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Minnesota Standards

Minnesota 1st Grade ELA Standards

All 42 Minnesota English language arts standards for 1st grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Minnesota Department of Education's document, linked at the end of this page.

42 standards

Reading

22 standards
1.1.1.0
Point out what marks a sentence in print, like the capital letter on its first word and the period or question mark at its end.
1.1.1.1
Hear, say, blend, split and change syllables in longer words and sounds in words of three or four sounds, like changing the c in cat to h to make hat.
1.1.1.2
Say the main sound of each consonant, know the long and short sounds of a, e, i, o and u, and read common sight words like the, of and you.
Common Core RF.K.3
1.1.1.3
Read phonics-based books correctly and smoothly, recognizing taught words quickly without stopping to sound each one out.
1.1.2.1
Read grade 1 books alone and notice mix-ups, fixing them by sounding out words, using nearby clues or linking to what is already known.
1.1.2.2
Pick and read grade 1 books for class work and understand them well, like a fact book about weather for a science lesson.
1.1.2.3
Show interest in a topic, then pick and read books about it just for fun, like a book about trucks or dinosaurs.
1.1.3.1
Choose books for fun, interest or schoolwork that show Dakota and Anishinaabe people and their views, both long ago and today.
1.1.4.1
Ask and answer who, what and where questions to show understanding of a text's key details, then retell those details.
1.1.4.2
Name the big idea, message or lesson of a text, like a fable teaching kindness, with prompting as needed.
1.1.4.3
Name a story's characters and where it happens, like a fox in a forest, with prompting as needed.
1.1.4.4
Explain how two facts, people, events or ideas in a nonfiction text connect, like how rain helps a garden grow.
1.1.5.1
Point out the beginning, middle and end of a text, like how a story starts, what happens next and how it wraps up.
1.1.5.2
Find and name the parts of a nonfiction text that help readers, like headings, a table of contents, a glossary, digital menus and icons.
1.1.5.3
Tell how pictures in a text change what it says, what it means and how it feels, like a drawing that makes a scene seem scary.
1.1.6.1
Name who wrote a text, plus the illustrator or where it came from when that applies, like a magazine or a website.
1.1.6.2
Tell when and where a text takes place, like long ago on a farm or today in a big city.
1.1.6.3
Tell whether a text is a story or gives information, like a fairy tale versus a book about bats.
1.1.8.1
Notice how beats, matching first sounds, rhymes and repeated lines give a story, poem or song its rhythm and meaning.
1.1.8.2
Ask and answer questions to figure out what new words and phrases mean in a nonfiction text, like what a habitat is.
1.1.9.1
Find two different places to learn about a topic of interest or class study, like a picture book and a website.
1.1.9.2
Think about whether a source fits the task and topic, with prompting as needed, like checking if a book about cats helps a report on lions.

Writing

15 standards
1.2.1.0
Write all 52 capital and lowercase letters by hand in clear print.
1.2.1.1
Recognize the parts that make a sentence while writing, like starting the first word with a capital and ending with a period or exclamation point.
1.2.1.2
Spell word-family words and common sight words correctly, like cat, hat and the, and spell other words the way they sound.
1.2.1.3
Use common nouns, verbs and position words in simple sentences in real writing, like The dog ran under the bed.
1.2.2.1
Write often by mixing writing, drawing and talking, like a journal entry with a picture and a story told aloud.
1.2.2.2
Express one's own identity, views and voice by speaking, drawing or writing, like a page about a family tradition.
1.2.3.1
Plan, draft and improve writing together as a class, like adding detail to a shared story on chart paper.
1.2.4.1
Write an opinion and give one or two reasons, like My favorite season is fall because of the leaves.
1.2.5.1
Write to teach or explain by naming a topic and giving facts about it, like three facts about frogs.
1.2.5.2
Write a reaction to a story, like a favorite part and why it stood out.
1.2.6.1
Write a story that gives details about a character and the place where it happens.
1.2.6.2
Arrange story details so events follow a sensible order, like what happens first, next and last.
1.2.7.1
Ask and answer questions while helping with group research and writing projects, like finding out where pandas live.
1.2.7.2
With support and guidance, plan and do research using sources a teacher suggests, like an encyclopedia, then write about what was learned.
1.2.8.1
Tell which words came from an author and which words are one's own, like marking a sentence copied from a book.

Listening, Speaking, Viewing and Exchanging Ideas

5 standards
1.3.1.1
Swap ideas in stories and group talk that weigh Dakota, Anishinaabe and other views, following class talk rules, adding to others' ideas and helping a group goal.
1.3.1.2
Ask a speaker questions to learn more or clear up something confusing, like asking a visitor what a word means.
1.3.2.1
Show understanding of how a voice rises and falls and how words are grouped in speech, like hearing a question in a rising tone.
1.3.3.1
Make written, spoken and digital work that shows what is known in different formats, like a labeled poster or short slideshow.
1.3.3.2
Make and share work with a digital tool the teacher picks, telling what it does well and poorly for the task and audience, and minding one's digital footprint.

The official Minnesota documents

The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Minnesota's standards, not the official wording, which Minnesota Department of Education publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.