Louisiana Grade 1 English

Hear the feeling in a story’s words

A child can name a feeling and still miss the words that suggest it. Read this short scene aloud, then compare the character’s words before and after a small problem is solved. The aim is to explain an answer using the story, with oral support where needed.

Curriculum reference: Louisiana Student Standards for English Language Arts, current document revised March 8, 2019, from the Louisiana Department of Education standards directory.

Louisiana Grade 1 references for this activity

For the 2026–27 school year, use the current Louisiana ELA document linked in the state directory, revised March 8, 2019. The revised 2026 standards take effect in 2027–28. The references below select part of Grade 1 for this activity; use the complete document and the school’s sequence for wider coverage.

These are selected grade-level expectations from Louisiana’s current English standards. Activity labels describe a teaching focus rather than reproduce complete requirements. Read the linked state document’s complete grade-level expectations, including its grade-specific details, alongside the school’s curriculum sequence.

A worked Grade 1 reading and writing activity

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

“Oh, no!” said Eli. “My red kite is in the tree.” He held the string and looked up. Dad lifted the kite down with a long pole. “Hooray!” said Eli. He ran to the open field with Dad.

Try the activity

Read Eli’s two exclamations aloud. What feeling does each suggest? Tell what changes between them. Point to a detail that supports your answer.

Follow the reasoning

At first, “Oh, no!” suggests worry or dismay. The next sentence explains the reason: the kite is caught in the tree. Later, “Hooray!” suggests happiness or relief after Dad gets the kite down. Both answers need the surrounding event. A child might say, “Eli is worried when his kite is stuck, and happy when Dad helps.” The word red tells us the kite’s color; it does not itself show a feeling. The change in Eli’s words helps the reader notice that the problem has been solved. The adult can model the two voices once and then ask the child to explain the difference without simply copying that voice.

Notice what needs more practice

Do not insist on one exact feeling word. Worried, upset, disappointed, or sad can be reasonable for the first moment when the child links the answer to the stuck kite. Excited or glad can fit the ending. Ask for a reason rather than accepting a label alone. The scene does not say Eli is angry with Dad, and Dad is the person who helps. That claim would need another detail. If the child says Eli feels the same throughout, reread the two exclamations together. If the child understands when listening but struggles to read the words, record those as different observations; oral understanding does not settle a decoding question.

Use the next session to build independence

1. Listen to the complete scene before discussing feelings.
2. Match each spoken phrase with the event beside it.
3. Retell the change using a feeling word and its reason.

Use another short teacher-selected story with a clear change in feeling. Ask the child to find the words before the adult supplies a voice. Then try a sentence that describes a smell or sound and discuss what a reader imagines. This extends attention to language without making every descriptive word a feeling word. Continue phonics, handwriting, conversation, and other Grade 1 work in the school’s sequence. This small activity gives useful evidence about one reading focus; it is not a complete English evaluation.

For more general reading and writing resources, visit the Grade 1 English Online Center.

Louisiana Grade 1 English: useful planning questions

Must a child use the same feeling word as the model?

No. Accept a reasonable feeling word when the child connects it to the character’s words and events. Ask what in the story supports that choice.

Where are the complete state requirements?

For the 2026–27 school year, use the current Louisiana ELA document linked in the state directory, revised March 8, 2019. The revised 2026 standards take effect in 2027–28. The references below select part of Grade 1 for this activity; use the complete document and the school’s sequence for wider coverage. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.