1st Grade Lessons
First grade is a very exciting year filled with curiosity and new learning opportunities. Below you will find various lesson plans to help guide your instruction. The lessons cover multiple subject areas and objectives. Our first grade lesson plan section will continuously grow as more teachers from our Teacher.org community submit their lesson plans. Please contact us if you have lessons that you are proud of and would like to get published! You have the power to inspire our future.
1st Grade Arts Lesson Plans
Art Outside
In this visual and performing arts lesson, students will explore their artistic skills while becoming more connected with nature. Students will look for fallen plants outside or in the garden and they will use them in the classroom to make art.
Bugs and Design
This lesson is designed to help students use their skills to analyze art elements and various principles of design.
Chinese New Year
This highly engaging Social Studies lesson on Chinese New Year is integrated with elements of performing arts (drama). This lesson is appropriate for students in K-3, as it can be easily modified.
Chinese New Year - Fan Dance
A hands-on lesson which integrates Social Studies concepts with performing arts (dance). Students will delve into customs of Chinese New Year by exploring traditional artifacts and dance.
Chinese New Year - Lion Dance
This lesson is great for grades K-2. It integrates Social Studies with elements of visual and performing arts as the children create a Chinese lion and a dance.
Foil Printing
In this visual arts lesson, students will create a print using paint on foil then add detail to the print.
Friendship - Accepting Differences
This lesson on "Friendship" integrates Social Studies standards along with Music, Dance, and Visual Arts. The lesson focuses on "accepting differences" and is great for grades K-2.
Friendship - Conflict Resolution
This lesson on Friendship and Conflict Resolution integrates Social Studies content along with Visual and Performing Arts (Theater) content. A highly interactive lesson that is great for kindergartners as well as first graders.
Shaving Syllables
In this visual arts lesson, students will use a unique medium to create letters, words, and pictures that are easily erased and altered.
Upside Down Art
This lesson will allow students to practice creating art from a unique perspective while learning about Michelangelo.
Water Color Butterflies
In this visual arts lesson, students will create a tye-dyed or water color butterfly to show how colors mix.
Yarn Painting
This lesson will allow students to practice creating art using a unique medium, yarn.
1st Grade English/Language Arts Lesson Plans
Beginning Sound Match
This lesson will allow students to practice both writing names and identifying beginning sounds for common item names.
Fairy Tale
This lesson is great for students who have already been introduced to the concept of "real" and "make-believe" characters. The lesson take students through the elements that make up a fairy tale.
Learning About Adjectives
Students will be able to name adjectives by describing their favorite characters from the teacher’s story and their own favorite stories.
Rhyme Time
This lesson will introduce or reinforce word families and rhymes for young children and/or struggling readers.
Story Sequencing
This lesson takes students through the process of sequencing a story using the words first, then, next, and last. The lesson provides opportunities for students to write, draw, listen, act, and speak. The lesson include individual work as well as group work.
Story Themes
This lesson is designed to help students understand “describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.” -CCSS
Tearing Into Vocabulary
This is a quick activity to allow students to work cooperatively while increasing awareness of vocabulary for a given lesson.
What is a Noun?
Students will be able to name nouns by telling about their favorite things, people, places or characters. The teacher can choose so many different areas of Grammar about nouns (e.g. Countable/ Uncountable; Proper/Common; Singular/Plural).
What is a Verb?
Students will be able to define and give examples of verbs by telling about how they celebrate their birthdays.
1st Grade Environmental Lesson Plans
Beach Day
This lesson will allow students to learn about the beach environment and experience working with sand.
Bird Feeder Fun
Students will create an all natural bird feeder to hang near the school to feed birds during the various seasons.
Classroom Garden From Trash
Students will create several plants (a garden) from parts of a plant that are normally thrown away.
Food Web Art Project
Students will discuss food webs and how animals interact together in an ocean biosphere and make a model of how animals get their energy from other animals and the sun.
Keeping Warm in Winter
Students will understand why animals store fat for the winter or colder months and how this affects how temperature is felt. How does the environment and our protection of it help this?
Window Garden
Students will plan, experiment, and observe as seeds grow in a window garden. Students will explore why this is important to the sustainability of our environment.
1st Grade Math Lesson Plans
Big and Small
A fun lesson to help students understand the concept of big and small and how to compare the two. The lesson involved hands-on activities to make the learning fun and engaging.
Counting Backwards (20-0)
Students will learn how to count backwards from 20-0 in a very fun and exciting way. The lesson includes a hands-on/interactive component where students will be asked to hop backwards while counting. This lesson is great for kindergarten through first grade.
Even or Odd Nature Walk
Students will do a nature walk to find things in nature that are grouped in pairs that are odd or even.
Graphing With Insects
This lesson is designed to teach students to draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Plus, solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems.
Measuring Length
This lesson is designed to teach students how to measure lengths indirectly and by alternating length units.
Measuring Up
This lesson will allow students to demonstrate knowledge of length as compared to other objects.
Odd or Even
This engaging lesson will help students determine whether a group of objects (up to 20) has an odd or even number of members.
Representing Addition and Subtraction
This lesson is designed to help students represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.
Shape Up
This lesson will allow students to demonstrate knowledge of various grade appropriate shapes.
Skittles Graph
Students will learn to create a small bar graph using candy for information.
Sort It Out
Students will learn to categorize in various ways.
1st Grade P.E. Lesson Plans
And Freeze!
Students will practice listening skills and basic physical concepts as required in physical education class. Students will also work on balance and coordination.
Animal Laps
Combining information about the speed of animals, the students will run laps in the gym or outdoors.
Bear Hunt Obstacle Course
This plan will combine reading with balance and coordination skills to allow students to navigate a simple obstacle course.
Boom Over Movement Game
Students will play a game in which they need to change direction quickly. Students are to pretend that they are on a sailboat that is in the middle of a storm. They will have to run and change direction based on verbal commands and duck quickly to avoid being hit by the imaginary boom.
Butterfly Stretches
This lesson is designed to help students learn the importance and reasons for exercise through multiple activities and discussions.
Coordination Course
This plan will allow students to practice coordination while staying physical.
Music Movement
The students will move to the music based on its beat, words, tune, and other variables.
On Top of Spaghetti
This plan will allow students to practice coordination while staying physical.
Plate Aerobics
Students will practice basic aerobics moves while trying to stay positioned on paper plates, this aids in coordination.
Race to the Answer
This lesson will allow students to practice teamwork, basic math skills, and get exercise through a relay race. Note: Problems/difficulty level can be altered by grade
Ride ‘Em Cowboy/girl
This lesson will allow students to practice gross motor skills.
Simon Says
Students will practice listening skills and basic physical concepts as required in physical education class.
Ski to the Finish Line
This plan will allow students to practice coordination while staying physical. Students will demonstrate moving straight, backwards, and in a zig-zag pattern.
What Time is it FOX?
The students play a game where they practice different movements including jumping, galloping, skipping, running, jogging, leaping, and walking. Based on National Physical Education Standards, students should have been learning these skills for the last 4 years.
1st Grade Science Lesson Plans
All About Our Senses
Students will use their senses to try to identify common objects found in or around the classroom.
All About Pollination
This lesson is designed to help students develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.
All About the Moon
This lesson is designed for help students understand the importance of the moon. Through multiple activities and demonstrations, students will learn the phases of the moon, what they look like, how it’s lit, and how long it takes for the moon to revolve around the earth.
Astronauts
This lesson is designed to help students understand the concept of outer space and astronauts. Through multiple activities and discussions, students will learn who astronauts are, where they go, and how they get there.
Bird Feeder Fun
Students will create an all natural bird feeder to hang near the school to feed birds during the various seasons.
Classroom Garden From Trash
Students will create several plants (a garden) from parts of a plant that are normally thrown away.
Food Web Art Project
Students will discuss food webs and how animals interact together in an ocean biosphere and make a model of how animals get their energy from other animals and the sun.
Keeping Warm in Winter
Students will understand why animals store fat for the winter or colder months and how this affects how temperature is felt. How does the environment and our protection of it help this?
Learning About The Sun
This lesson is designed for help students understand day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year.
Learning About the Five Senses
This lesson is designed to help students “observe common objects by using the five senses, describe the properties of common objects, compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute, communicate observations orally and through drawings.
Salt Water and Fresh Water
This lesson is designed to help students Communicate observations orally and through drawings.
Solar System
This lesson is designed to help students understand that “the orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns.
Thanksgiving Food Pyramid
Students will discuss the foods that are traditionally eaten at Thanksgiving in the United States and place them into food groups based on the food pyramid.
The Earth
This lesson is designed to help students understand Earth in relation to the Solar System. Through a series or activities and interactive teaching, students will learn that the orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns.
Weather In A Bottle
Students will discuss types of weather and create their own tornado in a bottle.
Window Garden
Students will plan, experiment, and observe as seeds grow in a window garden. Students will explore why this is important to the sustainability of our environment.
1st Grade Social Studies Lesson Plans
Chinese New Year
This highly engaging Social Studies lesson on Chinese New Year is integrated with elements of performing arts (drama). This lesson is appropriate for students in K-3, as it can be easily modified.
Chinese New Year - Fan Dance
A hands-on lesson which integrates Social Studies concepts with performing arts (dance). Students will delve into customs of Chinese New Year by exploring traditional artifacts and dance.
Chinese New Year - Lion Dance
This lesson is great for grades K-2. It integrates Social Studies with elements of visual and performing arts as the children create a Chinese lion and a dance.
Friendship - Accepting Differences
This lesson on "Friendship" integrates Social Studies standards along with Music, Dance, and Visual Arts. The lesson focuses on "accepting differences" and is great for grades K-2.
Friendship - Conflict Resolution
This lesson on Friendship and Conflict Resolution integrates Social Studies content along with Visual and Performing Arts (Theater) content. A highly interactive lesson that is great for kindergartners as well as first graders.
Holiday Traditions
This lesson is designed to help students understand what holidays and festivals are important parts culture through multiple activities, discussions and research surrounding holidays.
Land and Water
This lesson is designed to help kindergarten students “distinguish between land and water on maps and globes”.
Rules and Laws
This lesson is designed to help students evaluate rules. It is important since not all rules are necessarily good or appropriate. Sometimes, school rules are arbitrarily imposed, other times they are arrived at as the result of consensus.
Truth and Consequence
This lesson is designed to help students understand the importance of telling the truth, through lessons from history.
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