What does a student learn in StateMississippi,GradeGrade 1,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students listen to or read a story, then ask and answer questions about what happened, who was in it, and where it took place.

Students retell a story in their own words, covering the main events, and explain the lesson or message the story teaches.

Students look closely at a story's people, places, and big moments, then explain what happened using details straight from the text.

Students find words in a story or poem that describe feelings or what something looks, sounds, smells, or feels like. Think "icy wind" or "the dog whimpered."

Students learn to tell the difference between a story book and a fact book. They explain what makes each one different, like whether it has made-up characters or real information about the world.

Students figure out who is speaking or narrating at different moments in a story. Is it a character inside the story, or a voice outside it?

Students look at the pictures and reread the words in a story to explain where it takes place, who the characters are, and what happens.

This standard doesn't apply to literature. In English class, students read stories and poems rather than informational texts, so there's no claim or argument to evaluate here.

Students look at two stories side by side and explain how the characters' adventures are alike and how they are different.

Students read short stories and poems written for first graders, with a teacher's help when needed.

Students read a short nonfiction passage and practice asking and answering questions about what happened, who was involved, or why something occurred. The focus is on finding the answer in the words on the page.

Students find the big idea a nonfiction book or article is mostly about, then describe a few facts that support it.

Students read a nonfiction passage and explain how two things in it are connected. For example, they might explain why an event happened or how one idea leads to another.

Students stop at unfamiliar words in a nonfiction book and ask what they mean, then look for clues in the sentences nearby to figure them out.

Students learn to use parts of a book or website, like headings, a table of contents, or icons, to find information quickly. It's the skill of knowing where to look before reading every word.

Pictures show some things; words tell others. Students look at a page and figure out what they can learn from the illustration alone and what only the written sentences explain.

Students read simple nonfiction books and articles at the right level for first grade, with help from a teacher or adult when needed.

Reading print means understanding how a page of text works. Students learn that sentences run left to right, that spaces sit between words, and that a capital letter signals the start of a new sentence.

The first word of a sentence starts with a capital letter and the last word is followed by a period, question mark, or exclamation point. Students learn to spot those features in print.

Students listen to spoken words and work with the sounds inside them. They can break a word into syllables, identify the first or last sound, and swap sounds to make new words.

Students listen to a spoken word and identify whether the vowel sound is long (like the "a" in "cake") or short (like the "a" in "cat"). This is done by ear alone, no reading required.

Students hear individual sounds spoken aloud and blend them into a single word. For example, a teacher says /s/ /t/ /o/ /p/ and students say "stop."

Students listen to a one-syllable word and say each sound in it separately: the beginning sound, the middle vowel sound, and the ending sound.

Students break a short spoken word into its individual sounds. For "cat," they say /k/ /a/ /t/ as three separate sounds.

Students use letter-sound patterns they know to figure out unfamiliar words on the page. This is the core decoding work of first grade: seeing letters, hearing sounds, and reading the word.

Students learn that two consonants together can make one sound, like the "sh" in "ship" or the "ch" in "chin." Knowing these pairs helps students read and spell common words faster.

Students read short, simple words by sounding out each letter in order. Think "cat," "ship," or "drip," one syllable, spelled the way it sounds.

Students learn that a silent "e" at the end of a word makes the vowel say its name (like in "cake" or "hope"), and that two vowels together, like "ai" or "ee," can do the same job.

Students count the vowel sounds in a word to figure out how many syllables it has. If a word has two vowel sounds, it has two syllables.

Students split two-syllable words into parts to read them. For example, a word like "napkin" breaks into "nap" and "kin," making longer words easier to sound out.

Students read words that have endings like -s, -ed, and -ing added to them. Seeing "jumped" or "running" on the page, students recognize the base word and read the whole thing without stopping.

Students read common words that don't follow normal spelling rules, like "said," "was," and "the." Recognizing these words on sight helps students read sentences without stopping to sound out every word.

Students read books aloud smoothly enough that they understand what the story is saying, not just what the words sound like. Accuracy and pace work together so meaning comes through.

Reading a full sentence or short paragraph out loud while actually thinking about what it means, not just saying the words.

Reading the same short passage more than once, students get smoother and more expressive each time, reading at a natural pace without stumbling over words.

When students read a sentence and something sounds wrong, they stop, reread it, and fix their mistake. They use the words around a tricky word to figure out whether they read it right.

Students pick a book or topic, write what they think about it, and give one reason why. The piece ends with a closing sentence instead of stopping abruptly.

Students pick a topic and write a few sentences explaining what they know about it, then wrap it up with a closing sentence. Think of it as a short report on something real, like dogs, rain, or how bread is made.

Students write a short story with two or more events in order, using words like "first," "next," and "then" to show what happened. The story has a clear ending instead of stopping mid-thought.

This standard doesn't apply in Grade 1. Teachers introduce structured writing production starting in Grade 3.

Students work with a teacher to improve a piece of writing by staying on topic, listening to feedback from classmates, and adding details that make the writing clearer.

With help from a teacher or parent, students use a computer or tablet to write and share their work. They may type alongside a classmate, then publish what they wrote for others to read.

Students work with classmates to research a topic using books or other sources, then write something together based on what they found, like a set of steps explaining how to do something.

Students find facts from a book, a picture, or their own experience to answer a question. A teacher or adult helps them figure out where to look and what to write down.

This standard doesn't apply in Grade 1. Research writing skills are introduced starting in Grade 4.

This standard doesn't apply in Grade 1. Writing range expectations start in Grade 3.

Students talk about books, stories, and class topics with partners, small groups, and adults. They listen and take turns so the conversation keeps going.

Students take turns speaking and listen while others talk, following the class rules for group discussion.

Students listen to what a classmate says and respond directly to it, keeping the conversation going through several back-and-forth turns.

When something in a book or conversation doesn't make sense, students speak up and ask a question to figure it out. Asking good questions is how they keep up with the class.

Students listen to a story or short video, then ask and answer questions about what happened or what they learned. The focus is on picking out the important details, not just the general idea.

Students listen to a speaker and ask questions to fill in missing details or clear up anything confusing. It's the same skill as raising your hand to say "Wait, what did you mean by that?"

Students describe a person, place, thing, or event out loud using specific details. They say what matters and share how they feel about it in clear, complete sentences.

Students add a drawing or picture to what they're saying or writing to help make an idea clearer. A sketch of a dog, for example, can show what words alone don't quite capture.

Students practice saying complete sentences out loud, not just one or two words, when answering questions or sharing ideas in class.

Students follow the basic rules of English when they write or speak. That means using the right words in the right order, forming sentences correctly, and applying those same habits whether they are printing letters on paper or talking out loud.

Students write every letter of the alphabet, both capital and lowercase, by hand.

Students sort words like "dog," "Tuesday," and "Emma" into the right noun type, and add an apostrophe-s to show something belongs to someone.

Singular and plural nouns change the verb that goes with them. Students practice matching words like "he hops" vs. "we hop" so sentences sound right and follow standard grammar rules.

Students practice swapping out nouns for shorter stand-in words like "I," "me," "my," "they," and "their." They also use words like "anyone" and "everything" that refer to people or things without naming them directly.

Students learn to write sentences that show when something happens: in the past, right now, or later. They practice switching verb forms to signal time, like "I walked," "I walk," and "I will walk."

Students practice using common describing words, like "big," "cold," or "happy," in their own sentences. These words help readers picture what something looks, feels, or sounds like.

Students learn to connect ideas in a sentence using joining words like "and," "but," "or," "so," and "because." These small words help a sentence explain how two thoughts relate.

Students practice choosing the right small word before a noun, like "a," "the," "this," or "that." It sounds simple, but getting it right is one of the first steps toward writing clear sentences.

Students learn words that show where, when, or how things relate, like "toward," "beyond," and "during." They practice using these words correctly in their own sentences.

Students practice writing complete sentences of different types: statements, questions, commands, and exclamations. Given a prompt, they build those sentences out with more detail.

Students practice the basic rules of written English: capitalizing the first word in a sentence and names, using periods and question marks correctly, and spelling common words the right way.

Students learn to start names and dates with a capital letter. A person's name, a month, and a day of the week all get a capital at the beginning.

Students learn to end a sentence with a period, question mark, or exclamation point. Getting this right helps their writing make sense to anyone who reads it.

Students learn where to put commas: between the day and year in a date, and between words in a list. Think "Monday, January 6, 2025" or "apples, oranges, and bananas."

Students spell common short words correctly, including everyday words that don't follow the usual patterns, like "said" or "was." This is early spelling work that builds the habits students need before writing longer sentences.

Students make their best spelling attempt for words they haven't learned yet by sounding them out letter by letter. It's an early writing skill that keeps ideas moving onto the page.

This standard starts in second grade. There is nothing for first graders to cover here yet.

When students hit a word they don't know, they use clues from the sentence around it or break the word into parts to figure out what it means.

Students use the other words in a sentence to figure out what an unfamiliar word means. If a sentence says "the dog was ravenous and ate the whole bowl," students use the surrounding words to guess that ravenous means very hungry.

Students learn that common prefixes and suffixes change what a word means. Seeing "un-" at the start of a word or "-ful" at the end helps them figure out an unfamiliar word without stopping to ask.

Students spot a base word like "look" and recognize how it changes when endings like -s, -ed, or -ing are added. Seeing the shared root helps students read and understand new word forms when they show up in a sentence.

Students sort words into groups, match opposites, and explain shades of meaning between similar words (like "big," "bigger," and "huge") with help from a teacher or parent.

Students sort words into groups that belong together, like putting "red," "blue," and "green" in one pile and "shirt," "pants," and "hat" in another. Sorting helps them see what words have in common.

Students sort words by what kind of thing they are, then add a key detail that sets them apart. A duck is a bird that swims. A tiger is a large cat with stripes.

Students connect vocabulary words to real life by thinking of examples they've actually seen or experienced. A word like "cozy" points to a blanket or a corner of the couch, not just a dictionary definition.

Students sort words that are close in meaning but not quite the same, like the difference between "peek" and "stare" or "big" and "gigantic." They show what each word means by explaining it, picking the right one in a sentence, or acting it out.

Students use new words picked up from books, class talk, and read-alouds when they speak and write. They also use connecting words like "because" to show how one idea leads to another.