Grade One
First grade is an exciting year filled with remarkable advances in literacy and language. Children
continue to learn skills that enable them to read, write, and communicate more independently.
They apply their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code and they recognize a growing number
of words accurately and automatically. They learn to write and spell many words and use them to
communicate ideas and experiences. They engage deeply with high-quality literary and informational
texts as listeners and readers, and they compose different types of texts for different purposes. They
continue on the path toward becoming broadly literate. (See chapter 2 of this ELA/ELD Framework.)
Concurrently, children have rich experiences in the content areas that expand their knowledge of the
world and their language.
Instruction is designed such that the range of learners in the classroom receives excellent
first teaching. Some children may require additional instruction in order to achieve the standards.
Additional instruction is provided in a timely fashion and is targeted to ensure all children make the
progress necessary for access to the same future opportunities in their educations, careers, and lives
as their peers.
Key Themes of ELA/Literacy and ELD Instruction in Grade One
Instruction in ELA/literacy is appropriately challenging, focused on clear objectives, carefully
sequenced, and responsive to children’s needs. Furthermore, instruction occurs in an inviting
and empowering context that integrates the curricula and is motivating, engaging, respectful,
and intellectually challenging (displayed in the white field of figure 3.28). In this section, the key
themes of ELA/literacy and ELD instruction as they apply to grade one are discussed. These include
Meaning Making, Language Development, Effective Expression, Content Knowledge,
and Foundational Skills. Grade one instruction is an important step toward students’ ultimate
achievement of the overarching goals of ELA/literacy and ELD instruction (displayed in the outer ring
of the figure): Students develop the readiness for college, careers, and civic life; attain the capacities
of literate individuals; become broadly literate; and acquire the skills for living and learning in the 21st
century.
Figure 3.28. Circles of Implementation of ELA/Literacy and ELD InstructionGrade 1 Chapter 3 | 239