First Grade

Popular Authors

Do you need new books for your child to read? Here is a list of popular authors from a local library! Give a few a try, they might find a new favorite book!

Dr. Seuss
Peggy Parish
Cynthia Rylant
Syd Hoff
Marjorie Sharmat
David Adler
Mo Williams
James Dean
Jean Van Leeuwen
Margaret Hillert
Jane O'Connor
Stan Berenstain
Doreen Cronin

Reading Strategies

We don't talk about Bruno... I mean, we don't skip or guess words we don't know. This couple does it again with a cute video to help show very helpful reading strategies students can use to help read their words!

Long Vowel Silent -e

This hilarious couple has teamed up to help explain to students, teachers and parents the long vowel silent e words.

Long vowel silent -e

Watch this cute little video that reviews the job of the silent e (or magic e) at the end of a word. This catchy little song might be exactly what you and your little reader needs to help remember the silent e rule!

Open/Closed Syllables

When is a vowel short and when is a vowel long? This video can help explain the difference between open and closed syllables.

The married qu

Did you know every q word has a u that followed it? Did you know they are 'married'? Watch this video to help explain this rule students need to know to help spell qu words.

-CK rule

When do we use just a k at the end of a word and when do we use a -ck? Below is a picture to help explain when to write -k at the end of a word or a -ck.

FLOSS Rule

It's hard to keep track of all the phonics rules. Here is little visual to help you and your child remember the FLOSS rule!

When do we use c when spelling?
When do we use k when spelling?

This is such a helpful strategy to help student when spelling words that start with the /k/ sound. When do we use a c and when do we use a K? Watch this entertaining video that will help explain this cool trick and you can use the cat/kite picture to the right to help remember which vowels are used with c or k.

What Do You Hear?

Phoneme Isolation is locating and separating one individual phoneme (sound) from the rest of the word. This activity practices phoneme isolation with the first, middle/vowel, or last sound of a given word.

Watch the You Tube clip for more information on phoneme isolation and also examples of isolation.

Directions: I will say a word and you will tell me the sound you hear at the first /middle sound/ or last sound of the word. Here is an example of what you can say to your child: What is the last sound you hear in bird? /d/

What is the middle sound you hear in fake? /a/

What is the last sound you hear in button? /n/

Here is a list of words you can use to practice with your child:

cast log pond dive cave tape cab bug dog tire cut nose shell cat check mule sick rake cob listen tiger group march chase reach

Chop it out

Phoneme segmentation is breaking a word into its individual sounds. The following is an example of phoneme segmentation: word is clap c-l-a-p.

Watch You Tube clip for more information on phoneme segmentation and also examples of segmentation.

Directions: You will say a word and your child will segment the word into sounds such as Say drive. What are the sounds you hear in the word drive? d-r-i-v

Here are the list of words you can use to practice with your child:

chick (ch-i-ck) quilt (qu-i-l-t) hurt (h-r-t) bin (b-i-n) tent (t-e-n-t) bird (b-r-d)

built (b-u-l-t) peach (p-e-ch) fast (f-a-s-t) fern (f-r-n) buzz (b-u-z)

tune (t-u-n) hand (h-a-n-d) nose (n-o-z) corn (c-or-n) bike (b-i-k)

smash (s-m-a-sh) check (ch-e-c-k) plate (p-l-a-t) group (g-r-u-p)

theme (th-e-m) table (t-a-b-l)

My Sound is Missing!

Take some words and ask your child what happens when some of the sounds go missing. For example, what happens to boat when I take away the /b/ sound (oat)? What happens to sweep when I take away the /s/ sound (weep)? What happens to teach when I take away the /ch/ sound (tea)? What happens to laughing when I take away the /ing/ sound (laugh)? Start with easy ones and see how challenging you can make them.

SUPERHERO Reading

Be like a superhero while reading CVC words. You can play this on your TV at home too and have the whole family join!

Read Write Think

Click on this link to access Read Write Think to have your child focus in on First grade materials. Discover ideas and strategies that support literacy learning, specially curated for this grade band.

Heggerty Primary Newsletter

Heggerty Primary Newsletter gives parents whose children are in the first grade and older activities to assist in phonemic awareness

2022-Parent-Newsletters-_-English-_-Primary-_-Yellow (1).pdf

FLSZ Rule Video

When a word that has a short vowel sound and has a f, l, s, or z at the end; double f, l, s, or z, such as the words class, fluff, bell, and jazz.