English Language Arts, Grade 1

Listen to the ideas and opinions of others and respond by sharing relevant experiences to demonstrate

I can listen to others and share my own ideas back.

Use non-verbal cues to demonstrate listening

I can show I am listening with my body, face and eyes.

Experiment with language to initiate and maintain

I can start a conversation, keep it going and ask when I'm unsure.

Ask questions to clarify understanding and respond

I can ask questions to learn more and answer questions clearly.

Use complete sentences with attention to word

I can speak in complete sentences, choosing my words with care.

Contribute to discussions, recognizing they have a voice

I can share my voice, knowing what I say matters to the group.

Identify sounds in beginning, middle and end

I can hear and play with the sounds in words.

Identify individual alphabet letters by name

I can name every letter and match capital to lowercase.

Use knowledge of letters and sounds to recognize and decode/encode

I can use letters and sounds to read and spell words.

Understand with support how to use small

I can start to use word parts like re- and -ing to help with meaning.

Understand and use a range of vocabulary

I can understand and use a range of words when I read and write.

Identify and apply letter sounds accurately and automatically to decode; read known words

I can read known words smoothly and use punctuation to guide my voice.

Activate prior knowledge including knowledge gained from field trips, experts, Elders, texts and diverse experiences to

I can use what I already know to understand a new topic or text.

Ask questions based on personal curiosities to explore a topic in a group inquiry

I can ask questions about what interests me to guide our inquiry.

Identify and choose multimodal texts based on interests

I can choose different kinds of texts to learn and build background knowledge.

Recognize, and use gathered information as a basis for sharing.

I can look at what I gathered and decide what to share or leave out.

Recognize with guidance different forms/genres and structures

I can notice that ideas can be shown in different text forms and genres.

Use images, photographs and other text features

I can use images and text features like headings and charts to build meaning.

Use prior knowledge to make predictions about a new text

I can use what I know to predict and check my predictions as I read.

Make connections to texts by drawing on personal experiences and knowledge of topics to construct meaning.

I can connect texts to my experiences, other texts and the world to make meaning.

Use strategies to check understanding

I can use strategies like rereading and visualizing to confirm I understand.

Recall information and talk about what is

I can recall the important information from a text to show I understood.

Acquire, understand and use new vocabulary words

I can use new topic words to share what I've learned.

Recognize when they see themselves and others

I can notice when I see myself and others in texts, and when I don't.

Recognize what information and/or ideas might be true and false in texts, with guidance

I can decide, with help, whether ideas or characters can be trusted.

Recognize others can have different viewpoints based

I can see that people can have different viewpoints about the same thing.

Express a personal response by sharing an opinion about text and give reasons.

I can share my opinion about a text and give reasons.

Contribute ideas to a topic based on personal experience and background knowledge.

I can generate ideas for a topic from my experience and what I know.

Discuss new information gathered from a relevant

I can gather new information from more than one source.

Use strategies with others to plan for

I can use strategies like brainstorming and webbing to plan my writing.

Begin to develop an awareness of different

I can begin to notice different types of writing for different purposes.

Create simple multimodal text; use writing/drawing tools

I can make a simple multimodal text with words and pictures.

Recognize and experiment with organizational patterns; group

I can group related ideas in order to match the text I'm making.

Produce simple, complete sentences; reread written text

I can write complete sentences and join ideas with words like and, so, because.

Use new words to enhance meaning for the audience in drawings

I can pick specific words to make my meaning clearer for a reader.

Demonstrate personal voice in texts, using words

I can show my personal voice using descriptive words and print elements.

Understand that text creators can change their ideas in response to feedback to improve clarity

I can understand that writers change their ideas from feedback to be clearer.

Form letters/words with accurate formation, size, placement

I can form letters neatly and use word processing to make text.

Use knowledge of letter sounds, word parts

I can use letter sounds, word parts and a word wall to spell words.

Use a capital letter when writing names

I can use capital letters for names, 'I', proper nouns and sentence starts.

Know and use some punctuation conventions to

I can use periods, question marks, exclamation marks and apostrophes.

Produce final text and develop awareness of the effect of different modes of communication

I can make a final text that combines modes for a purpose and audience.

Begin to adjust communication style (formal or informal) for an audience

I can adjust formal or informal style for different audiences.

Use artifacts to enhance message; use dramatizations

I can choose artifacts and visual aids to help share my ideas.

Present information in a sequence including a main idea with some supporting details to an audience.

I can present my ideas in an organized, logical order.

Engage in basic self-reflection as a listener

I can think about how I learn and adjust what I do.

Begin to use stickers, charts or checklists

I can use tools like checklists or a traffic-light to check my own learning.

Listen to specific and immediate feedback; reflect

I can listen to feedback and think about my next steps with guidance.

Develop learning goals with guidance

I can set a simple learning goal with my teacher's guidance.

Recognize and monitor progress with guidance to achieve learning goal; use visual aids as a form

I can track my progress toward a goal and reflect on what I learned.