Grade 1 Reading practice

Step 1: Missing vowels

Short words have a vowel in the middle: a, e, i, o or u. Sound out the word to find it.

Example: ☀️ s _ n

Tip: Say each sound and blend them: c-a-t, cat.

Step 2: sh, ch, th and wh

Two letters can team up to make one new sound: sh, ch, th and wh.

Tip: Say the word slowly and listen to the very first sound.

Step 3: Long or short vowel?

A short vowel sounds quick, like a in cat. A long vowel says its name, like a in cake.

Example: Is the vowel sound long or short? bed

Tip: Does the vowel say its own name? Then it is long.

Step 4: Magic e

A silent e at the end makes the vowel say its name: cap becomes cape.

Example: Add a magic e to "not". What new word do you get?

Tip: The e is silent, but it changes the vowel sound.

Step 5: Grade 1 sight words

Some words don’t follow the rules, so we learn them by sight: said, was, they.

Tip: Look at the shape of the whole word and its first letter.

Step 6: Compound words

A compound word joins two small words to make a new one: sun + flower = sunflower.

Example: Put the two words together. bed + room

Tip: Read the two small words together as one.

Step 7: What happened first?

Stories happen in order: first, next and last.

Example: What happened FIRST? She built a big snowman. Mia put on her boots. She walked out into the snow.

Tip: Think about what had to happen before the other things could happen.

Step 8: Read short stories

Good readers look back at the story to find answers.

Tip: When you answer a question, find the sentence in the story that proves it.