Kentucky Reading and Writing RF.1.1.a

ELA1st GradeReading Foundational Skills

The Standard

RF.1.1: Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print to aid in comprehension.

Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence including first word, capitalization, spacing and ending punctuation.

Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing (2025) · Print Concepts

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students find the first word in a written sentence. They check for a capital letter, spaces between words, and a mark at the end.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can point to the first word, each space, and the ending mark in 'The dog barks.' They can fix 'thedog barks' by writing 'The dog barks.'
Common Misconceptions: Some students point to the first letter when asked for the first word. Others put spaces between letters, capitalize every word, or leave off the ending mark.
How to Assess It: Write 'my dog runs.' on the board. Ask students to circle the first word, fix its capital letter, point to both spaces, and name the ending mark.

Lesson moves

Have pairs arrange cards labeled We, see, birds, and a period with finger-width spaces, then point to the first word.
Show 'can we play?' and ask, 'Which word starts the sentence, what needs fixing, and why is there a question mark?'
Play sentence detective with 'Thedog ran!' and have students add the missing space, then identify the capital and ending mark.
Give students a classroom reminder card reading 'Please close the door.' and ask them to mark its first word, spaces, capital, and period.

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