Due to the level of maturity and inconsistency in 1st grade students, research has not been strong for this reading level. The one thing we can grasp from research that has been done on the 1st grade level is that students that recognize the sounds made by paired letters (blends) and the elements of those sounds tend to be stronger readers at this grade. Students in the 1st grade seem to understand the concept of reading left to right. The focus for teachers at this level sound be on increasing phonemic awareness and attention to sounding out words. Students should spend a good bit of time learning the spelling to sound correspondences to achieve a higher level of proficiency in this range. We advocate for a well-balanced phonics-based approach reading. To make the most of the student’s achievements we encourage you to monitor each child’s progress bi-weekly and provide them with the necessary materials to secure their interests in what they are reading. You will find a variety of reading passages below that will promote an array of broad interests in what is being presented. We feature some visual images as needed which you will find is helpful for readers with weaker phonemic awareness skills.

These worksheets contain short reading assignments for your first grade students. Students will read the story or article and then be asked to answer questions about what they have just read. Question sheets may include such activities as true/false, short answer, multiple choice, and more. There are multiple sheets for each reading passage, so be sure to print them all. Answer keys are not always available because most of the reading worksheets are in free or open response format. Note for Instructors: If you cannot use these worksheets in your regular curriculum, they make great review pieces or extra credit assignments for your students.