In 1st Grade English Language Arts, students discover how authors write texts to both entertain and inform readers. Students build social-emotional skills through Being a Good Friend and explore how lessons from traditional stories can be applied to their own lives in Folktales Around the World, learn how animals grow and survive in Amazing Animals, and see how diverse individuals can make the world a better place in Inspiring Artists and Musicians and The Power of Reading. In each unit, students engage in process-based writing projects connected to the core texts that develop their narrative, informational, and opinion writing skills.
Using authentic, engaging read-aloud texts, teachers help students develop their language comprehension and address grade-level reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening standards. Over the course of 1st Grade ELA, students deepen their understanding of the world around them through thematically-aligned, knowledge-building units, embedded daily writing instruction, and frequent opportunities for in-class discussion.
Lessons Total Instructional Days
Unit 1: Being a Good Friend 16 18
Unit 2: Folktales Around the World 23 28
Unit 3: Amazing Animals 24 32
Unit 4: Making Old Stories New 18 21
Unit 5: Inspiring Artists and Musicians 26 35
Unit 6: The Power of Reading 26 30
Total 113 164
Unit 1: Being a Good Friend
CORE TEXTS
The Day You Begin by by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Rafael López (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018) — AD980L
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013) — 680L
Matthew and Tilly by Rebecca C. Jones (Puffin Books, Reprint edition, 1995) — 570L
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell (P. Putnam's Sons, 1st edition, 2001) — 560L
Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathmann (Scholastic, 52850th edition, 2006)
Enemy Pie by Derek Munson (Chronicle Books, 736th edition, 2000) — 550L
The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio (Disney-Hyperion, 2010) — 570L
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi (Dragonfly Books, 2003) — 590L
Jamaica and Brianna by Juanita Havill (HMH Books for Young Readers, 1996) — 470L
Big Al by Andrew Clements (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Reprint edition, 1997) — 740L
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012) — 530L
Assessment Text: “Your Name is a Song”
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow (The Innovation Press)
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey
A Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc
Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away by Meg Medina
Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (190L)
Melia and Jo by Billy Aronson
Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Pena
My Three Best Friends, and Me, Zulay by Cari Best
Suki's Kimono by Chieri Uegaki (690L)
The Girl with a Parrot on Her Head by Daisy Hirst
The Honest-to-Goodness Truth by Patricia C. McKissack (650L)
Zola Elephant by Randall de Seve
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
Unit 2: Folktales Around the World
CORE TEXTS
A Story, A Story: An African Tale by Gail E. Haley (Aladdin, 1988) — 590L
Anansi and the Talking Melon by Eric A. Kimmel (Holiday House, 1994) — 500L
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric A. Kimmel (Holiday House, Reprint edition, 1988) — 470L
Anansi and the Magic Stick by Eric A. Kimmel (Holiday House, III edition, 2002) — 500L
Anansi Goes Fishing by Eric A. Kimmel (Live Oak Media, Reprint edition, 1993) — 510L
The Lion and the Mouse by Bernadette Watts (North-South Books, Reprint edition, 2007) — 540L
Borreguita and the Coyote by Verna Aardema (Dragonfly Books, Reprint edition, 1998) — 560L
The Paper Crane by Molly Bang (Greenwillow Books, Reprint edition, 1987) — 660L
Mama Panya's Pancakes by Mary Chamberlin (Barefoot Books, 2006)
It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach (Square Fish, Reissue edition, 1990) — 590L
Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart by Pat Mora (Dragonfly Books, 1 Reprint edition, 2010) — 860L
The Empty Pot by Demi (Square Fish, Reprint edition, 1996) — 630L
Ming Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel (Greenwillow Books, Reissue edition, 1993) — 600L
Why the Sky is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale by Mary-Joan Gerson (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1995) — 800L
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale by Carmen Agra Deedy (Peachtree Publishers, Reprint edition, 2014) — 610L
Juan Bobo Goes to Work: A Puerto Rican Folk Tale by Marisa Montes (Rayo, 1st edition, 2000) — 540L
Assessment Text: “The Crane Girl”
by Curtis Manley and illustrated by Lin Wang (Shen's Books)
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
Fish-Boy: An Inuit Folktale by Mike Blanc, Vanita Oelschlager
Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim (560L)
How Tiger Got His Stripes: A Folktale from Vietnam by Rob Cleveland (460L)
Kuku and Mwewe: A Swahili Folktale by Marta Munte Vidal, Jon Brokenbrow
La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya
One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi (890L)
Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott
The Best Beekeeper of Lalibela: A Tale from Africa by Cristina Kessler
The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folktale by Lucia M. Gonzalez
The Crane Girl by Curtis Manley
The Fire Children: A West African Folktale by Eric Maddern, Frane Lessac
The Green Frogs: A Korean Folktale by Yumi Heo
The Hungry Coat: A Tale from Turkey by Demi
Two Ways to Count to Ten: A Liberian Folktale by Ruby Dee, Susan Meddaugh
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
LESSON 19
LESSON 20
LESSON 21
LESSON 22
LESSON 23
Unit 3: Amazing Animals
CORE TEXTS
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition, 2008) — 510L
Living Color by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2012) — NC950L
What Color Is Camouflage? by Carolyn B. Otto (HarperCollins, 1996) — 610L
What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You? by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition, 2001) — AD760L
Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley (Scholastic Paperbacks; 1 edition, 2006) — AD490L
Sisters and Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (HMH Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition, 2012) — 980L
Lizards by Laura Marsh (National Geographic Children's Books, 2012) — 460L
Frogs by Elizabeth Carney (National Geographic Children's Books, 2009) — 470L
Assessment Text: “My First Day” by Robin Page; Steve Jenkins and illustrated by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers) — 590LL
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
Almost Gone: The World’s Rarest Animals by Steve Jenkins
Biggest, Strongest, Fastest by Steve Jenkins
Creature Features: Twenty-Five Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World by Steve Jenkins
I See a Kookaburra!: Discovering Animal Habitats around the World by Steve Jenkins (AD690L)
Look Again: Secrets of Animal Camouflage by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Move! by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins
My First Day by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (590L)
“Never Smile at a Monkey” by Steve Jenkins (920L)
Stinkiest!: 20 Smelly Animals by Steve Jenkins
Who Am I?: An Animal Guessing Game by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins
SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Rubric: Grade 1 Writing Rubrics (Narrative, Opinion, & Informational)
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
LESSON 19
LESSON 20
LESSON 21
LESSON 22
LESSON 23
LESSON 24
Unit 4: Making Old Stories New
CORE TEXTS
The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2010) — 550L
The Three Little Tamales by Eric A. Kimmel (Two Lions, 2009) — 550L
The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell (Cooper Square Publishing Llc, 1st edition, 1992) — 580L
The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2012) — 630L
Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas (Margaret K. McElderry Books, Reprint edition, 1997) — 700L
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka (Puffin Books; Reprint edition, 1996) — 510L
Little Red Riding Hood by Paul Galdone (HMH Books for Young Readers, First Edition Thus edition, 2012)
Lon Po Po, A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young (Puffin Books, Reprint edition, 1996) — 670L
Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton Elya (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Bilingual edition, 2014)
Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2014) — AD570L
Little Red Riding Hood by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2007) — AD700L
What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood: The Wolf's Story by Toby Forward (Walker Books Ltd, 2006) — AD520L
Wolves (National Geographic Readers) by Laura Marsh (National Geographic Kids; Illustrated edition, 2012) — 570L
Assessment Text: “Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten!” by Trisha Speed Shaskan and illustrated by Gerald Claude Guerlais (Picture Window Books) — 460LL
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
Little Red Riding Hood
Honestly, Red Riding Hood was Rotten! by Trisha Speed Shaskan (460L)
Little Red Hot by Eric A. Kimmel
Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman
Little Red Riding Hood - A Newfangled Prairie Tale by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Petite Rouge by Mike Artell (610L)
Pretty Salma by Niki Daly (510L)
Red Riding Hood by James Marshall
Three Little Pigs
No Lie, Pigs (and Their Houses) Can Fly!: The Story of the Three Little Pigs as Told by Jessica Gunderson
The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist
The Three Little Pigs by Steven Kellogg
The Three Little Pigs by David Wiesner
The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall
Three Little Cajun Pigs by Mike Artell, Jim Harris
Wolves
Wild, Wild Wolves by Joyce Milton (570L)
Wolves by Seymour Simon
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
PROJECTS
Project 1 - Dramatic Retelling of Familiar Stories
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
Unit 5: Inspiring Artists and Musicians
CORE TEXTS
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013) — 610L
Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan (Square Fish; 1st edition, 2007) — 750L
Diego Rivera: His World and Ours by Duncan Tonatiuh (Harry N. Abrams; First Edition edition, 2011) — AD1040L
Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos by Monica Brown (NorthSouth Books; Illustrated edition, 2017)
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh (Harry N. Abrams; Illustrated edition, 2015) — NL
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkey (Hyperion Book CH; 1 edition, 2006) — AD800L
When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by Pam Munoz Ryan (Scholastic Press; 1st edition, 2002) — 920L
When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana by Michael Mahin — 610L
When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick Hill (Roaring Brook Press; First Edition edition, 2013) — AD770L
Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum by Robert Andrew Parker (Dragonfly Books; Illustrated edition, 2016) — 750L
Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews (Harry N. Abrams, 2015) — 760L
Rock & Roll Highway: The Robbie Robertson Story by Sebastian Robertson (Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); Illustrated edition, 2014) — NL
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition, 2016) — 1050L
Misty Copeland (You Should Meet Series) by Laurie Calkhoven (Simon Spotlight; Illustrated edition, 2016)
Firebird by Misty Copeland (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition, 2014)
Misty Copeland: Ballet Star by Sarah Howden (Collins; Illustrated edition, 2020)
Bunheads by Misty Copeland (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition, 2020)
Assessment Text: “Mahalia Jackson: Walking with Kings and Queens” by Nina Nolan and illustrated by John Holyfield (HarperCollins) — HL500LL
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
Additional Artists
Georgia O'Keeffe by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors by Jane O'Connor
Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter
Keith Haring, The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing by Kay A. Haring
Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by Isabel Campoy, Theresa Howell
Out of This World: The Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington by Michelle Markel
Vincent's Colors by Vincent van Gogh
Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity by Sarah Suzuki
Additional Dancers
Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina by Carmen Bernier-Grand (590L)
Boys Dance! by American Ballet Theatre
Boys Dancing: From School Gym to Theater Stage by George Ancona
Brothers of the Knight by Debbie Allen, Kadir Nelson (720L)
Bunheads by Misty Copeland
Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen, Kadir Nelson
Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder
Additional Musicians
A Band of Angels by Deborah Hopkinson
A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found her Voice by Nadia Hohn
A Voice Named Aretha by Katheryn Russell-Brown
Becoming Bach by Tom Leonard
Carlos Santana: Sound of the Heart, Song of the World by Gary Golio
Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa by Veronica Chambers
Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreno Played the Piano for President Lincoln by Margarita Engle
Dizzy by Jonah Winter
Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle
Ellington was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange, Kadir Nelson
Elvis: The Story of the Rock and Roll King by Bonnie Christensen
Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles by Susanna Reich, Adam Gustavson
How Jelly Roll Morton Invented Jazz by Jonah Winter
Just a Lucky So and So: The Story of Louis Armstrong by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Tito Puente by Monica Brown (AD620L)
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
PROJECTS
Project 1: Mural tile inspired by Diego Rivera.
Project 2: Letter to an artist.
Project 3: Using drumming as a medium.
Project 4: Create protest signs.
Project 5: Create and present an individual artist statement.
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
LESSON 19
LESSON 20
LESSON 21
LESSON 22
LESSON 23
LESSON 24
LESSON 25
LESSON 26
Unit 6: The Power of Reading
CORE TEXTS
Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora (HarperCollins Publishers, 2016) — AD490L
The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear (Tundra Books, 2015)
That Book Woman by Heather Henson (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008) — AD920L
Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown (Tricycle Press, 2011)
Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora (Dragon Fly Books, 1st Dragonfly Books Ed edition, 2000) — 500L
Little Libraries, Big Heroes by Miranda Paul and illustrated by John Parra (Clarion Books; Illustrated edition, 2019) — 750L
Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built by Angela Burke Kunkel (Schwartz & Wade; Illustrated edition, 2020) — AD730L
Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges (Chronicle Books, Reprint edition, 2015) — 860L
Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter (Beach Lane Books, 2009) — 630L
Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard (Aladdin, Reprint edition, 2005) — 520L
Grandmother School by Rina Singh (Orca Book Publishers; Illustrated edition, 2020)
Running the Road to ABC by Denize Lauture (Aladdin, Reprint edition, 2000) — 710L
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard (Schwartz & Wade; Illustrated edition, 2020) — AD830L
More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby (Orchard Books, 1995) — 570L
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (Scholastic Paperbacks, Rep Anv Sp edition, 2010) — 730L
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh (Harry N. Abrams; Illustrated edition, 2014) — AD870L
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco (Philomel Books; Illustrated edition, 2012) — AD650L
Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant (Knopf Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition, 2016) — 590L
Assessment Text: “Dear Librarian”
by Lydia M. Sigwarth and Romina Galotta (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) — 530LL
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
Beatrice's Goat by Page McBrier (640L)
“Listen to the Wind” by Greg Mortenson and illustrated by Susan L. Roth (AD670L)
Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest (520L)
One Green Apple by Eve Bunting (450L)
Rain School by James Rumford (510L)
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (730L)
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
LESSON 19
LESSON 20
LESSON 21
LESSON 22
LESSON 23
LESSON 24
LESSON 25
LESSON 26
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