English language arts for 1st grade (page 15)
Reading, writing, phonics and language.
- How a Rainbow Is Made: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about rainbows for 1st grade, 96 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- Sand Starts as Rock: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about how sand is made for 1st grade, 89 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- Fog Is a Cloud on the Ground: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about fog for 1st grade, 99 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- Dress for the Weather: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about clothes and weather for 1st grade, 87 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- A Thermometer Tells How Hot: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about measuring temperature for 1st grade, 92 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- How many levels should a rubric have?Page
Three levels for K–2 and four for grades 3–8 suit most classroom work. Why an even number helps, and when five is too many.
Checked 2026-10-30
- Rocks Big and Small: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about kinds of rocks for 1st grade, 97 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- Long Days and Short Days: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about daylight in the seasons for 1st grade, 97 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- What is the difference between a single-point rubric and an analytic rubric?Page
An analytic rubric describes every level of every criterion; a single-point rubric describes only what meeting the goal looks like. When to use each.
Checked 2026-10-30
- Hills, Mountains, and Valleys: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about landforms for 1st grade, 93 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- How do I turn a rubric score into a percentage grade?Page
Dividing rubric points by the total can turn "approaching" into a failing grade. What the arithmetic does, and a fairer way to convert.
Checked 2026-10-30
- Can I make one part of a rubric count more than the others?Page
Weighting a rubric criterion so content counts more than neatness: how it works, and how to show students which parts count double.
Checked 2026-10-30
- Grapes Dry in the Sun to Make Raisins: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about how raisins are made for 1st grade, 89 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- Should a kindergarten rubric have points?Page
Why rubrics for kindergarten to 2nd grade often work better without points, and what to use instead: three short levels and an "I can" checklist.
Checked 2026-10-30
- The Little Red Hen: read-aloud with discussion questionsReading
Read The Little Red Hen aloud on the projector: 24 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 96 words (about a minute), level 4, grade 1, and 4 questions to talk about.
- Why Chopped Onions Make You Cry: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about onions and tears for 1st grade, 82 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- How do I get a rubric into Google Docs or Word?Page
Copy a rubric as a real table, with borders, and paste it into Google Docs, Word or a spreadsheet to edit it there.
Checked 2026-10-30
- Lion and Mouse: read-aloud with discussion questionsReading
Read Lion and Mouse aloud on the projector: 16 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 56 words (about a minute), level 4, grade 1, and 4 questions to talk about.
- Salt Is Left Behind When the Sea Dries: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about how sea salt is made for 1st grade, 95 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- Cranberries Float Up in the Bog: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about cranberry harvest for 1st grade, 101 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears: read-aloud with discussion questionsReading
Read Goldilocks and the Three Bears aloud on the projector: 24 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 175 words (about a minute), level 5, grade 1, and 4 questions to talk about.
- A Pickle Used to Be a Cucumber: 1st grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about pickles for 1st grade, 95 words, with five comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- How many answer choices should a multiple-choice question have?Page
Three choices, one right and two believable wrong ones, usually work as well as four or five. What the research found, and how to write good wrong answers.
Checked 2026-10-30
- The Three Little Pigs: read-aloud with discussion questionsReading
Read The Three Little Pigs aloud on the projector: 24 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 200 words (about a minute), level 5, grade 1, and 5 questions to talk about.