What Ontario grade 1 students learn in language arts

Your child will learn that skills they use in one area, like talking to friends, can also help them understand and create different kinds of stories or messages, even in new situations.

Your child will understand how skills they learn in one area, like problem-solving, can help them express their ideas and be more involved in their learning.

Your child will learn about their rights and responsibilities when they use the internet, and how to make good choices that help them and others have a positive online presence.

Your child will learn how to use the internet safely, protect their personal information, and interact kindly with others online, including asking for permission when needed.

Your child will be able to find and use information from different viewpoints to help them learn new things and show what they know.

Your child will understand how different types of digital and media texts, like videos or online games, are put together and what makes them effective. They will use this knowledge to better understand these texts.

Your child will be able to understand how the way a story or message is presented, what it's about, and where it comes from all connect with who it's for and who made it.

Your child will be able to use computers and other media to help them think through problems and come up with new ideas for real-life situations.

Your child will learn to use online tools and platforms safely and respectfully, understanding how to communicate and work with different groups of people in a kind and inclusive way. They will also learn about different cultures when interacting with others online.

Your child will be able to use what they've learned in language arts to help them in other school subjects and understand how these skills are useful in their daily life.

Your child will read stories about different people and groups, including those in Canada, to understand how people see themselves, who they are, and where they fit in.

Your child will learn about the main ideas and messages found in stories and traditions from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures. This helps them understand different ways people see the world, build relationships, and pass on knowledge.

Your child will be able to listen carefully and ask good questions during talks and school activities.

Your child will learn to use different ways of listening, both before, during, and after someone speaks, to better understand what is being said and what is communicated without words (like body language).

Your child will learn to understand why they are speaking and who they are speaking to, whether it's a casual chat or a more formal situation. They will also learn to use good speaking habits, like taking turns, knowing when to talk, and saying just enough to make their ideas clear.

Your child will be able to understand and use different ways of communicating, like using their voice, making faces, or moving their body, to help them understand what others are saying or to get their own message across.

Your child will learn to choose the right words, including new vocabulary, and use correct grammar to speak and share their ideas clearly.

Your child will be able to understand that spoken words are made up of individual sounds, called phonemes, and be able to separate, combine, and identify these sounds in words.

Your child will be able to recognize and write all the uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet, in order and out of order, quickly and without having to think hard about it.

Your child will be able to quickly recognize, read, and spell the most common letter-sound relationships for both consonants and vowels.

Your child will use their knowledge of letter sounds (phonics) and be able to blend those sounds together to read words. They will also be able to break words into individual sounds (phonemic segmentation) to help them spell words that follow regular sound patterns.

Your child will be able to use their growing understanding of how letters are put together to spell words (orthographic knowledge), including common letter patterns (position-based tendencies), to help them spell words or sound them out when reading.

Your child will be able to use their growing understanding of word parts (like beginnings, endings, and root words) to help them read and spell new words.

Your child will understand common words, learn new vocabulary taught in class, and use their knowledge of word parts (like prefixes and suffixes) to figure out what new words mean.

Your child will be able to read simple words, sentences, and short stories smoothly and correctly, at a good speed to help them understand what they're reading. They will also be able to read out loud with feeling.

Your child will be able to recognize and create different kinds of sentences, including simple sentences (one idea) and compound sentences (two ideas joined together). They will also learn about sentences that state facts (declarative), give commands (imperative), ask questions (interrogative), and show strong feelings (exclamatory).

Your child will understand how different kinds of words, like nouns (words for people, places, or things), verbs (action words), and adjectives (describing words), work together in sentences. This will help them understand what they read and write clearly.

Your child will learn how to use capital letters at the beginning of sentences and the correct punctuation (like a period or question mark) at the end to make their writing clear and easy to understand.

Your child will be able to read and understand short, simple stories and texts by using what they know about words, grammar (the rules for how words are used in sentences), how sentences connect, and their own general knowledge.

Your child will be able to recognize different types of stories and books, like fairy tales or books that teach them facts.

Your child will be able to recognize common ways stories are put together, like events happening in order (sequencing or chronological order). They will also understand how parts of a book or story, such as pictures, symbols, and titles, help them understand what they are reading or watching.

Your child will be able to understand how pictures, images, and other graphics in a book relate to the words on the page.

Your child will be able to notice simple ways authors write, like their unique "voice" (how they sound), the words they choose, repeated words, and how sentences are put together, and understand how these choices help tell the story.

Your child will be able to understand that stories are told from a certain character's perspective, and can think of other ways the story could be told if it were from a different character's perspective.

Your child will experience different kinds of stories, songs, and videos made by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people. This will help your child understand their history, ways of life, and experiences.

Your child will learn to connect what they already know from their own life and from other books to help them understand new stories and information.

Your child will understand that people read for different reasons, such as for fun or to find out new things.

Your child will be able to guess what might happen next in a story by using what they already know, looking at parts of the book like pictures or titles, and finding clues in the words.

Your child will be able to understand simple stories better by using strategies like rereading parts, picturing what's happening in their mind, and asking themselves questions about the text.

Your child will be able to connect what they read in simple stories to what they already know, their own experiences, other stories they've heard, and the world around them.

Your child will be able to find the main message or most important parts of a simple story or text.

Your child will learn to recognize the reading strategies that help them understand stories and information, like thinking about what they already know or making pictures in their mind.

Your child will be able to recognize simple literary devices like rhyme (words that sound alike), alliteration (words that start with the same sound), and onomatopoeia (words that imitate sounds), and understand how these devices help make stories and poems more interesting and meaningful.

Your child will be able to understand simple stories by using clues from the words and pictures to figure out what is happening, even if it's not directly stated.

Your child will be able to understand simple stories and information by finding the main ideas and putting events in the correct order.

Your child will be able to find cultural elements, like symbols or values, in stories and understand how these parts help explain the story's meaning.

Your child will be able to find and understand the obvious and hidden messages or opinions in a story, and explain how these might make people think or feel a certain way.

Your child will be able to share their own thoughts and feelings about the ideas they find in stories and books, especially about topics like everyone being different but equally important (diversity), making sure everyone feels welcome and included, and making things easy for everyone to use (accessibility).

Your child will learn how stories from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people share information about the past and their cultures. They will also understand how these stories connect to what people experience today.

Your child will be able to talk about the different ways they figured out what a simple story or book was about.

Your child will be able to figure out what they want to write about, why they are writing it, and who they are writing for.

Your child will be able to come up with ideas for writing by thinking about what they already know, what they've done, and what they've learned in other classes.

Your child will be able to find information about a topic using one book, website, or other source.

Your child will be able to organize their thoughts and information in a logical order, considering the type of writing they are doing (like a story or a letter).

Your child will be able to talk about the different ways they come up with ideas when they are writing.

Your child will be able to write short stories, opinion pieces, and how-to guides using different tools like paper and crayons, or a computer.

Your child will be able to print letters and words, making sure they are the right size, in the correct spot on the page, and have proper spacing between them.

Your child will be able to share their own thoughts, feelings, and opinions in their writing, using words that truly reflect what they want to say about a topic.

Your child will be able to tell if a story is told by one of the characters (first person) or by someone outside the story.

Your child will be able to make simple corrections to their writing, like fixing mistakes in capitalization (using big letters), punctuation (like periods and commas), and spelling.

Your child will be able to produce finished writing pieces, using basic techniques to make their writing have the impact they want it to have.

Your child will be able to share their writing with others, including reading it aloud with feeling.

Your child will be able to share a helpful way they found to present their writing or speaking.