Massachusetts Grade 1 English

Tell the storyteller’s voice from spoken words

A story can include someone telling what happened and characters speaking. Use a short reading to help the child notice which voice supplies each part.

Curriculum reference: 2017 Massachusetts English Language Arts and Literacy Framework, from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education current frameworks directory.

Massachusetts Grade 1 references for this activity

The state’s current frameworks directory links the 2017 Massachusetts English Language Arts and Literacy Framework, adopted in March 2017. Read the individual Grade 1 requirements and the school’s sequence. These selected references support this activity; they do not cover the whole English curriculum.

These are selected grade-level expectations from the current 2017 Massachusetts English framework. 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.

I put my painted kite beside the door. My brother Sam looked at the long blue tail. “Can I carry it?” he asked. I gave him the kite and picked up the string. Together we walked to the field.

Try the activity

Read the story aloud, then let the child read what they can. Who tells us about putting the kite beside the door? Who asks to carry it? Point to the words that help you decide. Explain whether Sam’s spoken question means he is telling the whole story.

Follow the reasoning

The storyteller is the person who says I put my painted kite beside the door. Sam is that person’s brother. The words he asked connect the question Can I carry it? with Sam, so Sam speaks that line. The story then returns to the storyteller’s account: I gave him the kite and picked up the string. A child can point to the opening I and the phrase My brother Sam to explain the relationship. The storyteller’s name is not supplied; calling that person Sam would ignore the distinction. Spoken words can belong to a character without making that character the voice telling the entire story.

Notice what needs more practice

If the child names Sam as the storyteller because his is the only printed name, return to My brother Sam and ask whose brother he is. If they correctly identify Sam’s question but cannot locate its clue, reread he asked together. Keep the task focused on the voices present in this passage. It does not ask the child to invent a name, decide the author’s personal identity, or master every narrative perspective. Reading aloud can support comprehension while the teacher separately observes word-reading needs.

Use the next session to build independence

1. Read the account and spoken question in different voices.
2. Point to the phrase that identifies Sam as the speaker.
3. Retell which person describes the whole event.

Change the spoken line to “Here is the string,” I said. Ask who speaks now and which wording changed the answer. Then choose another short classroom story with a clear storyteller and marked dialogue. Let the child explain their answer through the text rather than guess from a picture or a name. This activity supports selected reading expectations. Keep it alongside the school’s wider Grade 1 work with word reading, writing, listening, and language, and choose a manageable reading level for independent practice.

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

Massachusetts Grade 1 English: useful planning questions

Does a character speaking make that character the storyteller?

Not necessarily. In this passage, Sam speaks a question, while another person tells the surrounding events. Use the words introducing the speech and the surrounding account to distinguish them.

Where are the complete state requirements?

The state’s current frameworks directory links the 2017 Massachusetts English Language Arts and Literacy Framework, adopted in March 2017. Read the individual Grade 1 requirements and the school’s sequence. These selected references support this activity; they do not cover the whole English curriculum. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.