sample writing for 1st grader

My Trip to Mexico

(Many details are included in this writing, and a personal tone emerges. The piece has a clear beginning, middle, and ending.)

One time I went to Mexico. It was a blast! I met people there. I went horseback riding. I saw a box holding an armadillo. I went to a water fall. I tried to catch a frog with one leg. I couldn't catch it. It was fun in Mexico.

A Happy Day

(This writing shows the feelings of the writer and is well organized.)

One day baby Josh came home. He was in a yellow blanket. My mom let me hold him. He was blowing bubbles. He didn’t cry.

My Favorite Pet

(Adam, the first-grade writer of this model, uses his senses to describe his cat—fluffy, soft, fat. Readers can “see” and “feel” Buzz. )

My cat is fluffy. His name is Buzz. He is my favorite cat. Buzz is my favorite pet of all. I hug him all the time. He is soft, and his cheeks are fat like my brother’s. I feel happy with my cat.

How Much I Know About Space

(Ryan tells what he learned on a visit to a space center.)

I had just gone to Chobot Space and Science Center. When I got there, I didn’t even know one planet in our solar system. Soon I learned all nine planets in our solar system. I learned what the first rocket ship looked like. I learned how to land a rocket ship. I had two lessons. The lessons were fun. My favorite class was space class.

Sweet Spring

(This writing has delightful details and a clear voice.)

Spring is sweet because we can go boat riding and bees come and take honey out of the flowers. I feel good because it is very, very, very hot outside and I can go on the swings. The best part of spring is that my family can go to the beach.

Parrots

(First-grader Traci begins and ends her report with a main idea about parrots: they are pretty, colorful birds.)

Parrots are colorful. They have different colors like blue, red, black, orange, green, yellow, and white. Parrots live in cactuses, nests, and underground holes.
Some parrots eat roots, and some eat nectar and seeds. They have different bills. Macaws (a kind of parrot) crack things open. Other parrots dig up roots and bulbs from the ground.
There are different kinds of parrots, but they all lay eggs. Parrots are pretty birds.

Leaf Person

(In Bowen’s story, he imagines himself as a leaf. He gives lots of details about being blown around by the wind. )

One morning, I turned into a leaf person. I went outside. A wind blew me away—far away. Another heavy, heavy wind blew me everywhere in the whole world. It never stopped! Then it blew me to outer space. I was floating in space. I went to Mars, but I saw nothing.
I went back to Earth. I didn’t know where I was, so I went on a rocket, back to space, to the moon. When I landed there, there was nothing but crust, holes, and craters. Then there was another special wind. It was special because it blew from land to space. I was floating in space again!

Happy Easter

(This model is based on a story submitted by first-grader Ashley. Her story has a main character with a problem. The problem is solved in an interesting way.)

Once there was a hen. The hen was very lonely. Then she laid some eggs. They were not ordinary eggs. They were colorful. On Easter the chicks hatched. It was their birthday! The hen was not lonely anymore.