Ontario · Grade 1
Language, Grade 1
Ontario’s Grade 1 English course, from Literacy Connections and Applications to Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts.
- Units
- 4
- Lessons
- 16
- Skills
- 67
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Ontario Ministry of Education
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, with its official code.
Unit 1 · 9 skills
Literacy Connections and Applications
Being Safe and Kind Online
My rights and choices online
I can tell one rule for going online with a grown-up's help.
Official code: A2.1
Staying safe and private online
I can name one way to stay safe and private online.
Official code: A2.2
Finding out and checking what we learn
I can find out information and share what I learned.
Official code: A2.3
Noticing how videos and pictures are made
I can notice something about how a video or picture is made.
Official code: A2.4
Who made this and who is it for?
I can say who might have made a video or picture and why.
Official code: A2.5
Using digital tools to make something new
I can use a digital tool to help make or fix something.
Official code: A2.6
Working together kindly online
I can be kind and respectful when working with others online.
Official code: A2.7
Stories From Many Voices
Seeing identity and belonging in stories
I can talk about identity and belonging in a story.
Official code: A3.2
Learning from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit stories
I can name one theme from a First Nations, Métis, or Inuit story.
Official code: A3.3
The official wording · 9 outcomes
- A2.1
- demonstrate an understanding of their rights and responsibilities when interacting online with appropriate permission, and make decisions that contribute positively to the development of their digital identity and those of their communities
- A2.2
- demonstrate an understanding of how to navigate online environments safely, manage their privacy, and interact in a way that supports their well-being and that of others, including seeking appropriate permission
- A2.3
- gather, evaluate, and use information, considering various perspectives, to construct knowledge and demonstrate learning
- A2.4
- demonstrate an understanding of the forms, conventions, and techniques of digital and media texts, and apply this understanding when analyzing texts
- A2.5
- demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships between the form, message, and context of a text, the audience, and the creator
- A2.6
- use digital and media tools to support stages of the design process and to develop creative solutions to authentic, real-world problems
- A2.7
- communicate and collaborate with various communities in a safe, respectful, responsible, and inclusive manner when using online platforms and environments, including digital and media tools, and demonstrate cultural awareness with members of the community
- A3.2
- demonstrate an understanding of the contributions, lived experiences, and perspectives of a diversity of individuals and communities, including those in Canada, by exploring the concepts of identity, self, and sense of belonging in culturally responsive and relevant texts
- A3.3
- identify themes explored in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures to demonstrate an understanding of the varied identities, perspectives, relationships, legacies, truths, and ways of knowing, being, and doing
Key ideas
Going online is something a child does with a grown-up's permission, not alone.
Stories come from many different people and communities, including people in Canada.
The choices we make online, like being kind, become part of how people see us.
Reading these stories helps you think about who you are and where you belong.
Private information, like your full name, address, or password, should not be shared online without a grown-up's help.
Watch out for
- Thinking it's fine to go online alone without telling a grown-up.
- Thinking every story character's family and traditions must look like your own.
- Not realizing that unkind words typed online can hurt someone just like spoken words.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 23 skills
Foundations of Language
Listening and Speaking With Others
Listening carefully and asking questions
I can listen carefully and ask a question about what I heard.
Official code: B1.1
Using tricks to understand what I hear
I can use a listening trick to help me understand.
Official code: B1.2
Taking turns and knowing how much to say
I can take turns and know when it's my turn to speak.
Official code: B1.3
Using gestures and expression to share meaning
I can use my face and hands to help share what I mean.
Official code: B1.4
Choosing good words when I talk
I can choose good words and full sentences when I talk.
Official code: B1.5
Hearing the Sounds in Words
Blending sounds into a word
I can blend sounds together to say a word.
Official code: B2.1
Breaking a word into its sounds
I can break a word apart into its separate sounds.
Official code: B2.1
Letters and Their Sounds
Naming and writing letters quickly
I can name and write letters quickly, in and out of order.
Official code: B2.2
Matching letters to their sounds
I can quickly match letters to the sounds they make.
Official code: B2.3
Reading and Spelling Words
Sounding out words to read and spell
I can sound out a word to read it and to spell it.
Official code: B2.4
Choosing the right spelling for a sound
I can use a spelling pattern to choose the right letters.
Official code: B2.5
Word Parts, New Words, and Reading Smoothly
Word parts that change meaning
I can use word parts to help read and spell a word.
Official code: B2.6
Learning and using new words
I can learn a new word and use it when I talk or write.
Official code: B2.7
Reading smoothly and with expression
I can read a sentence smoothly and with expression.
Official code: B2.8
Kinds of Sentences
Telling, asking, commanding, and exclaiming sentences
I can build a telling, asking, commanding, and excited sentence.
Official code: B3.1
Joining two sentences with 'and'
I can join two sentences together into one longer sentence.
Official code: B3.1
Naming Words, Action Words, and Describing Words
One thing or more than one
I can tell if a naming word means one thing or more than one.
Official code: B3.2
Using the word "I"
I can use the word 'I' correctly and always capitalize it.
Official code: B3.2
Talking about yesterday, today, and tomorrow
I can use action words to say if something already happened, is happening, or will happen.
Official code: B3.2
Describing words for things and actions
I can use a describing word for a thing or an action.
Official code: B3.2
Joining words like "and" and "so"
I can use a joining word to connect two ideas.
Official code: B3.2
Starting and Ending Sentences
Starting a sentence with a capital letter
I can start every sentence with a capital letter.
Official code: B3.3
Choosing the right end punctuation mark
I can pick the right punctuation mark to end a sentence.
Official code: B3.3
The official wording · 23 outcomes
- B1.1
- use effective listening skills, including listening attentively and asking relevant questions, in formal and informal contexts, including conversations and classroom activities
- B1.2
- identify and use listening strategies before, during, and after listening to comprehend information communicated orally and non-verbally
- B1.3
- identify the purpose and audience for speaking in formal and informal contexts, and use appropriate speaking strategies, including taking turns, understanding when to speak, and knowing how much to say, to communicate clearly and coherently
- B1.4
- identify and use oral and non-verbal communication strategies, including expression, gestures, and body language, to interpret or contribute to the meaning of messages
- B1.5
- use appropriate word choice, including new vocabulary, grammar, and cohesive phrases and sentences when speaking and communicating ideas
- B2.1
- use understanding of the sound structure of spoken words to orally isolate, blend
- B2.1
- segment
- B2.2
- name and form the upper- and lowercase letters both in and out of order and demonstrate knowledge of alphabetic order, with automaticity
- B2.3
- identify, read, and spell most common grapheme-phoneme correspondences of consonants and vowels, with automaticity
- B2.4
- use phonics knowledge and phonemic blending to read words, and phonemic segmentation to spell phonetically regular words, in isolation and various text contexts
- B2.5
- use developing orthographic knowledge, including position-based tendencies, to make a spelling choice or accurately pronounce a word when reading
- B2.6
- use developing knowledge of the meanings of words and common morphemes (i.e., bases, prefixes, and suffixes) to read and spell words
- B2.7
- demonstrate an understanding of commonly used words, acquire and use explicitly taught vocabulary in various contexts, including other subject areas, and use their developing morphological knowledge to analyze and understand new words in context
- B2.8
- 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
- B3.1
- identify and construct simple and compound sentences, including declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences
- B3.1
- simple and compound sentences
- B3.2
- common singular and plural nouns
- B3.2
- using the pronoun
- B3.2
- the past, present, and future verb tenses
- B3.2
- common adjectives and adverbs
- B3.2
- common conjunctions
- B3.3
- a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence
- B3.3
- the appropriate punctuation mark at the end
Key ideas
Good listening means looking at the speaker, staying quiet, and thinking about what they're saying.
A spoken word is made of small sounds called phonemes, said one after another.
Every letter has an uppercase and lowercase form and its own name.
To read a word, look at each letter, say its sound, then blend the sounds together.
Many words are built from smaller meaningful parts, like 'play' plus '-ing' to make 'playing.'.
Watch out for
- Thinking listening just means being quiet, without paying attention to the meaning.
- Saying the separate sounds but never actually blending them into one smooth word.
- Mixing up an uppercase and lowercase letter that look different, like 'A' and 'a.'.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 22 skills
Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts
Reading and Understanding Simple Texts
Reading and understanding short stories
I can read a short, simple text and understand it.
Official code: C1.1
Story books and information books
I can tell if a book is a story or gives information.
Official code: C1.2
How pictures and titles help us read
I can use a title or picture to help understand a text.
Official code: C1.3
How pictures connect to the words
I can explain how a picture connects to the words on the page.
Official code: C1.4
Noticing how a story sounds and feels
I can notice how a story sounds and how that helps it make sense.
Official code: C1.5
Whose voice is telling the story?
I can tell whose voice is telling a story and think of another way to tell it.
Official code: C1.6
Reading and viewing First Nations, Métis, and Inuit stories
I can share what I learned from a First Nations, Métis, or Inuit story.
Official code: C1.7
Tricks for Understanding What We Read
Using what I already know to understand
I can think about what I already know to help understand a new text.
Official code: C2.1
Why are we reading this?
I can say why I'm reading a text.
Official code: C2.2
Guessing what happens next
I can guess what will happen next in a story.
Official code: C2.3
Fixing up a confusing part
I can use a trick to fix a part I didn't understand.
Official code: C2.4
Connecting a story to my life and other stories
I can connect a story to my own life or another story I know.
Official code: C2.5
Finding the big idea in a story
I can find the main idea of a simple text.
Official code: C2.6
Naming which trick helped me understand
I can say which reading trick helped me understand a text.
Official code: C2.7
Thinking Deeply About Stories
Rhyme, alliteration, and fun sound tricks
I can notice a rhyme, alliteration, or sound-effect word in a story.
Official code: C3.1
Figuring out clues the story doesn't say
I can figure out something the story hints at but doesn't say directly.
Official code: C3.2
Putting story events in order
I can put the important events of a story in the right order.
Official code: C3.3
Noticing symbols and values in stories
I can notice a symbol or value in a story and say what it adds.
Official code: C3.4
Whose perspective is being shown?
I can notice whose perspective a story is showing.
Official code: C3.5
Sharing my own thoughts and feelings about a story
I can share how a story made me think or feel.
Official code: C3.6
Connecting First Nations, Métis, and Inuit stories to today
I can connect a First Nations, Métis, or Inuit story to life today.
Official code: C3.7
Naming the thinking skill that helped me
I can say which thinking skill helped me understand a story.
Official code: C3.8
The official wording · 22 outcomes
- C1.1
- read and comprehend short, simple texts, using knowledge of words, grammar, cohesive ties, sentence structures, and background knowledge
- C1.2
- identify simple literary and informational text forms and their associated genres
- C1.3
- identify some text patterns, such as sequencing and chronological order, and text features, including illustrations, symbols, and titles, associated with various text forms, and explain how they help readers, listeners, and viewers understand the meaning
- C1.4
- demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between simple illustrations, images, and graphics and the text
- C1.5
- identify some simple elements of style in texts, including voice, word choice, word patterns, and sentence structure, and describe how they help communicate meaning
- C1.6
- identify the narrator’s point of view in a variety of texts, and suggest an alternative point of view to tell the story
- C1.7
- read, listen to, and view various forms of texts by diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit creators to demonstrate understanding of various aspects of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit histories, cultures, relationships, communities, groups, nations, and lived experiences
- C2.1
- activate prior knowledge, including knowledge gained from personal and text experiences, that they can use to understand the topics of new texts
- C2.2
- identify purposes for engaging with texts, including enjoyment or finding information
- C2.3
- make predictions using background knowledge, text features, and evidence from the text
- C2.4
- use strategies such as rereading, visualizing, and asking questions, to monitor their understanding of simple texts
- C2.5
- identify connections between ideas expressed in simple texts and their knowledges and lived experiences, the ideas in other familiar texts, and the world around them
- C2.6
- identify important information in a simple text, including the main idea
- C2.7
- identify strategies, such as activating prior knowledge and visualizing, that have helped them comprehend texts
- C3.1
- identify simple literary devices, including rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopoeia, and describe how they help communicate meaning
- C3.2
- make simple inferences, using stated and implied information and ideas, to understand simple texts
- C3.3
- analyze simple texts, including literary and informational texts, by identifying and sequencing important information and events
- C3.4
- identify some cultural elements represented in various texts, including symbols and values, and explain how these elements contribute to the meaning
- C3.5
- identify explicit and implicit perspectives communicated in a text, and describe how these perspectives could influence an audience
- C3.6
- express personal thoughts and feelings about ideas presented in texts, such as ideas about diversity, inclusion, and accessibility
- C3.7
- identify some ways in which texts created by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals, communities, groups, or nations communicate about historical periods, cultural experiences, and events, and how they relate to current lived experiences
- C3.8
- identify thinking skills that helped them understand simple texts
Key ideas
Understanding a text uses more than just sounding out words — it uses grammar, sentence order, and what you already know.
Before or during reading, thinking about what you already know about the topic helps you understand it.
Rhyme is when words end in the same sound, like 'cat' and 'hat.'.
Thinking about what you already know about a topic helps make sense of a new text.
Things you've learned from your own life or from other books can connect to a new text.
Watch out for
- Reading the words correctly but not stopping to think about what they mean together.
- Reading without stopping to connect the topic to anything already known.
- Thinking any two similar-sounding words automatically rhyme.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 4 · 13 skills
Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts
Planning What to Write
Choosing a topic, purpose, and audience
I can say what my text is about, why I'm writing it, and who will read it.
Official code: D1.1
Coming up with ideas to write about
I can think of ideas for my writing.
Official code: D1.2
Finding facts from one source
I can find facts about my topic from one source.
Official code: D1.3
Putting my ideas in order
I can put my writing ideas in a sensible order.
Official code: D1.4
Naming the trick that helped me plan
I can say which planning trick helped me get ideas.
Official code: D1.5
Writing and Printing My Text
Writing a first try of my text
I can write a short first try of a story or text.
Official code: D2.1
Printing letters and words neatly
I can print my letters and words neatly.
Official code: D2.2
Showing my own feelings in my writing
I can use words that show how I feel about my topic.
Official code: D2.3
Writing as "I"
I can notice when my writing uses 'I' to tell my own story.
Official code: D2.4
Fixing up my writing
I can fix capital letters, punctuation, and spelling in my draft.
Official code: D2.5
Sharing My Finished Text
Making a final copy of my text
I can make a neat final copy of my writing.
Official code: D3.1
Reading my text aloud with expression
I can read my finished text aloud with expression.
Official code: D3.2
Naming what helped me present well
I can say what helped me present my text well.
Official code: D3.3
The official wording · 13 outcomes
- D1.1
- identify the topic, purpose, and audience for various simple texts they plan to create
- D1.2
- generate ideas about given and chosen topics, using simple strategies and drawing on various resources, including their own lived experiences, and learning from other subject areas
- D1.3
- gather information and content relevant to a topic, using a single source
- D1.4
- sort and sequence ideas and information, taking into account the text form and genre to be used
- D1.5
- identify the strategies that helped them to develop ideas for texts
- D2.1
- draft short, simple texts of various forms and genres, including personal narratives, persuasive texts, and procedural texts, using a variety of media, tools, and strategies
- D2.2
- print letters and words with appropriate formation patterns, size, placement, and spacing
- D2.3
- demonstrate a personal voice in their texts, with a focus on using words that express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the topic
- D2.4
- identify the point of view, including first person, used in their texts
- D2.5
- make simple edits to draft texts, such as changes to capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
- D3.1
- produce final texts, using simple techniques, to achieve the intended effect
- D3.2
- present the texts they have created using appropriate strategies, including by reading aloud with expression
- D3.3
- identify a strategy they found helpful when presenting texts
Key ideas
Before making a simple text, you name its topic (what it is about), its purpose (why), and its audience (who it is for).
A draft is a first try at a short, simple text - a personal story, a persuasive text, or a how-to text.
A final text is the neat, edited copy made after fixing up the draft.
Knowing these three things helps you plan.
A draft gets your ideas down; it does not need to be perfect.
Watch out for
- Confusing the topic with the purpose, like thinking 'dogs' is a purpose instead of a topic.
- Trying to make the first draft perfect instead of just getting ideas down.
- Thinking the final text should look exactly like the messy first draft.
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 Ontario’s own curriculum for Language, Grade 1.
Strands
| Strand | Outcomes | Taught in |
|---|---|---|
| ALiteracy Connections and Applications | Outcomes 9 | Taught in Unit 1 |
| BFoundations of Language | Outcomes 16 | Taught in Unit 2 |
| CComprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts | Outcomes 22 | Taught in Unit 3 |
| DComposition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts | Outcomes 13 | Taught in Unit 4 |
Study it in MapleMind
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Course Companion
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Questions about Language, Grade 1
What is Language, Grade 1?
Ontario’s Grade 1 English course: 4 units and 67 skills, from Literacy Connections and Applications to Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts.
What units are in Language, Grade 1?
1. Literacy Connections and Applications, 2. Foundations of Language, 3. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts and 4. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts.
Is there a provincial exam for Language, Grade 1?
No. Ontario gives no provincial exam for Language, Grade 1.
What comes after Language, Grade 1?
Language, Grade 2.
Can MapleMind help with Language, Grade 1?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Language, Grade 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.
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