Common Core State Standards
1st Grade ELA Standards
All 41 Common Core English language arts standards for 1st grade, grouped into strands and written in plain English. The official wording is one click away. 6 have free practice you can print today.
41 standards
Reading: Literature RL
9 standardsKey Ideas and Details
RL.1.1
Ask and answer questions about the important parts of a story without being prompted, like why the fox wanted the grapes.
Official wording
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RL.1.2
Retell a story in order with its important parts and say what lesson it teaches, like slow and steady wins the race.
Official wording
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
RL.1.3
Describe a story's characters, where it happens and its big events on your own, pointing to details from the story.
Official wording
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
Craft and Structure
RL.1.4
Find the words in a story or poem that show a feeling or bring in the senses, like shivered or a crunchy, sweet apple.
Official wording
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
RL.1.5
Explain how a storybook differs from an informational book after reading many of each, like a tale about a fox versus a book of fox facts.
Official wording
Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.
RL.1.6
Tell who is speaking at different points in a story, like when the narrator stops and a character starts talking.
Official wording
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL.1.7
Use a story's pictures together with its words to describe a character, the setting or what is happening.
Official wording
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
RL.1.8
(RL.1.8 not applicable to literature)Not applicable
RL.1.9
Tell how the adventures of characters in two stories are alike and different, like two heroes who both face a wolf.
Official wording
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RL.1.10
With help where needed, read stories and poems written at a 1st-grade level and follow what they say.
Official wording
With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.
Reading: Informational Text RI
10 standardsKey Ideas and Details
RI.1.1
Ask and answer questions about the key facts in an informational book without being prompted, like how many legs a spider has.
Official wording
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RI.1.2
Name the main topic of an informational book on your own and retell its key facts, like what a book about the moon teaches.
Official wording
Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
RI.1.3
Describe how two people, events or ideas in an informational book are connected, like how rain fills the river that fish live in.
Official wording
Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
Craft and Structure
RI.1.4
Ask and answer questions to figure out what a word or phrase in an informational book means, like hibernate in a book about bears.
Official wording
Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
RI.1.5
Use a book's headings, table of contents, glossary or an on-screen menu to find a fact quickly.
Official wording
Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
RI.1.6
Tell which facts come from a book's pictures and which come from its words, like a photo showing a bird's colors while the text names its food.
Official wording
Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RI.1.7
Use an informational book's pictures and words together to describe its main ideas, like how a diagram shows the parts of a plant.
Official wording
Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
RI.1.8
Point out the reasons an author gives to back up a point, like the three reasons a book gives for brushing your teeth.
Official wording
Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
RI.1.9
Spot the basic ways two books on the same topic are alike and different, like how each one pictures and describes a frog.
Official wording
Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RI.1.10
With help where needed, read informational books written at a 1st-grade level and follow what they say.
Official wording
With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.
Reading: Foundational Skills RF
4 standardsPrint Concepts
RF.1.1
Recognize a sentence in print by its first word, the capital letter at the start and the period, question mark or exclamation point at the end.
Official wording
Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.aRecognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).
Phonological Awareness
RF.1.2
Tell short vowels from long ones in spoken words like cat and cake, blend sounds into words like stop, and break a one-syllable word into every sound in it.
Official wording
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).aDistinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.bOrally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends.cIsolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words.dSegment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes).
Phonics and Word Recognition
RF.1.3
Sound out words with sh, ch and th, silent e and vowel teams like ea, split two-syllable words like rabbit, read -ed and -ing endings, and know tricky words like said.
Official wording
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.aKnow the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.bDecode regularly spelled one-syllable words.cKnow final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.dUse knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word.eDecode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.fRead words with inflectional endings.gRecognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
Fluency
RF.1.4
Read 1st-grade books aloud smoothly and accurately with expression, understand them, and reread when a word or sentence does not make sense.
Official wording
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.aRead grade-level text with purpose and understanding.bRead grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.cUse context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Writing W
7 standardsText Types and Purposes
W.1.1
Write an opinion piece that names the topic or book, gives a reason for the opinion and ends with a closing line, like Dogs are the best pets because they play with you.
Official wording
Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.
W.1.2
Write a short informational piece that names a topic, gives a few facts about it and ends with a closing line, like a few sentences about what bees do.
Official wording
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
W.1.3
Write a story about two or more things that happened in order, with some details, words like first, then and next, and a closing.
Official wording
Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
Production and Distribution of Writing
W.1.4
(W.1.4 begins in grade 3)Not applicable
W.1.5
With an adult's help, stick to one topic, listen to classmates' questions and suggestions about a piece of writing, and add details to make it stronger.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
W.1.6
With an adult's help, use digital tools like a tablet or classroom computer to write, polish and publish a piece, sometimes with a partner.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
W.1.7
Take part in a class research project, like reading several how-to books on one topic and writing step-by-step instructions together.
Official wording
Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of "how-to" books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).
W.1.8
With an adult's help, gather what is needed to answer a question, like what you remember from a field trip or a fact found in a book the teacher hands out.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
W.1.9
(W.1.9 begins in grade 4)Not applicable
Range of Writing
W.1.10
(W.1.10 begins in grade 3)Not applicable
Speaking and Listening SL
6 standardsComprehension and Collaboration
SL.1.1
Talk with classmates and adults about 1st-grade topics and books, following discussion rules, building on what others say over several turns, and asking when confused.
Official wording
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.aFollow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).bBuild on others' talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.cAsk questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.
SL.1.2
Ask and answer questions about the key details of a read-aloud, a talk or a video, like what the main character wanted.
Official wording
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
SL.1.3
Ask a speaker questions to learn more or to clear up something confusing, and answer questions about what they said.
Official wording
Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
SL.1.4
Describe a person, place, thing or event with details that matter, saying ideas and feelings clearly, like what made a trip to the zoo fun.
Official wording
Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
SL.1.5
Add a drawing, photo or other visual when it makes an idea, thought or feeling clearer to listeners.
Official wording
Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
SL.1.6
Speak in complete sentences when the situation calls for it, like answering a teacher's question with a full sentence instead of a single word.
Official wording
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 1 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
Language L
5 standardsConventions of Standard English
L.1.1
Print upper and lowercase letters, match nouns to verbs like He hops and We hop, use past, present and future verbs, and write full sentences joined by and or because.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.aPrint all upper- and lowercase letters.bUse common, proper, and possessive nouns.cUse singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop).dUse personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their, anyone, everything).eUse verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home).fUse frequently occurring adjectives.gUse frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because).hUse determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives).iUse frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward).jProduce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts.
L.1.2
Capitalize dates and names, use end marks and commas in dates and lists, spell common words like was correctly, and spell new words the way they sound.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.aCapitalize dates and names of people.bUse end punctuation for sentences.cUse commas in dates and to separate single words in a series.dUse conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.eSpell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
Knowledge of Language
L.1.3
(L.1.3 begins in grade 2)Not applicable
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.1.4
Figure out a new word from the sentence around it, use parts like un- and -ful as clues, and spot a root word like look inside looks, looked and looking.
Official wording
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.aUse sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.bUse frequently occurring affixes as a clue to the meaning of a word.cIdentify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look) and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks, looked, looking).
L.1.5
With an adult's help, sort words into groups like colors and clothing, define a duck as a bird that swims, and act out how look, peek and stare differ.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.aSort words into categories (e.g., colors, clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.bDefine words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird that swims; a tiger is a large cat with stripes).cIdentify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at home that are cozy).dDistinguish shades of meaning among verbs differing in manner (e.g., look, peek, glance, stare, glare, scowl) and adjectives differing in intensity (e.g., large, gigantic) by defining or choosing them or by acting out the meanings.
L.1.6
Use words learned from conversations and books when talking and writing, including because to explain why, like I wore boots because it rained.
Official wording
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., because).
1st Grade Practice
Worksheet generators and printables already set up for this grade’s standards, free to use.
1st Grade ELA Standards: Questions
Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio’s own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.