Rhode Island Grade 1 English

Who Tells the Story?

Identify the storyteller in an original Grade 1 reading activity. Read the passage, try the task, and use the explanation to check the evidence behind your response.

Curriculum reference: Rhode Island Core Standards for English Language Arts/Literacy, 2021, from the Rhode Island English language arts standards page.

Rhode Island Grade 1 references for this activity

Rhode Island’s Council on Elementary and Secondary Education endorsed the Rhode Island Core Standards for English language arts/literacy and mathematics on March 9, 2021. This activity links a selected reading reference in RIDE’s 2021 English document. The complete curriculum also includes writing, language, speaking, and listening; check the school’s texts and learning 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.

The scarf on the chair

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

I looked under my chair for my scarf. My friend Ada pointed to the next chair. There it was! I picked it up and said, “Thank you, Ada.”

Try the activity

Who tells this story: the child who lost the scarf or Ada? Find words that help you decide. Does Ada become the storyteller when the child speaks to her?

Follow the reasoning

The child who looked for the scarf tells the story. “I looked” and “My friend Ada” show that the storyteller describes their own actions and refers to Ada as a friend. Ada points, but the passage does not give her a turn telling the story. The words “Thank you, Ada” are spoken by the child inside the story. Naming Ada in that sentence does not make her the storyteller. Ask the learner to point to “I” and explain whose action it describes.

Notice what needs more practice

The storyteller is a character in this invented story. The passage does not name that child. Do not guess the child’s name or confuse the character telling the story with the person who wrote the activity.

Use the next session to build independence

1. Read the story aloud together.
2. Point to the words that name or stand for the storyteller.
3. Name the other character and explain the difference.

Read a teacher-selected short story. Stop at two points and ask who is telling the story there. A grown-up can help read the words while the child explains the choice.

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

Rhode Island Grade 1 English: useful planning questions

Does a character’s name identify the storyteller?

Sometimes, but a name can also identify someone the storyteller describes. Look at who tells the events and the words used for that person.

Which standards does the school use?

Rhode Island’s Council on Elementary and Secondary Education endorsed the Rhode Island Core Standards for English language arts/literacy and mathematics on March 9, 2021. This activity links a selected reading reference in RIDE’s 2021 English document. The complete curriculum also includes writing, language, speaking, and listening; check the school’s texts and learning sequence. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.