Grade 1 ELA B.E.S.T. Standards

Communicating Through Writing

Communicating Through Writing

Print all upper- and lowercase letters.

Handwriting Print all upper- and lowercase letters.

Write narratives that retell two or more appropriately sequenced events, including relevant details and a sense of closure.

Narrative Writing: Write narratives that retell two or more appropriately sequenced events, including relevant details and a sense of closure.

Write opinions about a topic or text with at least one supporting reason from a source and a sense of closure.

Argumentative Writing: Write opinions about a topic or text with at least one supporting reason from a source and a sense of closure.

Write expository texts about a topic, using a source, providing facts and a sense of closure.

Expository Writing: Write expository texts about a topic, using a source, providing facts and a sense of closure.

With guidance and support from adults, improve writing, as needed, by planning, revising, and editing.

Improving Writing: With guidance and support from adults, improve writing, as needed, by planning, revising, and editing.

Communicating Orally

Communicating Orally

Present information orally using complete sentences and appropriate volume.

Oral Presentation: Present information orally using complete sentences and appropriate volume.

Following Conventions

Following Conventions

Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.

Conventions: Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.

Researching

Researching

Participate in research to gather information to answer a question about a single topic.

Researching and Using Information: Participate in research to gather information to answer a question about a single topic.

Creating and Collaborating

Creating and Collaborating

Use a multimedia element to enhance oral or written tasks.

Multimedia: Use a multimedia element to enhance oral or written tasks.

Identify and use digital tools to produce and publish writing individually or with peers and with support from adults.

Technology in Communication: Identify and use digital tools to produce and publish writing individually or with peers and with support from adults.

Learning and Applying Foundational Reading Skills

Learning and Applying Foundational Reading Skills

Locate the title, table of contents, names of author(s) and illustrator(s), and glossary of books.

Print Concepts: Locate the title, table of contents, names of author(s) and illustrator(s), and glossary of books.

Demonstrate phonological awareness.

Phonological Awareness: Demonstrate phonological awareness.

Segment spoken words into initial, medial, and final phonemes, including words with digraphs, blends, and trigraphs.

Segment spoken words into initial, medial, and final phonemes, including words with digraphs, blends, and trigraphs.

Orally blend initial, medial, and final phonemes together to produce a single-syllable word that includes digraphs, blends, or trigraphs.

Orally blend initial, medial, and final phonemes together to produce a single-syllable word that includes digraphs, blends, or trigraphs.

Blend single-syllable spoken words with at least five phonemes.

Blend single-syllable spoken words with at least five phonemes.

Segment single-syllable spoken words with at least five phonemes.

Segment single-syllable spoken words with at least five phonemes.

Segment and blend phonemes in multi-syllable spoken words.

Segment and blend phonemes in multi-syllable spoken words.

Use knowledge of grade-appropriate phonics and word-analysis skills to decode words accurately.

Phonics and Word Analysis: Use knowledge of grade-appropriate phonics and word-analysis skills to decode words accurately.

Decode words using knowledge of spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs, trigraphs, and blends.

Decode words using knowledge of spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs, trigraphs, and blends.

Decode simple words with r-controlled vowels.

Decode simple words with r-controlled vowels.

Decode and encode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Decode and encode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Decode words with inflectional endings.

Decode words with inflectional endings.

Decode two-syllable words with regular patterns by breaking the words into syllables.

Decode two-syllable words with regular patterns by breaking the words into syllables.

Decode words that use final –e and vowel teams to make long-vowel sound.

Decode words that use final -e and vowel teams to make long-vowel sounds.

Read grade-level texts with accuracy, automaticity, and appropriate prosody or expression.

Fluency: Read grade-level texts with accuracy, automaticity, and appropriate prosody or expression.

Recognize and read with automaticity the grade-level sight words.

Recognize and read with automaticity the grade-level sight words.

Reading Prose and Poetry

Reading Prose and Poetry

Identify and describe the main story elements in a story.

Literary Elements: Identify and describe the main story elements in a story.

Identify and explain the moral of a story.

Theme: Identify and explain the moral of a story.

Explain who is telling the story using context clues.

Perspective and Point of View: Explain who is telling the story using context clues.

Identify stanzas and line breaks in poems.

Poetry: Identify stanzas and line breaks in poems.

Reading Informational Text

Reading Informational Text

Use text features including titles, headings, captions, graphs, maps, glossaries, and/or illustrations to demonstrate understanding of texts.

Structure: Use text features including titles, headings, captions, graphs, maps, glossaries, and/or illustrations to demonstrate understanding of texts.

Identify the topic of and relevant details in a text.

Central Idea: Identify the topic of and relevant details in a text.

Explain similarities and differences between information provided in visuals and words in an informational text.

Purpose and Perspective: Explain similarities and differences between information provided in visuals and words in an informational text.

Identify an author's opinion(s) about the topic.

Argument: Identify an author’s opinion(s) about the topic.

Reading Across Genres

Reading Across Genres

Identify and explain descriptive words and phrases in text(s).

Interpreting Figurative Language: Identify and explain descriptive words and phrases in text(s).

Retell a text in oral or written form to enhance comprehension.

Paraphrasing and Summarizing: Retell a text in oral or written form to enhance comprehension.

Use main story elements at the beginning, middle, and end for a literary text.

Use main story elements at the beginning, middle, and end for a literary text.

Use topic and important details for an informational text.

Use topic and important details for an informational text.

Compare and contrast two texts on the same topic.

Comparative Reading: Compare and contrast two texts on the same topic.

Finding Meaning Academic Vocabulary

Finding Meaning

Use grade-level academic vocabulary appropriately in speaking and writing.

Academic Vocabulary: Use grade-level academic vocabulary appropriately in speaking and writing.

Identify and use frequently occurring base words and their common inflections in grade-level content.

Morphology: Identify and use frequently occurring base words and their common inflections in grade-level content.

Identify and use picture clues, context clues, word relationships, reference materials, and/or background knowledge to determine the meaning of unknown words.

Context and Connotation: Identify and use picture clues, context clues, word relationships, reference materials, and/or background knowledge to determine the meaning of unknown words.

Cite evidence to explain and justify reasoning.

Read and comprehend grade-level complex texts proficiently.

Make inferences to support comprehension.

Use appropriate collaborative techniques and active listening skills when engaging in discussions in a variety of situations.

Use the accepted rules governing a specific format to create quality work.

Use appropriate voice and tone when speaking or writing.

Skills to be implemented but not yet mastered are as follows:

Use interjections.

Form and use regular and frequently occurring irregular plural nouns.

Most grade-level texts are appropriate for this benchmark.

For setting, students will discuss where the events of the story are happening. The time element of setting should only be addressed in texts where it is explicitly indicated.

Skills to be mastered at this grade level are as follows:

Use apostrophes to form contractions.

See Context Clues and Word Relationships.

In describing the characters, students can describe appearance, actions, feelings, and thoughts of the characters. Students will explain what in the text their description is based on.

Foundational Skills

Multimedia elements may include, but are not limited to, a drawing, picture, artifact, and audio or digital representation. At this grade level, the element should relate to the task. As long as the student is able to explain how the picture relates, the multimedia element is suitable. The element may be shared at the beginning or added on to the end instead of shared during the course of the task. There is no expectation that the element be integrated into the task.

Vocabulary

See Dolch and Fry word lists.

The question could ask for an explanation or could ask how to do something, where the appropriate response could be to give a sequence of steps or instructions.

Capitalize proper nouns.

Inflectional endings, the inflections referred to here, are added to the end of a word to add additional information.

Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs.

Communication

Form plurals -y to -ies.

Form and use simple verb tenses for regular verbs by adding the affix -ed.

See Writing Types.

Grade-level academic vocabulary consists of words that are likely to appear across subject areas for the current grade level and beyond, are vital to comprehension, critical for academic discussions and writing, and usually require explicit instruction.

Use possessives.

Appropriately use pronouns.

Use plural possessives

Students will decode decodable high frequency words appropriate to the grade level. See 1.F.1.4 and Dolch and Fry word lists. Students will read grade-level appropriate high frequency words, decodable or not, with automaticity.

For further guidance, see the Elementary Oral Communication Rubric.

Reading

Students are being asked to compare and contrast. During instruction, give students opportunities to see visual representations of similarities and differences using tools such as Venn diagrams or T-charts.

Instruction for this benchmark should include text read-alouds and think-alouds aimed at building and activating background knowledge. Review of words learned in this way is critical to building background knowledge and related vocabulary. Texts read aloud can be two grade levels higher than student reading level.

This benchmark introduces the moral of a story as a precursor to theme in 2nd grade. A moral is the lesson of a story. During instruction, let students know that not all stories have a lesson by referring to stories read that did not have a moral or a lesson.

Foundational Skills

Appropriate prosody refers to pausing patterns during oral reading that reflect the punctuation and meaning of a text. See Sample Oral Reading Fluency Rubrics for prosody.

See Base Words for frequently occurring base words.

Phonics refers to the relationship between graphemes (letters or letter combinations) and phonemes (speech sounds).

When explaining similarities and differences, students will also explain how the visuals and words help the reader make sense of the topic.

See Writing Types.

Conjugate regular and irregular verb tenses.

Communication

Use commas in a series.

See Fluency Norms for grade-level norms. Norms are expressed as words correct per minute (WCPM), a measure that combines accuracy with speed.

Phonological awareness only refers to what can be done orally at both the sound and syllabic level. This includes isolating sounds, blending sounds, and orally segmenting words based on syllables. It does not involve print or letter knowledge.

See Conventions Progression by Grade Level for more information.

Continue to expose students to the academic vocabulary word “adjective.” Discussion should focus on how the descriptive words add meaning to the text.

This benchmark can be paired with R.1.1, R.1.2, R.1.3, and R.3.2 for instruction with story poems.

As needed refers to the fact that sometimes instruction will focus on a specific skill or part of the process. In those instances, only the applicable activity will be engaged in.

Many of the high frequency words at this grade level are either irregularly spelled and therefore not decodable or are temporarily irregular, meaning that students have not yet learned the phonics rule that would enable them to decode the word. Those words that are decodable should be introduced to students using appropriate phonics rules. See 1.F.1.3. Students will read grade-level appropriate high frequency words, decodable or not, with automaticity.

Use subject-verb agreement in simple sentences.

Vocabulary

See Writing Types.

Main story elements for the purpose of this benchmark are the setting, characters, and sequence of events of a story.

Reading

Students should have adequate spacing between letters and/or words.

Grade-level texts, for the purposes of fluency, are those within the grade band on quantitative text complexity measures and appropriate in content and qualitative measures.

K-12 ELA Expectations

Students will use the term narrator to refer to the speaker telling the story. Students will determine if the narrator is a character in the story or a speaker outside of the story. Students will give reasons why they know who is speaking.

Form and use complete simple sentences.

During instruction, give students opportunities to see visual representations of similarities and differences using tools such as Venn diagrams or T-charts.

Print all upper- and lowercase letters with a model.

Write a narrative with two sequenced events.

Write an opinion about a topic.

Write an expository text about a topic, using a source, to provide facts.

With guidance and support from adults, improve drawing and writing, as needed, by planning, revising and editing.

Express information using complete sentences and appropriate volume, using the students mode of communication.

Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling. • Capitalize proper nouns. • Form and use simple verb tenses for regular verbs by adding the affix -ed. Form regular plural nouns orally by adding -s or -es.

Participate in guided research to gather information to answer a question about a single topic.

Identify the correct multimedia element to enhance oral or written tasks when presented with options.

Identify digital tools to produce and publish writing individually or with peers and with support from adults.

Locate the title, table of contents, names of author(s) and illustrator(s), and glossary of books with a model.

Segment spoken words into initial, medial and final phonemes, including words with digraphs, blends and trigraphs.

Blend initial, medial and final phonemes together to identify or produce a single-syllable word that includes digraphs, blends or trigraphs.

Blend single-syllable spoken words with at least four phonemes.

Segment single-syllable spoken words with at least four phonemes.

Segment and blend phonemes in familiar multi-syllable spoken words.

Decode words using knowledge of spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs, trigraphs and blends.

Decode simple words with r-controlled vowels.

Decode and encode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Decode words with inflectional endings.

Decode two-syllable words with regular patterns by breaking the words into syllables.

Decode words that use final -e and vowel teams to make long-vowel sound.

Recognize and read sight words.

Identify the main story elements in a story.

Identify the moral of a story.

Identify who is telling the story using context clues.

Identify a line break in a poem.

Use text features including titles, headings and/or illustrations to demonstrate understanding of texts.

Identify the topic of and select a relevant detail in a text.

Identify if information was provided from a visual or from words in an informational text.

Identify an authors opinion about the topic.

Identify descriptive words and phrases in text(s).

Identify main story elements at the beginning, middle and end for a literary text using the student’s mode of communication.

Identify a topic and relevant details for an informational text using the students mode of communication.

Identify details about two texts on the same topic.

Identify grade-level academic vocabulary appropriately in communication, using the students mode of communication.

Identify frequently occurring base words and their common inflections in grade-level content at the student’s ability level.

Identify and use picture clues, context clues and/or background knowledge to determine the meaning of unknown words at the student’s ability level.

Following Conventions

Reading Prose and Poetry

Communicating Through Writing

Creating and Collaborating

Reading Informational Text

Foundational Skills

Vocabulary

Finding Meaning

Reading

Reading Across Genres

Communication

Researching

Communicating Orally

Learning and Applying Foundational Reading Skills

English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Language Arts.

English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Mathematics.

English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Science.

English language learners communicate for social and instructional purposes within the school setting.

English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Social Studies.

Cite evidence to explain and justify reasoning.

Read and comprehend grade-level complex texts proficiently.

Make inferences to support comprehension.

Use appropriate collaborative techniques and active listening skills when engaging in discussions in a variety of situations.

Use the accepted rules governing a specific format to create quality work.

Use appropriate voice and tone when speaking or writing.