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1st grade sub plans: reading

A 1st grade reading block for a substitute: “Ducks at the Pond”, a 84-word nonfiction passage about animals, with 5 questions and an answer key. 4 steps, from handing it out to going over the answers.

Checked October 30, 2026. Made from Peabody Teach's own passages, worksheets and brain break cards.

Make the whole day at 1st grade ▸

The reading block

Reading: Ducks at the Pond

  1. Hand out “Ducks at the Pond”, a nonfiction passage of 84 words. Print 24: the student copy is in this packet.
  2. Read it aloud once while the class follows along with a finger. Then partners read it to each other in whisper voices.
  3. Ask the 5 questions out loud, one at a time. Students answer with a partner first, then share. Each student draws a picture of their favorite part.
  4. With five minutes left, go over two questions out loud. The answers are on the key page: keep it with you.

📄 Ducks at the Pond (passage and key)

The sheets, on their own pages

Subbing 1st grade

First graders can read short passages with help, write a sentence or two, and are glad to show a new adult what they know. The afternoon is harder than the morning, so the plan puts the reading and the math before lunch.

  • Read every passage aloud once before they read it themselves.
  • Answer questions out loud first, then write: a partner talk turns a blank page into a sentence.
  • Expect lots of “that's not how our teacher does it”. Thank them and ask them to show you.

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