Wyoming Grade 1 English

Identifying Who Tells a Story

Use this original Grade 1 activity to practice identifying who tells a story. Read before looking at the explanation, point to the evidence, and try the changed detail. A teacher can follow this short task with a longer text suited to the student’s reading needs.

Curriculum reference: Wyoming-linked 2012 English language arts standards, from the Wyoming content-area standards directory.

Wyoming Grade 1 references for this activity

Wyoming’s current content-area directory links the 2012 English language arts standards. The linked PDF includes Wyoming’s earlier 2011 explanatory material and the Common Core grade-specific standards; the directory’s edition label and the introductory historical label should not be confused with a new adoption. Standards state learning expectations, while schools and teachers choose a curriculum, texts, and instructional approaches. The selected Grade 1 reference identifies the focus of this original reading activity. Read the complete document and ask the teacher how the school sequences reading, writing, language, speaking, listening, and foundational skills where applicable. One short response does not establish complete curriculum coverage or grade-level proficiency.

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.

A character speaks, but who tells the story?

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

I carried the paint jar to our table. Ben pointed to the paper. “I want to paint a boat,” he said. I handed him the blue brush. My name is Ana, and I like painting beside Ben.

Try the activity

Who tells this story? Explain why Ben’s spoken words do not make him the storyteller.

Follow the reasoning

Ana tells the story. The final sentence names the person speaking as “I,” and the earlier sentences describe what that same person carried and handed to Ben. Ben speaks inside the story when he says he wants to paint a boat. The words “he said” identify his turn to speak; afterward the telling returns to Ana’s “I.” A child can point to those changes and explain them aloud. First-person words need to be connected to the person using them, because both a narrator and another character can say “I.”

Notice what needs more practice

The passage identifies its storyteller directly. It does not tell what Ben thinks about Ana or whether the painting is finished. If a child names Ben, reread the sentence introducing his speech and the sentence naming Ana. The adult’s reading voice is also different from the person telling the fictional story.

Use the next session to build independence

1. Read the passage and restate the question in your own words.
2. Connect the answer to a particular sentence, line, or detail.
3. Try the changed detail, then choose a longer classroom text that calls for the same kind of reading.

Rewrite the first and third sentences using “Ana” instead of “I,” and change the last sentence to “Ana likes painting beside Ben.” Now ask whether Ana is still directly telling the story or whether someone outside the action is describing her. Compare with a classroom story that names its narrator.

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

Wyoming Grade 1 English: useful planning questions

Does a character’s dialogue make that character the narrator?

A character may speak within a story without telling the whole story. In this example, Ben’s request is introduced with “he said,” while Ana’s first-person account carries the surrounding action. Ask the child to show where each voice begins and ends.

Which standards does the school use?

Wyoming’s current content-area directory links the 2012 English language arts standards. The linked PDF includes Wyoming’s earlier 2011 explanatory material and the Common Core grade-specific standards; the directory’s edition label and the introductory historical label should not be confused with a new adoption. Standards state learning expectations, while schools and teachers choose a curriculum, texts, and instructional approaches. The selected Grade 1 reference identifies the focus of this original reading activity. Read the complete document and ask the teacher how the school sequences reading, writing, language, speaking, listening, and foundational skills where applicable. One short response does not establish complete curriculum coverage or grade-level proficiency. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.