The Teaching Firsties blog
Articles for first grade teachers
Practical, research-informed strategies and time-saving tips for standards-aligned literacy instruction.
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Winter Writing Prompts for First Grade (December Through February)
Winter writing prompts for first grade from December through February: gingerbread, snow, arctic animals, winter sports and more, with a…
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Thanksgiving Writing Activities for First Grade (Beyond “I Am Thankful For…”)
Thanksgiving writing activities for first grade that go past the thankful list: turkey how-tos, family stories, farm facts and more,…
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How to Differentiate Writing Centers in First Grade (One Center, Three Levels)
How to differentiate first grade writing centers so every student writes at their level: words, sentences, or short paragraphs, all…
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First Grade Writing Prompts for Every Month of the School Year
A month-by-month list of first grade writing prompts from September to May, plus the simple weekly writing center routine that…
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Halloween Writing Activities for First Grade That Don’t Go Off the Rails
Six Halloween writing activities for first grade that turn costume-and-candy energy into real sentences, with differentiated ideas and a free…
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10 Close Reading Strategies You Can Use With Your 1st Grade Students
These quick close reading strategies help your first graders read to understand a short passage without feeling overwhelmed. By modeling…
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How to Fix the Most Common Problems with Close Reading Activities in 1st Grade
Close reading activities can be difficult to adapt for first graders because young readers are still building decoding skills, stamina,…
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5 Simple Strategies for Teaching Capitalization to 1st Graders
This post shares five practical strategies for teaching capitalization through sentence building, shared writing, and independent activities.
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Building Reading Fluency with 1st Grade Poetry Centers and Nursery Rhyme Songs
This post shows how 1st grade poetry centers help your students build reading fluency and expression.
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7 Common Poetry Center Problems (And How to Fix Them)
This post shares practical solutions to common poetry center problems like differentiation, fluency, and comprehension so your centers run smoothly…
Free for first grade teachers
Free writing papers for every season
Seasonal writing paper for first grade, ready to print. Plus one new idea for your literacy centers each week.