when I talk with my 

classmates 

• Ask questions about the topic 

• Add my own comments to the topic 

Notes: 


this standard include asking questions. 

Tasks: 

• Using the ABC books as a model, 

generate some ideas for writing a class 

ABC book. Work together as a class to 

come up with a big class question. Begin 

by asking questions such as, “Is it 

possible to create an ABC book with 

‘Games to Play’ as our title?” Allow the 

class to give some ideas (e.g., names, 

authors, books, plants, and insects). 

After ideas have been shaped into a 

research question, allow the children to 

vote on a theme for the class ABC book. 

Once the theme is chosen, collect (and 

research using a variety of texts and 

digital resources) ideas for each letter of 

the alphabet. Decide on a design for the 

book. Assign each student a letter in the 

book. Each page should include an 

upper and lower case letter, the key 

word, an illustration, and a sentence 

using the key word. Be sure to have 

them follow rules for spelling and 

punctuating correctly. 






Topic: 

Listening Comprehension 

Standard: SL1.2 

Ask and answer questions about key details in a 

text read aloud or information presented orally 

or through other media. 

I Can: 

• Ask and answer questions to learn more 

about something 

Notes: 



importance. 

Tasks: 

• Look at a piece of art, photograph, or 

illustration. Have children brainstorm 

questions about the media. Record 

questions on a chart and have children 

think deeply to answer questions that 

were generated. Discuss the value in 

asking questions to help understand the 

topic. 





Topic: 

Listen and Respond 

Standard:SL.1.3 

Ask and answer questions about what a 

speaker says in order to gather additional 

information or clarify something that is not 

understood. 

I Can: 

• Ask good questions after listening to 

someone speak 

Notes: 


this standard include asking questions. 

Tasks: 

• Discuss the difference between quality 

questions and stories. Then, invite a 

guest speaker into the classroom (such 

as a dental hygienist, police, or nurse). 

Allow students to ask quality questions. 




Cluster: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 

Topic: 

Oral Expression 

Standard: SL.1.4 

Describe people, places, things, and events 

with relevant details, expressing ideas and 

feelings clearly. 

I Can: 

• Express my ideas and feelings clearly 

Notes: 



connections. 

Tasks: 

• Tell students to stand up and walk 

around. Then, tell them to walk like they 

are going out to ice cream having them 

note how their gaits changes. Next, tell 

them they should walk after they got in 

trouble, again, note how their gaits 

change. Continue this game as time 

permits with other scenarios. When 

finished, discuss how feelings changed 

using descriptive language (i.e. excited 

instead of happy). Record responses on 

chart. 





Topic: 

Multimedia Presentations 


Add drawings or other visual displays to 

descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, 

thoughts, and feeling. 

I Can: 

• Use pictures or things to help people 

understand me 

Notes: 


this standard include visualizing. 

Tasks: 

• Ask the students to think about how all of 

the Cinderella stories are different 

because of the time and place where 

they happen. Challenge the students to 

draw the "trying on the slipper" scene as 

if it were happening right now and in the 

place where they live. Scan the pictures 

and create a Power Point slide for each 

image. Students 

present their drawings to the class 

explaining their adaptation of the “slipper 

scene.” 






Topic: 

Appropriate Oral Communication 


Produce complete sentences when appropriate 

to task and situation. (See grade 1 Language 

standards 1 and 3 on page 26 for specific 

expectations). 

I Can: 

• Talk in sentences 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• Model incomplete sentences. Discuss 

what is missing in those incomplete 

sentences. As a group, recreate the 

incomplete thought into a quality 

sentence. Group students and give 

them incomplete sentences to transform 

into quality sentences. Discuss 

examples with group. 



Strand: Language 

Cluster: Conventions of Standard English 

Topic: Grammar Usage 

Standard: L.1.1 

Demonstrate command of the conventions 

of standard English grammar and usage 

when writing or speaking. 

a) Print all upper- and lowercase letters. 

b) Use common, proper, and possessive 

nouns. 

c) Use singular and plural nouns with 

matching verbs in basic sentences 

(e.g., He hops; We hop). 

d) Use personal, possessive, and 

indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; 

they, them, their, anyone, everything). 

e) Use verbs to convey a sense of past, 

present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I 

walked home; Today I walk home; 

Tomorrow I will walk home). 

f) Use frequently occurring adjectives. 

g) Use frequently occurring conjunctions 

(e.g., and, but, or, so, because). 

h) Use determiners (e.g., articles, 

demonstratives). 

i) Use frequently occurring prepositions 

(e.g., during, beyond, toward). 

j) Produce and expand complete simple 

and compound declarative, 

interrogative, imperative, and 

exclamatory sentences in response to 

prompts. 

I Can: 

• Print all upper- and lowercase 

letters 

• Know what nouns are 

• Match nouns with action words (He 

hops. We hop.) 

• Use a different word for a noun (I, 

me, my; they, them, their, anyone, 

everything). 

• Use action words for things that 

happened yesterday, today, and 

tomorrow. 

• Use describing words 

• Use connecting words 

• Use a, an, and the 

• Use prepositions like over, under, 

and, around 

• combine sentences 

Notes: 

• L.1.1.f: Adjectives include size, shape, and color 

words 

Tasks: 

• Using the ABC books as a model, generate some 

ideas for writing a class ABC book. Work together 

as a class to come up with a big class question. 

Begin by asking questions such as, “Is it possible 

to create an ABC book with ‘Games to Play’ as 

our title?” Allow the class to give some ideas (e.g., 

names, authors, books, plants, insects). After 

ideas have been shaped into a research question, 

allow the children to vote on a theme for the class 

ABC book. Once the theme is chosen, collect 

(and research using a variety of texts and digital 

resources) ideas for each letter of the alphabet. 

Decide on a design for the book. Assign each 

student a letter in the book. Each page should 

include an upper and lower case letter, the key 

word, an illustration, and a sentence using the key 

word. Be sure to have them follow rules for 

spelling and punctuating correctly. 

Source:commoncore.org 




Cluster: Conventions of Standard English 

Topic: Capitalization, Punctuation and 

Spelling 


Demonstrate command of the conventions 

of standard English capitalization, 

punctuation, and spelling when writing. 

a) Capitalize dates and names of 

people. 

b) Use end punctuation for sentences. 

c) Use commas in dates and to 

separate single words in a series. 

d) Use conventional spelling for words 

with common spelling patterns and 

for frequently occurring irregular 

words. 

e) Spell untaught words phonetically, 

drawing on phonemic awareness 

and spelling conventions. 

I Can: 

• Capitalize dates and names 

• Use end punctuation for sentences 

• Use commas in dates and lists 

• Spell sight words and word family 

words 

• Use invented spelling 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• To teach the use of a comma in a series, list the 

five senses on the white board. Give students a 

“setting” card (e.g., zoo, farm, or beach) and have 

them dictate a sentence using one of the senses, 

naming three things they are able to use one of 

the senses for, in that setting. Explain that when 

we use the word “and” we are using a conjunction. 

For example, “At the zoo, I smell popcorn, 

elephants, and cotton candy.” Write the dictated 

sentence and then challenge them to write their 

own sentences. 


• To introduce the relationship between punctuation 

and reading expression, use the book Yo! Yes? 

Show the students the cover of the book with its 

very simple title: Yo! Yes? Ask how someone 

would say those words? YO! YES? As you read 

the book with the students, have the boys read 

one page, and the girls the opposite page. As they 

focus on the illustrations and the way the author 

ends each sentence, they will know how to read 

the words, and a story will be created in their 

minds. Follow this reading with other books so 

that the children learn how important it is to read 

with the end punctuation in mind. 





Cluster: Knowledge of Language 

Topic: 


(Begins in grade 2) 

I Can: 

Notes: 

Tasks: 




Cluster: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use 

Topic: Word Meanings 


Determine or clarify the meaning of 

unknown and multiple-meaning words and 

phrases based on grade 1 reading and 

content, choosing flexibly from an array of 

strategies. 

a) Use sentence-level context as a clue 

to the meaning of a word or phrase. 

b) Use frequently occurring affixes as a 

clue to the meaning of a word. 

c) Identify frequently occurring root 

words (e.g., look) and their 

inflectional forms (e.g., looks, 

looked, looking). 

I Can: 

• Find root words and endings 

• Use word clues to figure out what a 

word means 

• Use the end of words to figure out 

what a word means 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

Read a fictional animal story, such as Are You My 

Mother? by Philip D. Eastman. Discuss the vocabulary in 

the story and work on retelling. Ask the students (if, for 

example, discussing Are You My Mother?), “What word 

was funny in the story because of the way it was used?” 

(Possible answer: “Snort”) How did you know what it 

meant? Divide the students into groups of three and have 

them tell the story to each other, taking turns as each tells 

a part. Let them know that if they are stuck on a part of 

the story, you will come and allow them to use the book 

to solve the problem. Encourage the students to try to 

remember as many details as they can to tell the story 

because that is what makes it interesting. When they are 

finished retelling the story, talk about what lesson might 

be learned from the story. 


Choose some verbs that are rather bland, such as “to 

walk.” Ask the children to imagine that they are in the 

book The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum with Dorothy and 

that they are walking on the yellow brick road. Have them 

imagine that they are really happy. How would they walk? 

(Possible answers: Skip, run, dance.) Allow students to 

show us how that kind of motion would look. Then, have 

them imagine that they are feeling sad and discouraged. 

How would they walk? (Possible answers: trudge, drag) 

Make a list of all the words that could be used as a better 

choice than “walk.”This lesson on verbs can be extended 

to cover roots and affixes –ed, -s, -ing. 






Topic: Word Relationships and Nuances 


With guidance and support from adults, 

demonstrate understanding of word 

relationships and nuances in word 

meanings. 

a) Sort words into categories (e.g., 

colors, clothing) to gain a sense of 

the concepts the categories 

represent. 

b) Define words by category and by one 

or more key attributes (e.g., a duck is 

a bird that swims; a tiger is a large 

cat with stripes). 

c) Identify real-life connections between 

words and their use (e.g., note 

places at home that are cozy). 

d) Distinguish shades of meaning 

among verbs differing in manner 

(e.g., look, peek, glance, stare, glare, 

scowl) and adjectives differing in 

intensity (e.g., large, gigantic) by 

defining or choosing them or by 

acting out the meanings. 

I Can: 

• Put words in groups that are the 

same 

• Tell what words mean and add 

details 

• Make connections between words 

• Show words that mean moving and 

how they are moving 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• Follow up on a book read previously in class, 

such as Are You My Mother? (Philip D. 

Eastman). Go back and reread the story. As you 

read it this time, read for the purpose of finding 

all of the animals and things that baby bird 

thought might be his mother. As students find the 

words, write them on index cards (e.g., kitten, 

hen, dog, cow, boat, plane). Sort the words into 

categories (e.g., animals, modes of 

transportation,). Think of more words for each of 

the categories. 






Topic: Vocabulary Development 


Use words and phrases acquired through 

conversations, reading and being read to, 

and responding to texts, including using 

frequently occurring conjunctions to signal 

simple relationships (e.g., I named my 

hamster Nibblet because she nibbles too 

much because she likes that). 

Example comes from National Common 

Core 

I Can: 

• Put two little sentences together in 

one sentence 

Notes: 

Tasks: 

• Teachers model using conjunctions by providing 

two sentences and then connecting the two 

sentences with a conjunction (but, and, 

because).For example, I want to play after 

school. I have soccer practice. Sentence with 

conjunction: I want to play after school, but I 

have soccer practice. 

Students then practice orally or in writing with a 

partner. 

Source: Arizona 

• Create a word bank after a science or social 

studies unit. Students will write about 

completed unit using three new words from the 

word bank. Students will illustrate the 

sentences. 


Source material from the following groups was used to inform many of the tasks compiled in this document: 

Arizona Department of Education. (2011). Arizona English language arts standards. Retrieved from 

http://www.ade.az.gov/standards/contentstandards.asp 

Common Core Curriculum Mapping Project. (2011). Common core curriculum maps: English language arts. Retrieved from 

http://www.commoncore.org 

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. (2011). Instructional support tools: English language arts, unpacked content. Retrieved from 

http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/acre/standards/common-core-tools/

North Dakota First Grade Common Core - ND Curriculum Initiative

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