Get help with English Language Arts, Grade 1
Most tutoring makes your child sit through material your child already knows. MapleMind flips that: pick the exact skill that's causing trouble — any of the 41 below — and the tutor teaches just that one, step by step, as many times as it takes. Ask questions in plain words, any time of day, in English, French, or 12 other languages.
The official Nova Scotia English Language Arts, Grade 1 curriculum
Nova Scotia defines English Language Arts, Grade 1 by strands and outcomes. MapleMind teaches the same curriculum reorganized for one-skill-at-a-time tutoring — the table shows exactly where every official strand lands, and the ministry's own wording is quoted under each unit below.
Official source Nova Scotia's official curriculumRead it on the government site — curriculum.novascotia.ca ↗| Official strand | Outcomes | Where MapleMind teaches it |
|---|---|---|
| Strand A | 15 | Language |
| Strand B | 13 | Comprehension |
| Strand C | 13 | Composition |
Every skill below, taught one on one.
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How MapleMind teaches English Language Arts, Grade 1 — every unit, lesson, and skill
Every skill below runs as a short session: a plain-words lesson, a worked example, solving it together, then a five-question skill check that earns up to three stars. Guided Mode keeps it teaching instead of answer-handing — turning it off needs a parent's password.
Unit 1LanguageOfficial strand · Strand A
Strand A: oral communication, foundational language knowledge, and the conventions of sentences, grammar, capitalization and punctuation that underpin reading and writing.
Oral and Non-Verbal Communication
- Using listening strategies (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A1.i1 — Use listening strategies to understand oral communication.
- Oral and non-verbal communication strategies (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A1.i2 — Use oral and non-verbal communication strategies to interpret and contribute to the meaning of messages.
- Using taught vocabulary, syntax and grammar in talk (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A1.i3 — Use explicitly taught vocabulary, syntax, and grammar to expand on communicating ideas and information.
Foundational Language: Phonics, Vocabulary and Fluency
- Phonics: blending and segmenting to read and spell (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A2.i1 — Use knowledge of phonemes to isolate, blend, and segment words orally. Apply this knowledge with increasing progression when reading and spelling words.
- Letters and alphabetic knowledge / orthographic patterns (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A2.i2 — Name and form uppercase and lowercase letters in and out of order and demonstrate knowledge of alphabetic order with automaticity.
- Grapheme-phoneme correspondences / morphology and vocabulary (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A2.i3 — Read and spell most common grapheme-phoneme correspondences of consonants and vowels, with automaticity.
- Reading words with phonics and blending (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A2.i4 — Use phonics knowledge and phonemic blending to read words in isolation and various text contexts.
- Spelling regular words by segmenting sounds (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A2.i5 — Use phonemic segmentation to spell phonetically regular words, in isolation and various texts contexts.
- Orthographic knowledge for decoding (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A2.i6 — Use developing orthographic knowledge, including position-based tendencies to decode a word when reading with increasing accuracy.
- Orthographic knowledge for spelling (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A2.i7 — Use developing orthographic knowledge to spell with increasing accuracy.
- Vocabulary and morphology in context (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A2.i8 — Develop and use explicitly taught vocabulary in various contexts, including commonly used and subject specific words. Apply developing morphological knowledge to understand new words in context.
- Reading words, sentences and paragraphs fluently (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A2.i9 — Read simple words, short sentences, and paragraphs in a variety of texts fluently, with accuracy and appropriate pacing to support comprehension, and read aloud with expression.
Sentence Structure, Grammar and Conventions
- Composing sentences (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A3.i1 — Compose simple and compound sentences orally and in writing.
- Parts of speech to support reading and writing (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A3.i2 — Use knowledge of parts of speech in oral language to support reading comprehension and communicate meaning in writing.
- Capitalization and punctuation (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.A3.i3 — Apply knowledge of capitalization and appropriate end punctuation when reading and writing.
The official wording — 15 outcomes in this unit
- NS-ELA-1.A1.i1
Use listening strategies to understand oral communication
- NS-ELA-1.A1.i2
Use oral and non-verbal communication strategies to interpret and contribute to the meaning of messages
- NS-ELA-1.A1.i3
Use explicitly taught vocabulary, syntax, and grammar to expand on communicating ideas and information
- NS-ELA-1.A2.i1
Use knowledge of phonemes to isolate, blend, and segment words orally. Apply this knowledge with increasing progression when reading and spelling words
- NS-ELA-1.A2.i2
Name and form uppercase and lowercase letters in and out of order and demonstrate knowledge of alphabetic order with automaticity
- NS-ELA-1.A2.i3
Read and spell most common grapheme-phoneme correspondences of consonants and vowels, with automaticity
- NS-ELA-1.A2.i4
Use phonics knowledge and phonemic blending to read words in isolation and various text contexts
- NS-ELA-1.A2.i5
Use phonemic segmentation to spell phonetically regular words, in isolation and various texts contexts
- NS-ELA-1.A2.i6
Use developing orthographic knowledge, including position-based tendencies to decode a word when reading with increasing accuracy
- NS-ELA-1.A2.i7
Use developing orthographic knowledge to spell with increasing accuracy
- NS-ELA-1.A2.i8
Develop and use explicitly taught vocabulary in various contexts, including commonly used and subject specific words. Apply developing morphological knowledge to understand new words in context
- NS-ELA-1.A2.i9
Read simple words, short sentences, and paragraphs in a variety of texts fluently, with accuracy and appropriate pacing to support comprehension, and read aloud with expression
- NS-ELA-1.A3.i1
Compose simple and compound sentences orally and in writing
- NS-ELA-1.A3.i2
Use knowledge of parts of speech in oral language to support reading comprehension and communicate meaning in writing
- NS-ELA-1.A3.i3
Apply knowledge of capitalization and appropriate end punctuation when reading and writing
Unit 2ComprehensionOfficial strand · Strand B
Strand B: applying knowledge of text forms and features, and using reading, listening and viewing strategies and critical thinking, to comprehend a variety of texts.
Text Forms, Features and Style
- Narrative and informational text forms (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B1.i1 — Identify narrative and informational text forms and associated genres.
- Organizational structures and text features (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B1.i2 — Identify organizational structures and text features in various text forms.
- Visual elements and design (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B1.i3 — Identify the relationship between visual elements and related texts.
- Elements of style (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B1.i4 — Identify elements of style in text.
- Narrator's point of view (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B1.i5 — Examine how texts present the narrator’s point of view.
Reading, Listening and Viewing Strategies
- Purpose for reading / background knowledge (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B2.i1 — Identify the purpose for reading texts.
- Making and confirming predictions / reading goals (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B2.i2 — Make and confirm predictions using background knowledge and evidence from the text.
- Monitoring comprehension (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B2.i3 — Use strategies to monitor reading comprehension.
- Making connections text to self and world (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B2.i4 — Make connections text to self and text to world.
- Main idea and details (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B2.i5 — Identify the main idea in texts.
Critical Thinking and Response
- Making inferences from information and visuals (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B3.i1 — Use information and visual elements from texts to make inferences.
- Identifying and sequencing important information (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B3.i2 — Identify and sequence important information in texts.
- Sharing personal thoughts and feelings about texts (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.B3.i3 — Express personal thoughts and feelings about ideas presented in texts.
The official wording — 13 outcomes in this unit
- NS-ELA-1.B1.i1
Identify narrative and informational text forms and associated genres
- NS-ELA-1.B1.i2
Identify organizational structures and text features in various text forms
- NS-ELA-1.B1.i3
Identify the relationship between visual elements and related texts
- NS-ELA-1.B1.i4
Identify elements of style in text
- NS-ELA-1.B1.i5
Examine how texts present the narrator’s point of view
- NS-ELA-1.B2.i1
Identify the purpose for reading texts
- NS-ELA-1.B2.i2
Make and confirm predictions using background knowledge and evidence from the text
- NS-ELA-1.B2.i3
Use strategies to monitor reading comprehension
- NS-ELA-1.B2.i4
Make connections text to self and text to world
- NS-ELA-1.B2.i5
Identify the main idea in texts
- NS-ELA-1.B3.i1
Use information and visual elements from texts to make inferences
- NS-ELA-1.B3.i2
Identify and sequence important information in texts
- NS-ELA-1.B3.i3
Express personal thoughts and feelings about ideas presented in texts
Unit 3CompositionOfficial strand · Strand C
Strand C: pre-writing, drafting, revising and editing, and publishing and presenting a variety of texts for authentic audiences and purposes.
Pre-Writing and Planning
- Topic, audience and purpose / writing goals (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C1.i1 — Identify the topic and audience for writing.
- Generating ideas for writing (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C1.i2 — Use various strategies to generate ideas for writing.
- Gathering information for writing (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C1.i3 — Gather information and content relevant to a topic, using a single source.
- Organizing writing (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C1.i4 — Use various strategies to organize writing.
Drafting, Revising and Editing
- Drafting texts / handwriting (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C2.i1 — Draft texts of various forms and genres using a variety of tools.
- Transcribing / drafting with conventions (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C2.i2 — Transcribe letters, words, and sentences with increasing accuracy.
- Personal voice / revising (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C2.i3 — Demonstrate personal voice in written text.
- Identifying the point of view in my own writing (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C2.i4 — Identify the point of view used in their texts.
- Revising by adding, deleting, or using feedback (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C2.i5 — Revise texts by adding or deleting words.
- Editing and proofreading with correct spelling (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C2.i6 — Use strategies to edit and proofread drafts of texts.
Publishing and Presenting
- Producing and presenting final texts (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C3.i1 — Produce final texts using simple techniques.
- Selecting media and tools to present (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C3.i2 — Use media and tools used to present final text.
- Presenting created texts to audiences (Grade 1)NS-ELA-1.C3.i3 — Present created texts to audiences.
The official wording — 13 outcomes in this unit
- NS-ELA-1.C1.i1
Identify the topic and audience for writing
- NS-ELA-1.C1.i2
Use various strategies to generate ideas for writing
- NS-ELA-1.C1.i3
Gather information and content relevant to a topic, using a single source
- NS-ELA-1.C1.i4
Use various strategies to organize writing
- NS-ELA-1.C2.i1
Draft texts of various forms and genres using a variety of tools
- NS-ELA-1.C2.i2
Transcribe letters, words, and sentences with increasing accuracy
- NS-ELA-1.C2.i3
Demonstrate personal voice in written text
- NS-ELA-1.C2.i4
Identify the point of view used in their texts
- NS-ELA-1.C2.i5
Revise texts by adding or deleting words
- NS-ELA-1.C2.i6
Use strategies to edit and proofread drafts of texts
- NS-ELA-1.C3.i1
Produce final texts using simple techniques
- NS-ELA-1.C3.i2
Use media and tools used to present final text
- NS-ELA-1.C3.i3
Present created texts to audiences
Printable workbook · A keepsake of the year
A English Language Arts, Grade 1 workbook worth keeping
Built from the same official curriculum as this page. Before and after each skill above, your student colours in how sure they feel — so the two of you can see, on one page, what's clicking and what needs another look. It's a quiet way to follow how the year is really going.
By June it's full of their own handwriting: units worked through, confidence grown, a mid-year check-in, notes from parent-teacher night, and a certificate at the end. Less a worksheet, more a record of the year worth keeping on the shelf.
Instant download · see every page, reviews and the full description · five or more workbooks are $2.99 each
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Common questions
Can MapleMind help my child with English Language Arts, Grade 1?
Yes. MapleMind's AI tutor covers all 41 skills in Nova Scotia's English Language Arts, Grade 1 — your child picks the exact skill, and the tutor teaches it step by step: a short lesson, a worked example, solving together, then a skill check to show it stuck.
Is MapleMind aligned to Nova Scotia's official curriculum?
Yes. Every skill in this course maps to an official outcome code from Nova Scotia's Grade 1 English Language Arts curriculum, and the ministry's own wording is quoted under each unit on this page — with the official government source linked so you can check it yourself.
What does MapleMind cost?
It's free to start — 5 tutoring chats and a practice quiz every day, no credit card. A Pro subscription ($9.99/month or $49.99/year CAD, 7-day free trial) unlocks unlimited tutoring, practice, and exam simulations.
What if my child is stuck on just one topic?
That's the point of skill-level tutoring: open English Language Arts, Grade 1 in the app, tap the exact skill from the list on this page, and the tutor teaches just that — no wading through lessons your child doesn't need.
Does MapleMind work in French or other languages?
Yes — 14 languages, including French. Both the app and the tutor's explanations switch to the language your child chooses.
Where can I see the official Nova Scotia curriculum for English Language Arts, Grade 1?
The official source is linked on this page — Nova Scotia's official curriculum. The outline here follows it: every MapleMind skill carries its official outcome code, and the ministry's own wording is quoted under each unit.
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