1st Grade · English Language Arts · Parent guide
Short answer. RI.1.1 asks first graders to ask and answer questions about key details in nonfiction books. What that sounds like at home, plus quick practice ideas.
Quick answer
Same skill as its literature twin, different kind of book. RI.1.1 asks your child to ask and answer questions about the important details in informational text: the animal books, the how-things-work books, the true stuff. After a book about ants, he should handle "What do ants eat?" and also come up with his own questions, like "Why do they walk in a line?"
Why parents see this skill
Questions are how kids learn to pull facts out of a text instead of letting them wash past. This habit becomes the research skills of grades 2 through 5, where kids read to answer specific questions. It also keeps curiosity attached to reading, which is what makes a nonfiction kid pick up the next book.
For reference
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.Official Common Core source
See it, then try it
You do not need a lesson plan. Look for these signs in ordinary play, reading, and conversation, then choose one short activity.
Before starting a nonfiction book, each of you asks one question you hope it answers. Write them on a sticky note on the cover. When you finish, check: did the book answer them? If not, that is a great excuse for a library trip.
Have him teach the table one fact from today's book, then everyone asks him one question about it. He can answer from memory or grab the book and look it up. Looking it up is not cheating, it is the more advanced skill.
After reading, write 3 quick questions about the book on scraps of paper and drop them in a bowl. He draws one at a time and answers it, using the book if needed. Let him write one question for you too, kids love flipping the quiz.
Choose what helps today
Start with the domain guide for context, use the learning library when a concept needs explaining, or print a page when your child is ready to practice.
See every RI.1 skill in order and how the codes fit together.
Open resourceFilter free pages by literacy, phonics, handwriting, and comprehension skills.
Open resourceShort, repeatable reading activities for common early words.
Open resourceSimple reading and vocabulary ideas for home and classroom routines.
Open resourceWhat is the difference between RI.1.1 and RL.1.1? They sound identical.
The wording is nearly identical on purpose; the difference is the kind of text. RL.1.1 covers stories, RI.1.1 covers informational books, and schools track them separately because plenty of kids are strong in one and shaky in the other. If your child aces story questions but stalls on fact books, this is the code that flags it.
My son remembers zero facts after a nonfiction book. Should I be concerned?
First check the topic: kids retain facts about things they care about and drop the rest, same as adults. Try books on his actual obsessions, and ask questions during the reading, not just after. If facts about his favorite topic also slide off, mention it to his teacher, but for most kids this is an interest problem wearing a memory costume.
Keep the sequence
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