Home › English Skills › Reading Practice › 1st Grade
Read a short story or article, listen along, learn the key words and answer four questions.
Sam has a red kite. He takes it to the park with his dad.
The wind is strong. Up, up, up goes the kite! It flies over the big tree.
Then the wind stops. The kite falls down. Sam is sad.
Dad says, “Let us run!” They run fast, and the kite goes up again. Sam smiles.
Words to know
A frog is a small animal. It can live on land and in water.
A frog starts as a tiny egg. Then it is a tadpole. A tadpole has a tail and swims like a fish.
The tadpole grows legs. Its tail gets small. Now it is a frog!
Frogs have long legs. They can jump far. They eat bugs with their long, sticky tongues.
Words to know
Whole books build the stamina short passages can’t.
The fish that couldn’t swimSarah Gaylard
Baby BabbleKatherine Graham
The Great Tidy UpCorinne Rosmarin
The Things That Really MatterRefiloe Moahloli
Brave BoraEdna Gicovi
Lefa’s BathMarion Drew
Why the owl never sleepsWandile Mathe
Alex’s Super MedicineKim Rex
How do you eat?Diane Awerbuck
My Dream in the DrawerFred Strydom
Tata comes homeSewela Langeni
The boy who only ate pancakesKristen Dembaremba
Whose shoe is this?Siphiliselwe Makhanya
Fifi and TeddyTshepo LetsapaThese 1st grade reading comprehension passages are original Pagine texts: “The Red Kite” (story) and “Frogs” (science). Each has words to know and four multiple-choice questions with explanations. Harder: 2nd Grade. For test strategies, take the free reading skills course.
They are written for typical 1st grade readers (ages 6–7): vocabulary, sentence length and topics match what students usually read at this stage. Every child is different, so try the reading level check if you are unsure.
Each passage has four questions covering the skills on most reading tests: main idea, key details, vocabulary in context, inference, sequence and the author’s purpose. The skill is shown after you check your answers.
Yes. Each passage has a printable version with the questions and a fold-away answer key. Printing asks for a free Pagine account.
Read every day, talk about what you read, and ask “why?” and “how do you know?”. Short passages like these build test skills; whole books build stamina and vocabulary.
Track minutes, books and streaks in the free Pagine app, on iPhone, iPad and Android.
Pagine