Pennsylvania Grade 1 English

Find Words for Sounds and Feelings

Learn to find words for sounds and feelings with an original Grade 1 reading example, a worked explanation, Pennsylvania English references, and printable resources. Use the teacher’s reading and writing assignments to build this skill across longer texts.

Curriculum reference: Pennsylvania Core Standards for English Language Arts, March 1, 2014, from the Pennsylvania English language arts standards page.

Pennsylvania Grade 1 references for this activity

Pennsylvania’s education department links the March 1, 2014 PA Core English documents for Pre K–5 and Grades 6–12. The state board identifies March 1, 2014 as the effective date. The code linked here is a selected Pennsylvania reading reference, not a generic Common Core label. Standards guide locally developed curricula; check the school’s reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening sequence.

These selected reference labels identify an activity focus, with the correct grade and PDF page linked separately. Read the complete standards selected by the school and its learning sequence, including reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening. This short original example does not fulfill the entire curriculum or establish a student’s grade-level proficiency.

Waiting at the bakery

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

The bell jingled when Emi opened the door. Warm bread smelled sweet. Emi grinned at the little loaf in the window. “That one, please,” she said.

Try the activity

An adult may read aloud. Which word helps you imagine a sound? Which words describe a smell? What word suggests how Emi feels? Point to each word and explain what it helps you imagine.

Follow the reasoning

“Jingled” helps a listener imagine the bell’s sound. “Smelled sweet” describes the smell of the warm bread. “Grinned” suggests that Emi is pleased or excited about the loaf, although the story does not name her feeling directly. A child can say the word, point to it, and explain its effect aloud. Hearing the bell and smelling bread are different senses; “sweet” in this sentence describes a smell, not a reported taste. Linking the word to its sentence helps a reader choose the right explanation.

Notice what needs more practice

The story does not say that Emi has tasted the loaf. A grin suggests a feeling but does not tell us everything Emi thinks. Listening and discussing this example can accompany reading instruction; it does not demonstrate independent decoding.

Use the next session to build independence

1. Listen to the sentence around the word.
2. Name the sense or feeling it suggests.
3. Show how the word helps you imagine the scene.

Read a teacher-selected picture book together. Collect one sound word and one word that suggests a feeling. Discuss their sentences, then draw the part of the scene they help you picture.

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

Pennsylvania Grade 1 English: useful planning questions

Can a word suggest a feeling without naming it?

Yes. A word describing an action, such as grinning, can suggest a feeling. Explain the connection and avoid adding thoughts that the story does not give.

Which standards does the school use?

Pennsylvania’s education department links the March 1, 2014 PA Core English documents for Pre K–5 and Grades 6–12. The state board identifies March 1, 2014 as the effective date. The code linked here is a selected Pennsylvania reading reference, not a generic Common Core label. Standards guide locally developed curricula; check the school’s reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening sequence. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.