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. We suggest students also be given dedicated time and well-designed structures for independent reading during the school day.

Please note: Fishtank ELA’s 1st Grade curriculum focuses on language comprehension, and does not include instruction in 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.

In 1st Grade ELA, we suggest six units to comprise a recommended scope and sequence that 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.

We also offer alternate units around other core texts and topics. If you wish to incorporate one of these units into your sequence, we suggest a particular place in the sequence where it will fit best, in terms of rigor and sequencing of grade-level standards.

We previously presented the units as two parallel sequences of units: a set of Literature units and a set of Science and Social Studies units. If you have two 60-minute blocks available daily and would like to use all of the units, you can reference this guide for a parallel sequence.

For more guidance on implementing the 1st Grade ELA course, see our Preparing to Teach Fishtank ELA Teacher Tool.