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1st grade · English Language Arts · Unit 16 of 19

Plan and Write

Plan, put ideas in order, and make writing clearer.

What your child practices

Practices planning writing by drawing and talking, putting ideas in order, grouping ideas that belong together, showing feelings in writing, improving after feedback, and knowing different kinds of writing.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 1W2; 1W3 · planning writing, putting events in order and adding details

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Plan first: draw or talk with a partner.
  2. Put your ideas in order.
  3. Add details to make your writing clear.

Example: Which words go together in a list about fruit? Apple, pear and plum are all fruit. They go in the fruit list. Answer: apple, pear, plum

Plan and Write in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 16 of 19 in 1st grade English Language Arts, after True, Pretend and Opinions and before Feelings, Senses and Reasons.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which is a way to plan what to write?

    • cut the page
    • make a list of ideas
    • close the notebook

  2. Question 2

    Which word helps you tell what happens first?

    • First
    • Purple
    • Never

  3. Question 3

    Which words go together in a list about fruit?

    • apple, pear, plum
    • pear, desk, plum
    • apple, chair, plum

  4. Question 4

    Which comes first in a story?

    • end
    • last page
    • beginning

  5. Question 5

    A friend says, “I don't understand this word.” What can you do?

    • Change it to make it clearer
    • Erase everything
    • Ignore your friend

  6. Question 6

    Telling a story out loud, recording it, and adding pictures use…

    • more than one mode
    • only one mode
    • no mode

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