Reading exercises for first graders

First Grade Reading Comprehension Activities

First grade is an exciting time of discovery for early readers. They’re spending less time decoding and word solving and more time comprehending and making sense of the texts they’re reading. Early readers are building reading identities and reading for meaning and joy. Explicitly teaching reading comprehension strategies like making predictions, asking questions, retelling, and inferring helps young readers build the skills they need. These first grade reading comprehension activities are a good place to start.

1. String up a retelling rope

Learning how to retell a story helps young learners as readers and thinkers. It helps them organize their thoughts as they read and recognize when their thinking changes. Using these symbols representing different elements of a story, students can string up a cute retelling rope while gaining valuable comprehension skills.

Learn more: First Grade W.O.W.

2. Visualize the story with illustrations

Visualizing is an important skill for understanding what you’re reading. This blog includes two fun visualizing activities. In the first, students are given a title and are asked to draw an illustration that matches that title. In the second, students are given clues about an object and are asked to draw the object the clues are hinting at.

Learn more: You Clever Monkey

3. Make predictions with a graphic organizer

Making predictions is a just-right reading strategy for emerging readers. During a read-aloud, find a few good stopping points to ask students what they think will happen next.

Learn more: Brown Bag Teacher

4. Make a “beginning, middle, and end” flip chart

One tried-and-true way to teach summarizing to early readers is instructing them to identify the beginning, middle, and end of a story. This easy-to-make flip chart is just an 8 x 11 piece of plain paper folded vertically then divided into thirds. On the front half, students will draw a picture of what happens in the three sections of the story. Underneath each flap is a short written description.

Learn more: Bishop’s Blackboard

5. Ask questions with story sticks

Good readers ask questions before, during, and after they read. These cute story sticks make a game of first grade reading comprehension. Perfect to use with small reading groups or with partners.

Learn more: The Happy Teacher

6. Master the five-finger retell

One strategy you can teach students is the five finger retell. Each finger stands for a different part of the story. Assigning a different finger for each part gives students a kinesthetic connection and makes it easier for them to remember.

Learn more: Mrs. Wheeler’s First Grade Tidbits

7. Summarize using simple signal words

Sometimes with early readers, simpler is better. Start with these basic questions—who?, what?, when?, where?, how?, and why?—to help kids go deeper into their understanding.

Learn more: This Reading Mama

8.

Practice with story maps

There are tons of fun tools to help students build reading comprehension, and story maps are one of them. Here are 15 free downloadable story maps to help your first graders practice going beyond just the words when they read.

Learn more: Education.com

9. Figure out problem and solution with a graphic organizer

Every fiction story has, among other elements, a problem and solution. This lesson helps students understand that a story’s problem and solution fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

Learn more: My Primary Paradise

10. Retell the story using LEGO bricks

Put two things that first graders love together: reading and building. Read a story together, then allow students to use blocks to build a scene from the story. As they build, they can describe details from the story.

Learn more: The Educators’ Spin On It

11. Retell using story cubes

Retelling is a helpful comprehension skill for readers. These six cubes encourage readers to retell the story in different ways. They are prefect for reading partners and to use with small groups.

Learn more: Every educaid

12. Play the Oh Snap! word game

Sight words (aka high-frequency words) are words readers encounter most frequently in texts. Early readers benefit from knowing a large bank of sight words, which encourages fluent reading. This fun sight word game is a great way to improve reading skills and build reading fluency.

Learn more: School Time Snippets

13. Use scooping phrases

The goal of reading fluency is better comprehension. To read with fluency or expression, readers must comprehend the story events. Teach early readers to use “Scooping Phrases” to scoop up words to form phrases within sentences. This effective strategy also works well with struggling readers.

Learn more: This Reading Mama

14. Introduce wordless picture books

As readers encounter more-difficult texts, character traits become less explicit. To determine what the character is like, the reader has to do more inferential work. Using wordless picture books is a great way to introduce early readers to making inferences.

Learn more: Ashleigh’s Education Journey

15. Inference using thought bubbles

Foundational inference activities give first graders an opportunity to practice their inferring skills. As they move into texts, first graders can infer what a character is thinking in the story and then add a thought bubble to explain it.

Learn more: The Teacher Next Door

If you like these first grade reading comprehension activities, check out our fun, printable first grade writing prompts.

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Comprehension: Activities for Your First Grader

Overview

First graders are quickly developing impressive skills as active readers! Here are some of the things your first grader can do:

Independently read and retell familiar stories.
Notice when a text doesn't make sense, and begins to use strategies such as rereading, predicting, and questioning to understand it.
Read and understand fiction and nonfiction and know the difference between made-up stories and facts.
Predict what will happen next in stories.
Think about and share prior knowledge before reading a nonfiction book.
Discusses how, why, and what-if questions in sharing nonfiction texts.
Answer simple written comprehension questions.

Here are some basic things you can do to boost your child's comprehension skills:

Try to read at home together every day

Just 15 minutes each day makes a big difference! Although your first grader may be reading independently, reading aloud allows you to introduce your child to more sophisticated vocabulary and stories, including chapter books. It's also one of the best ways to help children learn about the world and make connections between their own lives and what's in the book — and that helps children see the world with empathy. And last but not least, it's a wonderful time to snuggle up with your child and share the experience of reading and discovery together.

Keep it fun

Remember that reading together should spark curiosity, joy, and a desire to explore and learn. Conversations about books should be enjoyable, and not a set of quizzes and questions. As you try some of the activities listed below, remember to keep it light and lively for your child.

Storytelling and audiobooks count, too

Sharing family stories out loud and listening to audiobooks are wonderful ways to expose your child to language, how stories are built, and knowledge about the world.

Bring in the nonfiction

There are so many great nonfiction and informational books for very young kids (such as the popular DK Eyewitness series and National Geographic series). Try to include some of these during your next trip to the public library. Children love learning about the real world and are proud to share what they know!

Explore your world together

Even a walk around the neighborhood or a trip to the grocery store can be a rich learning experience for young children. On a walk, your child may watch what's going on at a construction site, and then be able to connect it to stories about building and the big machines that make it happen — bulldozers, cranes, cement mixers, and more. These personal connections help children connect what they read with what they know — a powerful way to build comprehension skills!

Signs of good reading comprehension in first graders

Try these comprehension activities at home

"I predict ..."

When you sit down for a read aloud, look at the book's cover together. Ask, "What do you think this book might be about? Why? Can you make some predictions?" Guide your child through the pages, discuss the pictures, and brainstorm what might happen in the story. Talk about any personal experiences your child may have that relate to the story.

Five-finger retell

After reading a story together, have your child tell you five things about the story, using her fingers to talk about each one:

Characters: who was in the story?
Setting: where did the story take place?
Events: what happened in the story?
End: how did the story end?
Favorite character or part of the story

Active reading

Model active reading when you read with your child. Talk about what's happening as you're reading. Stop and discuss any interesting or tricky vocabulary words. Help your child make pictures of the story in his mind. Ask your child, "What just happened here? How do you think that character feels? Have you ever felt like that? What do you think will happen next?" Not only will this develop your child’s comprehension, but critical thinking skills as well.

Mind movies

When you come to a descriptive passage in a book, have your child close her eyes and create a mental movie of the scene. Encourage her to use all five senses. Read the passage over together, looking for details that bring the scene to life. Ask questions like, “How do you know it was a hot day? Which words help you understand that the child was lonely?”

Tell me about it

After a read aloud, one of the best and easiest ways to check for understanding is to ask your child to summarize what the book was about in their own words. You can ask a question or two to help your child clarify her thinking or to add more detail.

Can your child tell you what happened in the story?

This video is from Home Reading Helper, a resource for parents to elevate children’s reading at home provided by Read Charlotte. Find more video, parent activities, printables, and other resources at Home Reading Helper.

Think alouds

Connect the book to your child's own life experience. For example, A River Dream: "This book reminds me of the time my father took me fishing. Do you remember the time we went fishing?"

Connect the book to other books they have read. For example, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: "This story reminds me of Cinderella. Both stories are about sisters. Do you know any other stories about nice and mean sisters? Let's keep reading to find out other ways the stories are similar."

Connect the book to big ideas/lessons. For example, Stellaluna: "This story helps me understand that we are all the same in many ways, but it's our differences that make us special."

Wordless

Wordless picture books provide your child with practice using clues to create meaning. There are no wrong stories with wordless picture books, only variations based on what the "reader" sees and puts together. Rosie's Walk, Good Dog, Carl, and Beaver Is Lost are all interesting and fun wordless picture books to explore. Find more wordless books on BookFinder.

Map this book!

Draw a map of the book's setting, and be sure to include the places where the main action happens!

Beginning-middle-end

This is a great way to see if your child understands the main parts of a story. After reading a book together, give your child three sheets of paper, with "beginning" on one sheet, "middle" on the second sheet, and "end" on the third sheet. Ask your child to think about the three parts of the story, and then draw what happened on each on the sheets. Arrange the sheets in order, left to right. What happens if you re-arrange the sheets? Does the story still make sense?

Words, words, words

Be sure to include books with rich vocabulary in your read alouds and call attention to interesting words and phrases from the story. This may include repeated phrases or idioms (such as "get cold feet" or "I'm all ears"). Offer a kid-friendly definition and connect the new word or phrase to something your child already knows. Talk about how the author used language or words to make the text interesting, informative, funny, or sad.

Illustrated timelines

After reading a story, have your child create an illustrated timeline of events from the story. Tape together five sheets of paper along the 8-1/2-inch side to create one very wide sheet that is 55 inches X 8-1/2 inches. To help plan the timeline, your child can add numbers that mark important points of the story. Then it's time to fill in the sequence of events with words and pictures. Once the timeline is complete, ask your child to re-tell the story — acting it out is okay, too! Variation: Create the timeline using Post-Its on a wall or outside using sidewalk chalk.

Talk show

Set up a talk show set with two chairs facing each other. If you like, make two microphones out of paper tubes or other craft supplies. You are the host and your child is a character from the book. Ask questions about the character, such as who you are, why you are important to the story, what happened to you in the story, what is the craziest interaction you had with another character, etc. Then switch roles!

Book trailer

Using a cell phone camera or other recording device, make a short video of your child talking about about why he recommends this book. Encourage your child to show the book cover and some of the inside pages when talking about a certain character or action sequence. Share the book trailer with family and friends!

Picture the character (Part 1)

Try this activity from the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR). The FCRR "At Home" series was developed especially for families! Watch the video and then download the activity: Picture the Character. See all FCRR comprehension activities here.

Picture the character (Part 2)

Does your first grader read to learn about things?

More comprehension resources

11 fun activities to prepare your child for reading

Try these activities to teach your child the four key components of successful reading: understanding syllables, understanding words and sentences, rhyming, phonemic awareness.

We have prepared for you a colorful poster with these exercises for printing (download links below, under the text)!

1. Collect the word (Understanding syllables).

Explain that syllables are parts of words. Demonstrate by saying the word and pushing one block in a row accentuating each syllable. Gather the cubes back into a pile before saying the next word. Instead of blocks, you can give the children small paper squares for a group activity. Prepare a list of words to practice. For example, you can practice words related to something your child is currently learning. nine0003

2. What's in the box (Understanding syllables).

Collect several items in a box or basket. Be sure to include items that differ from each other in the number of syllables in their name. Invite the child to close their eyes, choose an item from the box, and name it (for example, “This is a pencil”). All children must repeat the name of the chosen subject and clap their hands, emphasizing each syllable. Then ask the class to say in chorus how many syllables they heard.

3. I went to the store (Rhymes).

Have students sit in a circle and give them something to throw, such as a small ball or a pillow. To start the game, say "I went to the store to buy meat", then toss the ball to the student. The student should repeat the phrase and add a rhyming word at the end, for example: “I went to the store to buy kvass (or a vase, lasso, blot, etc.)”. Then the student should throw the ball back to the teacher, who repeats the original phrase with a new word that needs to come up with a rhyme (for example, “I went to the store to buy cheese (or fat, kefir, figs”). Maintain a fast pace so that the children do not lose interest. nine0003

4. The ship is loaded ... (Rhymes).

Have the children sit in a circle and make sure you have something to throw, such as a ball or pillow. To start the game, say "The ship is loaded with cheese." Then throw the ball to one of the students. This student must come up with a rhyme (for example, “The ship is loaded with kefir”) and throw the ball back to you. After repeating the original phrase, throw the ball to another child. Continue the game in this way until the children run out of rhymes. Then name another cargo on the ship and continue the game. Come up with new game situations to expand the list of possible rhymes. nine0003

5. Listen to the words in a sentence (Understanding words and sentences).

Give each child six or seven bricks, Lego bricks, or construction paper squares that they will use to represent the words in the sentence you will make for them, one brick for each word. Brainstorm with the children by showing them how to repeat your sentences to themselves, word by word, with clear pauses between each sentence. Invite the children to arrange the blocks in order from left to right so that they begin to master the orientation. After they have laid out the blocks, have the students repeat your sentence, pointing to each block as they say the word it represents. nine0003

6. Name the animals (phonemic perception).

Use animal cards or photos cut from magazines. Give the students pictures and ask them to name the animals. Ask: “What sound do you hear at the beginning/end of this animal’s name?” This game can be expanded with more pictures on different topics and students can play it in pairs.

"Thanks to advances in neuroscience and technology, not only do we now understand why experienced readers read well and others struggle with reading, but we can also help any reader on their journey from early language acquisition to reading and reading comprehension “It all happens in the brain!” nine0045

7.

Guess who? (phonemic perception).

Have the children sit in a circle and say, "Guess whose name I'm going to say now." Then choose one of the students and clearly pronounce only the initial phoneme of his name. For names that begin with a plosive consonant, such as Danya, the phoneme must be repeated over and over again, clearly and distinctly: “/d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/”. Fricative consonants should be stretched and repeated (for example, “/s-s-s-s/ / s-s-s-s / /s-s-s-s/ /s-s-s-s /”). If several children's names start with the same phoneme, have the children guess all the possible options. This will show the children that each phoneme appears in many different words. nine0003

8. Simple words (Isolation and identification of phonemes).

Give yourself and each child three colored cubes. Begin by saying a two-letter word (such as "yes"), clearly separating it into parts: "y ... a." Ask the children to repeat what you said. Then all children have to represent the word with two blocks of different colors to show that it consists of two sounds. Further explain that words can consist of more than two sounds. To demonstrate this, say the word “gift,” “d...a...r,” and have the children repeat the word in unison. To represent the third phoneme, place a new block to the right of the other two blocks, saying the entire word, phoneme by phoneme, pointing to each block in turn from left to right. nine0003

9. Funny words (Isolation and identification of phonemes).

Show the children the sound and ask them to substitute it for the sound at the beginning of their names or any other words. The teacher might say, “A funny sound is /b/. Change the first sound in your name to /b/”, for example, Masha will become Basha, and Stas will become Btas.

10. Conversation with the robot (phoneme fusion).

Pronounce the word, stretching it out, pausing about a second between each phoneme. Then ask students to repeat the whole word to you. For example, when a teacher says: “/h/.../e/.../r/. .. /n/.../s/.../d/”, students respond: “Black!” nine0003

11. Head-girdle-legs (Segmentation of phonemes).

This is a great activity to help students identify inner sounds. Say a three-sound word, such as "cheese." Students then stand up and touch their heads with the first sound (/s/), their belts with the second sound (/s/), and their toes with the last sound (/p/). Then touch your belt again and ask, "What sound is that?" Continue practicing sounds in positions that are difficult for students to identify on their own. nine0003

Does your child have a reading disability?

Thanks to the FAST FORWORD method, the child will catch up with the age norm in reading in just 20-40 hours of play-activities!

Learn more about the methodology and sign up for online trial classes, help your child overcome reading difficulties quickly and permanently!

LEARN MORE

You can print the 11 Fun Reading Activities for Kids poster in high resolution and display it in a prominent place in your home or daycare to follow these simple yet important guidelines were always in front of my eyes. nine0003

Click on the pictures below to download.

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Exercises for developing reading skills 1-kov | Reading material (grade 1) on the topic:

Exercises for the development of reading skills for students of primary school age

The main purpose of these exercises is to improve reading skills, since poor reading technique invariably affects reading comprehension. For a novice reader, the understanding of the word read often does not go along with reading, but after it, when he traces the entire letter sequence. nine0003

Gradually the eye gets the opportunity to run ahead and understanding is carried out along with reading. Let's list the most significant exercises of this set:

1. Read columns and lines of words in a circle in whole words, repeating after each all the previous words as quickly as possible. FOR EXAMPLE: HOUSE, HOUSE - TOOTH, HOUSE - TOOTH - NOSE, HOUSE - TOOTH - NOSE - FOREST, HOUSE - TOOTH - NOSE - FOREST - CHEESE, . ..

2. Read as one word the service words with the word to to which they refer. For example: in the forest, along the river; and said. nine0003

3. Read the tongue twister repeatedly from beginning to end “in a circle”, gradually increasing the speed of reading, showing the word you are reading with your finger. Arrange a competition with the help of domer seconds.

4. Choose 2-3 sentences, read the first word, and then, quickly repeating the first word again, read the second; repeating the first two, read the third, and so on until the end. FOR EXAMPLE: "SE LI". "GEESE SET". "GEESE ON THE WAVE". “GEESE ON THE WAVE IN THE EVENING” Try to read the previous words faster and faster each time, reaching the end of the sentence, read it again. nine0003

5. Perform exercises for the arrangement of logical stress (highlighting the most important words that are most important in meaning. Read, placing logical stresses in the question and answer:

Is this a cat Maruska. Is this

Cat Maruska? Is this a cat Maruska.

Is this Maruska the cat? This is Maruska the cat

6. Perform the exercises regulating the pace of reading

Reading pace: SLOW, but in whole words, smoothly.0003

7. Reading passages at different paces.

a) Reading, with a change in the strength of the voice: QUIET - NORMALLY - LOUD; LOUD - QUIET - NORMALLY;

b) Combinations of voice intensity and reading tempo: SLOW - LOUD; FAST - QUIET;

8. Read only ahead without repeating what you have read. When reading a sentence, try to remember similar pictures and try to convey your attitude to what you read.

9. Choose 2-3 sentences and read them in turn with an adult, writing down the time:

Adult: 23 sec, 21 sec, 19 sec, 17 sec.

Child: 1 min. 16 sec, 1 min, 50 sec, 46 sec

Next, specific tasks are proposed according to the type of which each teacher can compose similar ones. The purpose of these exercises is to improve the technical success of reading a younger student without violence, based on the development of interest in this type of activity.

1.. Find in each column the words that differ by one letter. Connect them with an arrow. nine0003

MAK

Cat User

Roth KIT

Cancer ROG

2. Similar and how they are different.

WOOD and BUSH, PEN and PENCIL, BRIEFCASE and BAG

za-zu-zy-zi-za-zya

4. Correct the mistakes.

Beats like a fish against honey.

Lazy man and fool - two native gates. nine0003

5. Read the sentences with question and answer intonation.

Rooks fly south in autumn. In autumn, rooks fly south. In autumn, rooks fly south. In autumn, the rooks fly south.

6. Read and write the names of birds. To do this,

you need to rearrange the syllables.

Nitsasi Rokaso Vailos Linfi

Read the words in columns and lines “In a circle”

KIT	and Kita	Lions
Fox	and Fox	Mouse

9000 /

All words of the first column of a change in the fox - fox.

Change all the words of the third column according to the model; foxes - fox

7. Read the tongue twister, lament one word at a time.

A wasp doesn't have a mustache, don't have a mustache, but a mustache.

8. Read, lamenting one word at a time. Where will you pause and take a breath? nine0003

The bear does not pluck one berry at a time, but sucks the weight of the entire bush.

9. Read the sentence with intonation: surprise, condemnation, indignation.

Well, you are greedy, bear!

10. Read: at first quietly, and finish reading very loudly; very loudly at first, and then very quietly.

Look, if you overeat, your stomach will hurt.

11. What do you think they are? Connect the words with arrows.

Wolf is cautious, cunning.

Fox Angry, greedy. nine0003

Hare thrifty, shy.

12. Put the mixed up syllables correctly:

breath-kognez

dot-ki-fox

goal-and-ki

-dy-ra-ki-you

la-pa-ra-no-sha-lun

14. Find a name in each line and write next to it.

FYVAIVANGOR _________

SASHAITYTYUBLT _____________

ONMAKNGTANYA _________________

15. Read the sentences. Follow your inhalation and exhalation.

There was a thunderstorm (inhale) and thunder. There was a thunderstorm and thunder, (exhale). Sasha could not hear (inhale) whether the storm had passed.

16. Highlight the underlined words with your voice.

Why are the whales silent? Do not say anything.

Why are whales silent? Do not say anything.

17. Read the sentence with intonations: surprise, doubt, joy.

"It's good in the forest in autumn!" nine0003

17.a) Accompany the phrase: "I am very happy" with various gestures:

- joyfully extend your hand for greeting,

- pull your hand away in fear,

- angrily threaten with your finger,

- shake your shoulders indifferently02 -

- call slyly to you.

18. Read the words in order of increasing action:

flashed, passed, ran

19. Match the proverbs on the left with the half on the right.

Teaching is light, but the mind is escorted

You are greeted by clothes, and there will be no boredom

Do not sit idly by , and ignorance is darkness

20. Correct the mistake.

Horn to the ears - at least the ties are sewn on.

21. Read the tongue twister "in a circle", increasing the speed.

Our Polkan fell into a trap.

22. Read the sentences, distributing the breath correctly.

(inhale) And his house without a stove (inhale) is \just a doghouse, (inhale) \and there is a bed of straw, (inhale) \and he is not cold. nine0003

23. What syllable should be added to make words? Write these words.

Miss___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ cups ______ 90 003 90 002 24. The names of animals are hidden among the letters. Find and highlight.

FYVAPRENOTTM

YACHSMEDVED

EZHDVORONAPA

KENROMYSHI

The fox drags the children either a mouse, or a bird, or a hare.