Curated OER
Colors Crackle, Colors Roar
First graders engage in a reading of poems in colorful language. They become with the interrelation of using Spanish and English words interchangeably in a text. The lesson also builds multicultural appreciation for young students.
US Department of Education
U.s. Dept. Of Education: Compact for Reading: First Grade Activities (Spanish)
Links to 100 first grade activities arranged by skill set and designed to improve reading and writing. All activities are in PDF format and are ready to print and use. They can be downloaded individually, according to skill set, or as...
Free Reading
Free Reading: Find the Rhyme: Identifying and Generating Rhyming Words
A game in which students are given a word and must hunt around the classroom for a word that rhymes with it.
Free Reading
Free Reading: Memory Game: Identifying and Generating Rhming Words
A game of "Memory" where the students flip over two cards at a time to try and match rhyming words. This site includes links to Rhyming Pictures to use to make the Memory cards.
Free Reading
Free Reading: Rhyme Rally Game: Identifying and Generating Rhyming Words
A teacher-led activity teaching students to identify whether it contains rhyming words. This site also contains links to Rhyming Books.
Free Reading
Free Reading: The Ship Is Loaded With: A Game Identifying and Generating Rhyming Words
A fun classroom game that helps students come up with words that rhyme with a word given to them by the teacher. Students sit in a circle, the instructor gives them a sentence and asks what word rhymes with the last word. Students raise...
Free Reading
Free Reading: Beginning Sounds; Poem
An activity that can be adapted for the whole class, small group, or large group. The instructor first reviews a letter and its sound, then presents the group with a poem with that letter that the students will then identify.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Poetry Writing
This site comes from the Scholastic website and provides a teacher's guide to writing poetry. This lesson plan is put together very well and provides an outline of the project, learning objectives, assessment information and much more.
Education.com
Education.com: Words That Make Us Feel: A Lesson on Sensory Language
[Free Registration/Login Required] After this lesson centered around the book Owl Moon, students will be able to identify words and phrases that suggest feelings and appeal to the senses.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Grade 1 on Demand Opinion Writing Samples
This collection of opinion essays prompted first graders to write about a "best pet." From the Vermont Writing Collaborative, with Student Achievement Partners and CCSSO, these written pieces are part of the In-Common: Effective Writing...
Other
Pic lits.com: Inspired Picture Writing
This innovative resource offers a wide selection of photographs and words to stimulate writing in an interactive format.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Introduction to Opinion Writing
Students' opinions are a crucial step in the foundation of good writing. After reading 'I will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato', students will state their own opinion about a topic through writing.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Oh My! It's Apple Pie!
In this lesson, students will give an opinion on the best part of the story "Oh My! It's Apple Pie!" and validate why it is their favorite. Included are student samples, an assessment sample, templates, and videos of the lesson in action.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Senses
Students will engage in a lesson that teaches them to associate certain expressions and words with specific feelings. Included are a senses PowerPoint, a model of a graphic organizer, and a video and picture of the students engaged in...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Identifying and Writing Opinions About Clouds Using Clue Words
It is important to teach learners the difference between facts and opinions. This is the groundwork for getting students to think critically when analyzing a piece of text. This lesson will help to lay the foundation for opinion writing....
CPALMS
Cpalms: A Chilly Feeling
[Free Registration/Login Required] In this close reading activity, the students will analyze the poem "It Fell in the City" by Eve Merriam. They will read the poem, identify words or phrases that show feelings or appeal to the senses,...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: W.2.1 Write Opinion Pieces...
Choose from a variety of lessons to help your students write an effective opinion piece.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Reading Basics: Writing
Provides articles, parent tips, research briefs, and a video on how to teach children to write.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Descriptive Writing
This is a comprehensive article about what descriptive writing including what it is, why to teach it and strategies to teach it. It also features two videos Five Senses Graphic Organizer and Writing Poems as well as an annotated list of...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Looking at Writing: First Grade
First graders write many times a day to express their interests - they are writing with a purpose through stories, letters, and lists. In this section, you'll find writing assessment resources, writing strategies, and additional tip...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Vocabulary Words: Graphic Organizer
This graphic organizer can help students as they explore new vocabulary words. It offers a place for a dictionary definition, as well as a place to practice using the word in a sentence.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Oh, Messy Cheetos!
In this instructional activity, sentence fluency is the focus. The mentor text entitled Mrs. Wishy Washy is used to help students explore how using repetition techniques can enhance the meaning of a story. After reading the text,...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Rain Drop Shape Poem
This lesson plan uses the mentor text by Wendy Cheyette Lewison entitled Raindrop, Plop! This lesson plan, which has a focus on word choice, engages students in brainstorming descriptive words and phrases about raindrops. At the end of...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: How to Make Poetry
Students learn how to write poetry through ten Writing Workshop mini-lessons. Students complete the graphic organizers provided while learning to notice details, write similes and metaphors, and create patterns in their writing.