In this post, I’ll outline important first grade reading skills. There are phonics, phonemic awareness and spelling skills that 1st graders need to master. If you have concerns about your child, talk to a reading specialist or your child’s teacher.
-Can read and spell short vowel words, including words with consonant blends. Short vowels are: a_ as in hat, e_, as in met, i_ as in him, o_ as in hop and u_ as in cup. Consonant blends are 2 or more letter sounds in a row. Thus, a first grader should be able to read and spell words like blast, flip, prom, mend, crop and slip.
-Can blend and take apart words with consonant blends like blast, fast and plop. Consonant blend words are some of the most challenging words to blend and segment. By first grade, kids should be able to hear the sounds slowly, “ssss-llll-iiii-mmmm” and say, “slim.” Kids should also be able to hear the sounds in one utterance “slim” and take the sounds apart for spelling “s-l-i-m.”
-Absorbs details from the story or nonfictional text he is reading. Children develop fluency (reading speed and proper intonation) in 1st grade. Thus, your child should be able to understand some or most of what he reads.
-Your 1st grader should know consonant digraphs very well. At this level kids should know how to read and spell consonant digraph words. Consonant digraphs are 2 or more consonant letters that make one sound. Some examples are: sh as in ship, ch as in chop, _tch as in match, wh_ as in when, th as in then, th as in bath, and _dge as in edge. Thus, consonant digraph words are ship, latch, thin, math… etc.
Reading Elephant offers step-by-step decodable phonics books in our shop.
-First graders should know how to read and spell silent e words, including hope, ride, skate and slide. The words on the right are silent e words:
-1st graders should be able to read and spell long vowel words. Long vowels are ee as in tree, ea as in beam, ai as in sail, _ay as in tail, igh as in light, oa as in boat, ow as in row. Thus, 1st graders should be able to read words like might, mail, seem, read, feel, tail, gloat, bloat, glow, and pray.
-May read oo as in root and ew as in new.
Reading Elephant offers printable long vowel books in our shop.
-Lastly, first graders should have mastered the most common sight words. We offer a sight word list that can help you decipher what sight words your child knows.
If you notice your child is missing any of these skills, be sure to target them in reading lessons.
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