Pacing Guide for 1st Grade English Language Arts

Fishtank ELA lessons are designed for a 60-minute class period. During each lesson, students read and write about unit texts, building their vocabulary, language, and writing skills, as well as their speaking and listening skills. To spiral practice with explicitly taught language skills, some Fishtank ELA lessons also include an optional 15 minute Language Practice and Review component that can be done during other parts of the school day.

Please Note: Fishtank ELA’s 1st Grade curriculum focuses on language comprehension, and does not include instruction in foundational skills such as phonemic awareness, decoding, or sight words. You will need to implement a structured foundational skills program alongside Fishtank ELA to support students’ development as skilled readers.

The recommended sequence of units balances literature and informational texts across a variety of genres. Teaching the units in this order ensures that the students engage with grade-level reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening standards in a coherent sequence that builds appropriately over the course of the school year.

For the 2025-26 school year, we are shifting to a five unit recommended sequence for 1st Grade ELA (formerly six units). The Power of Reading will become an alternate Unit 4.

Fishtank ELA offers alternates for some units. These units are centered around other core texts and topics, but do not include explicit writing or language instruction or offer intentional language practice and review. If you wish to incorporate one of these units into your sequence, be mindful of the additional language and writing instruction students will need.