English

English — Grade 1

American Curriculum · Ages 6-7

First grade English language arts is built on phonics. Students learn letter-sound relationships, blends and digraphs, decode one- and two-syllable words, and build a bank of high-frequency sight words so reading becomes fluent rather than effortful.

Comprehension work covers retelling a story with key details, identifying characters and settings, and asking and answering questions about a text. Writing moves from single sentences into short opinion, informative and narrative pieces, with capital letters, end punctuation and phonetic spelling used consistently.

Key topics covered

• Phonics & Word RecognitionLetter sounds, blends, digraphs, and decoding one- and two-syllable words.
• Reading FluencyReading grade-level text accurately, at pace and with expression.
• Reading LiteratureRetelling stories, identifying characters and settings, and describing key details.
• Reading Informational TextFinding the main topic and key facts in a nonfiction text.
• WritingOpinion, informative and narrative pieces of several linked sentences.
• Language & ConventionsNouns, verbs, adjectives, capitalization, end punctuation and phonetic spelling.