Let’s Dive Into Today’s Reading Activity
I made these reading pages for first grade students who are just starting to read and understand simple English sentences. At this level, children are learning how to read short stories, recognize common words, and answer questions to show they understand what they read.
What the Activities Include
Each reading page has a short and fun story,
three simple questions to check understanding and sometimes a coloring task to make learning more fun.
Visit to the Zoo
Sam goes to the zoo and loves seeing the lions.
The lions are big and they roar.
Questions :
- Where did Sam go?
- What animal does he like?
- What sound do lions make?
A Trip to the Farm
Lily visits a farm and sees cows and sheep.
Cows give milk, and sheep say “baa.”
Questions:
- Where did Lily go?
- What do cows give?
- What sound do sheep make?
The New Puppy
Lily’s family gets a new puppy with soft brown fur.
The puppy loves to play with a ball.
Children answer questions and color a picture that matches the story.
This story adds fun and introduces describing words like “soft” and “brown.”
Lunch Time
Ben opens his lunchbox.
He has a sandwich, a red apple, and juice.
He eats the sandwich first.
Questions ask what he eats first, what he opens, and what color the apple is.
This helps children practice words for food, colors, and the order of events.
A Rainy Day
It starts to rain, and Tom wears a raincoat and boots.
He goes outside to splash in puddles.
Children choose the correct picture and answer questions about the story.
How I Used These Texts With My Students
I used these short reading texts during my English lessons with first grade students. My main goal was to help them enjoy reading and understand simple stories. I also wanted them to learn how to find answers in the text and build their vocabulary step by step.
To begin, I read the story aloud while the children listened. I made sure to read slowly and clearly. I used a friendly tone and changed my voice to match the story—for example, making a roaring sound when reading about lions. This made the story more fun and helped the students stay interested.
After that, we read the story together. I asked the students to read with me, sentence by sentence. Some children were still learning to read, so reading together gave them support and made them feel confident.
Next, we talked about what happened in the story. I asked simple questions like “Who went to the zoo?” or “What did the puppy like to play with?” We looked back at the text to find the answers together. I encouraged students to point to the sentence that gave the answer. This helped them understand how to read with meaning, not just say the words.
Then the students answered the questions under the story. Some questions were multiple choice, so we read the choices together. I gave them time to think before choosing the correct answer. We discussed the answers as a group, so everyone could learn from each other.
If the story had a picture to color, I gave the students crayons or colored pencils and let them enjoy it. Coloring helped them remember the story and made the lesson more fun. It also gave them a break from writing while still staying connected to the reading.
Sometimes, we acted out parts of the story. If the story was about animals, the students made the sounds or walked like the animals. If it was about a rainy day, they pretended to wear raincoats or jump in puddles. Acting made the story come alive and added movement to the lesson, which is great for young learners.
Using these texts in class helped my students become more confident readers. They enjoyed the stories, learned new words, and practiced answering questions.
Click here to download your free reading worksheets and start reading with your students today!
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