British Columbia · Grade 1
English Language Arts 1
British Columbia’s Grade 1 English course, from Story and Text to Language Features, Structure, and Conventions.
- Units
- 3
- Lessons
- 13
- Skills
- 38
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Province of British Columbia
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 10 skills
Story and Text
What Is Inside a Story
Where and when a story happens
I can point to where and when a story happens.
Skill 1.1
Who a story is about
I can name who a story is about.
Skill 1.2
What happens in a story
I can tell one thing that happens in a story, in order.
Skill 1.3
Fun Words and Pictures in Stories
Words that sound nice together
I can notice fun, sing-song words in a story or poem.
Skill 1.4
Pretend words that paint a picture
I can notice a pretend description that is not really true.
Skill 1.5
Rhymes and repeating sounds
I can spot rhyming words and repeating sounds in a story.
Skill 1.6
Pictures that add to the story
I can find something a picture shows that the words did not say.
Skill 1.7
Colours that show a feeling
I can notice how a colour in a picture makes the story feel.
Skill 1.8
Pictures that stand for an idea
I can notice a picture that stands for an idea.
Skill 1.9
Words We Use to Talk About Books
Book words: title, author, character
I can use book words like title, author, and character to talk about a story.
Skill 1.10
The official wording · 10 outcomes
- 1.1
- setting
- 1.2
- character
- 1.3
- events
- 1.4
- poetic language
- 1.5
- figurative language
- 1.6
- sound play
- 1.7
- images
- 1.8
- colour
- 1.9
- symbols
- 1.10
- vocabulary to talk about texts
Key ideas
The setting is where a story happens, like a forest, a school, or a kitchen.
Poetic language is special, fun-sounding words, like 'wiggle-waggle' or 'pitter-patter'.
The title is the name of the book; the author is the person who wrote it.
The setting can also be a time, like night-time, morning, or winter.
These words are fun to say out loud because of how they sound.
Watch out for
- Thinking setting is only a place and forgetting it can also be a time, like night-time.
- Thinking every word in a rhyming book is poetic language, instead of just the fun sing-song ones.
- Mixing up the title (name of the book) with the character's name.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 21 skills
Strategies and Processes
Ways to Figure Out a Story
Guessing from pictures
I can use a picture and what I already know to guess a word or what happens.
Skill 2.1
Reading it again
I can read a sentence again when it did not make sense.
Skill 2.2
Telling the story back in my own words
I can tell a story back using my own words.
Skill 2.3
Finding the big idea and small clues
I can point to what a story is mostly about and one small detail.
Skill 2.4
Sounding out a word
I can sound out a word using the letter sounds and patterns I know.
Skill 2.5
Words I just know by looking
I can recognize a familiar word right away without sounding it out.
Skill 2.6
Checking that reading makes sense
I can keep checking that my reading is making sense.
Skill 2.7
Fixing a reading mistake
I can notice a reading mistake and fix it myself.
Skill 2.8
Talking and Listening in a Group
Using a voice others can hear and understand
I can use a voice that others can hear, follow, and understand.
Skill 2.9
Looking and listening to the speaker
I can look and listen to whoever is talking.
Skill 2.10
Waiting for my turn to talk
I can wait for my turn to talk.
Skill 2.11
Asking a question about the topic
I can ask a question that matches what we are talking about.
Skill 2.12
Telling how it reminds me of my own life
I can tell how something reminds me of my own life.
Skill 2.13
Adding an idea that fits the discussion
I can add an idea to a group talk that fits what everyone is talking about.
Skill 2.14
Thinking About My Own Thinking
Thinking back on what I did
I can think back and say one thing I did or noticed.
Skill 2.15
Asking myself "does this make sense?"
I can ask myself 'does this make sense?' while I learn.
Skill 2.16
Picking something to get better at
I can pick one small thing I want to get better at.
Skill 2.17
Checking my own work
I can look at my own work and say one thing I did well.
Skill 2.18
Making My Writing Better
Adding or changing an idea
I can add or change an idea in my writing or drawing.
Skill 2.19
Fixing letters and spaces
I can fix a missing capital letter, space, or end mark in my writing.
Skill 2.20
Thinking about who will read it
I can think about who will read or hear my writing.
Skill 2.21
The official wording · 21 outcomes
- 2.1
- using illustrations and prior knowledge to predict meaning
- 2.2
- rereading
- 2.3
- retelling in own words
- 2.4
- locating the main idea and details
- 2.5
- using knowledge of language patterns and phonics to decode words
- 2.6
- identifying familiar and "sight" words
- 2.7
- monitoring
- 2.8
- self-correcting errors
- 2.9
- adjusting volume, pace, tone, and articulation
- 2.10
- focusing on the speaker
- 2.11
- taking turns
- 2.12
- asking questions related to the topic
- 2.13
- making personal connections
- 2.14
- making relevant contributions to discussion
- 2.15
- reflecting
- 2.16
- questioning
- 2.17
- goal setting
- 2.18
- self-evaluating
- 2.19
- revising
- 2.20
- editing
- 2.21
- considering audience
Key ideas
Look at the picture for a clue about what a word or the story might be about.
Talk loud enough for others to hear you, but not so fast that words get mixed up.
Reflecting means stopping after an activity to think about what you did.
Revising means adding or changing an idea, like adding another detail to your picture story.
Think about what you already know to help make a good guess.
Watch out for
- Guessing a word from the picture without checking that it matches the letters too.
- Speaking too quietly or too fast, so a listener cannot follow what was said.
- Only saying 'it was fun' or 'it was hard' without saying anything specific.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 7 skills
Language Features, Structure, and Conventions
Where to Start, Which Way to Go
Where reading starts and which way it goes
I know where to start reading and which way the words go.
Skill 3.1
Noticing Letters, Words, and Spaces
Letters, words, and spaces
I can see that print is made of letters and words with spaces.
Skill 3.2
Playing with the Sounds in Words
Hearing the small sounds in words
I can hear and play with the small sounds inside spoken words.
Skill 3.3
Shaping Our Letters
Making each letter the right way
I can form each letter starting in the right place and shape.
Skill 3.4
Building a Sentence
What makes a simple sentence
I can put words in an order that makes a sentence someone else understands.
Skill 3.5
Capitals and End Marks
Ending a sentence with a mark
I can put a period or question mark at the end of my sentence.
Skill 3.6
Starting with a capital letter
I can start every sentence I write with a capital letter.
Skill 3.7
The official wording · 7 outcomes
- 3.1
- concepts of print
- 3.2
- print awareness
- 3.3
- phonemic and phonological awareness
- 3.4
- letter formation
- 3.5
- structure of simple sentences
- 3.6
- punctuation
- 3.7
- capitalization
Key ideas
We read the words on the page, not just look at the pictures.
Letters group together to make words, and there is a space between each word.
Words can be split into syllable 'claps' (ba-na-na) or into single sounds (c-a-t).
Each letter starts at a certain spot and moves a certain way (like 'a' starts at the middle line and curves around).
A sentence usually tells who or what first, then what happened.
Watch out for
- Thinking the story is told only by the pictures and the words don't matter.
- Not noticing the spaces, so words seem to blur together into one long string.
- Confusing the letters on the page with the spoken sounds (this skill is about sounds, heard with ears closed).
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The official curriculum
This page follows British Columbia’s own curriculum for English Language Arts 1.
Textbooks
In British Columbia, each school district chooses its own textbooks: the ministry no longer recommends them. The ministry’s page
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches English Language Arts 1 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep English Language Arts 1 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 27
- Fillable fields
- 1,492
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about English Language Arts 1
What is English Language Arts 1?
British Columbia’s Grade 1 English course: 3 units and 38 skills, from Story and Text to Language Features, Structure, and Conventions.
What units are in English Language Arts 1?
1. Story and Text, 2. Strategies and Processes and 3. Language Features, Structure, and Conventions.
Is there a provincial exam for English Language Arts 1?
No. British Columbia gives no provincial exam for English Language Arts 1.
What textbook does English Language Arts 1 use?
Each school district in British Columbia chooses its own textbooks, so ask your teacher which one your class uses.
What comes after English Language Arts 1?
English Language Arts 2.
Can MapleMind help with English Language Arts 1?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of English Language Arts 1, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Get ready for English Language Arts 1
Practise every skill of English Language Arts 1 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
