Virginia SOL 1.RI.1.A
The Standard
Ask and answer literal (who, what, when, where) and inferential (why, how) questions about what is read, including demonstrating an understanding of the main topics.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Key Ideas and Confirming Details
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students ask and answer questions about a nonfiction text. They find stated facts, use clues to explain why or how, and identify what the text is mostly about.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students answer who, what, when, and where questions with accurate details. They explain why or how something happened, point to a clue, and name the main topic.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may answer from personal experience instead of the text or pictures. They may confuse the main topic with one small detail, or answer why and how questions without evidence.
How to Assess It
- Read a short nonfiction paragraph aloud. Ask students to name the main topic, answer one who or what question, and answer one why or how question using a text clue.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a short animal article, question cards, and sticky notes to mark details that answer each card.
After reading about weather, ask, “What is the main topic, and which two details helped you decide?”
Play Question Sort by having students place who, what, when, where, why, and how cards beside matching answers from a passage.
Read a school lunch menu and calendar, then ask students who is served, what is offered, when it occurs, and why choices differ.
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Printable 1.RI.1.A Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 1.RI.1.A, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- 1.RL.1.C
Ask and answer literal (who, what, when, where) or inferential (how, why) questions about what is read.
- 2.RI.1.B
Retell key details of texts that demonstrate an understanding of the main topics of texts.
- K.RI.1.A
With prompting and support, ask and answer literal (who, what, when, where) or inferential (why, how) questions about what is read
- 2.RI.1.A
Ask and answer literal and inferential questions (who, what, where, when, how, and why) about key details in a text.
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