Literacy Skills by Grade: First Grade

As another school year ends, many parents want to know whether or not their children successfully learned the material they were taught. Literacy is one area we often overlook, though it has a tremendous impact on a child's academic achievement. So, what should your first grader know in terms of their literacy skills?

According to the American Speech Hearing Association*, children should be able to make up rhyming words, such as "boss" and "moss." Also, they should be able to find all the sounds in short words, such as the /c/, /a/, and /t/ in "cat." Expect them to be able to blend separate sounds to make words.

By this time, children should be able to match spoken words with written words, and correctly identify letters, words, and sentences. A first grader should recognize roughly 100 common words. Finally, they should be able to show that they understand what they read.

From a writing perspective, children should be able to clearly print. They should be able to correctly spell commonly used words. When they write a sentence, they should know to use a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence and punctuation, be it a period, exclamation point, or question mark, at the end of the sentence. Additionally, they should be able to write short stories or diary entries. Listening to a first-grader read their written stories is a great way to allow them to work on their communication skills, while giving you enjoyment and entertainment.

These are good milestones to measure your first grader's literacy progression. Spend some time gauging their literacy skills. Summer is a great time to strengthen these skills and prepare your child for the second grade.

* "Watch My Literacy Skills Grow: First Grade.", American Speech Hearing Association. 23 May 2018. https://www.asha.org/uploadedImages/Literacy-Skills-First-Grade.jpg.