CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.1
The Standard
Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards: Foundational Skills
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify where a printed sentence begins and ends. They recognize the first word, its capital letter, and the punctuation mark at the end.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can point to the first word and show where a sentence ends. They identify the opening capital letter and name the period, question mark, or exclamation point.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat each line of print as a complete sentence. They may overlook capital letters, confuse periods with commas, or point to a letter instead of the first word.
How to Assess It
- Give students the sentence “my dog can run” and ask them to circle the first word, add a capital letter, and add ending punctuation.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs word cards to build a sentence, then add a capital letter card and the correct ending punctuation card.
Display two sentences and ask, “How can you tell where each sentence begins and ends?”
Play Sentence Detective by having students circle first words, box capital letters, and underline ending marks in a short passage.
Search a classroom sign or lunch menu for complete sentences, then identify each first word, capital letter, and ending mark.
Free download
Printable RF.1.1 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.1, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetLearning progression
Where This Standard Sits
See the whole path on the Reading: Foundational Skills progression map.
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.1c
Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.5
Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in...
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