What are demonstratives and when do first graders learn them?

Demonstratives are the words this, that, these, and those, which point to specific nouns and indicate their distance from the speaker. This and these refer to things that are near (this book in my hand, these crayons on my desk), while that and those refer to things that are farther away (that tree outside, those birds in the sky). This and that are singular, while these and those are plural. CCSS L.1.1g specifically requires first graders to use frequently occurring demonstratives. Most children use demonstratives naturally in speech but benefit from explicit instruction to use them correctly in writing and to understand the near/far and singular/plural distinctions. Worksheets that present pictures showing near and far objects and ask children to choose the correct demonstrative (this or that? these or those?) make the abstract concept visual and concrete. Teaching demonstratives helps first graders write with greater precision and follow directions that use pointing language in classroom and academic contexts.

How do you teach demonstratives to first graders?

Teaching demonstratives to first graders works best through physical demonstration and practice with real objects in the classroom. Hold up a pencil and say this pencil is yellow. Then point to a poster across the room and say that poster is blue. Pick up several crayons and say these crayons are mine. Point to chairs across the room and say those chairs are empty. The physical proximity makes the near/far distinction immediate and memorable. Create a sorting chart: near (this, these) and far (that, those), with a second sorting layer for singular (this, that) and plural (these, those). Worksheets that show a child standing near one object and far from another, with blanks to fill in the correct demonstrative, reinforce the concept. Practice sentences where children choose the correct word (look at ____ stars in the sky / ____ book in my hand) build application skills. Games where one child describes an object using a demonstrative and others guess which object they mean (I want that ball. Which one?) make practice interactive. Consistent use of demonstratives in daily classroom language reinforces what worksheets teach.

What demonstrative worksheets are best for first grade?

The best first-grade demonstrative worksheets use visual cues to reinforce the near/far and singular/plural distinctions. Picture-based worksheets showing a child with nearby objects and distant objects, with blanks for students to fill in this, that, these, or those, are the most effective format. Sorting worksheets where students categorize sentences by which demonstrative they need develop analytical thinking about proximity and number. Sentence completion worksheets (look at ____ flowers in the garden, with a picture showing flowers far away from a child) provide contextual practice. Matching activities that connect this to a picture of one nearby object, those to a picture of several distant objects, and so on, build the four-way distinction. Error correction worksheets where students find and fix demonstrative mistakes (look at these mountain over there should be that mountain or those mountains) develop proofreading awareness. Choose worksheets that present all four demonstratives on the same page so students practice distinguishing between them rather than using one in isolation. These formats align with CCSS L.1.1g and provide the repeated practice needed to move demonstrative use from speech into confident, accurate writing.

1st Grade · Grammar · L.1.1.D

Demonstratives Lesson Plan for 1st Grade

A ready-to-teach demonstratives lesson for 1st Grade. Everything below is classroom-tested structure: an objective, a 45-minute sequence, a way to check who got it, and 3 printable practice pages.

Approximately 45 minutes

Learning objective

Use this, that, these, and those to point to specific nouns
Distinguish demonstratives based on number and proximity
Practice selecting the correct demonstrative in context

Materials

Using this, that, these or those - Cake
Using this, that, these or those - Seagull
Using this, that, these or those - Ivy
Pencils, and whiteboard space for the modeled examples

Lesson steps

1. Notice it first (5 min)
Put two sentences on the board, one that uses demonstratives correctly and one that does not. Ask students which sounds right before you name any rule. Noticing comes before naming.
2. Name the rule (I do) (8 min)
Now name demonstratives and state the rule in one sentence. Write it where it can stay all week. Model correcting the broken sentence from the warm-up.
3. Fix them together (we do) (12 min)
Work through four or five sentences as a class. Mix in one that is already correct, because students who are pattern-matching rather than thinking will "fix" it anyway and reveal themselves.
4. Independent practice (you do) (15 min)
Hand out "Using this, that, these or those - Cake". Students work independently. Circulate and watch for the students who can do the exercise but cannot explain the rule, since that gap shows up later in their writing.
5. Apply it to real writing (5 min)
Students find one place in their own writing folder where demonstratives applies, and fix it. This is the step that moves the rule from worksheet to writing.

Check for understanding

Read the last two sentences of each student's independent work. Applying demonstratives correctly in their own sentence matters more than getting the exercise items right.

Differentiation

Extra support. Students who stall: pull them into a small group and rebuild demonstratives with concrete materials or a simpler text before asking for the written work again. Do not send the page home as homework, it will just rehearse the misunderstanding.

Extension. Students who finish early: ask them to write their own demonstratives problem for a partner to solve, then check the partner's work. Creating a problem is harder than solving one and it surfaces whether they really understand demonstratives.

Skills covered in this lesson

Demonstratives

Practice pages for this lesson

3 items, 3 printable pages that match the independent-practice step.

Questions teachers ask about teaching demonstratives

What are demonstratives and when do first graders learn them?: Demonstratives are the words this, that, these, and those, which point to specific nouns and indicate their distance from the speaker. This and these refer to things that are near (this book in my hand, these crayons on my desk), while that and those refer to things that are farther away (that tree outside, those birds in the sky). This and that are singular, while these and those are plural. CCSS L.1.1g specifically requires first graders to use frequently occurring demonstratives. Most children use demonstratives naturally in speech but benefit from explicit instruction to use them correctly in writing and to understand the near/far and singular/plural distinctions. Worksheets that present pictures showing near and far objects and ask children to choose the correct demonstrative (this or that? these or those?) make the abstract concept visual and concrete. Teaching demonstratives helps first graders write with greater precision and follow directions that use pointing language in classroom and academic contexts.
How do you teach demonstratives to first graders?: Teaching demonstratives to first graders works best through physical demonstration and practice with real objects in the classroom. Hold up a pencil and say this pencil is yellow. Then point to a poster across the room and say that poster is blue. Pick up several crayons and say these crayons are mine. Point to chairs across the room and say those chairs are empty. The physical proximity makes the near/far distinction immediate and memorable. Create a sorting chart: near (this, these) and far (that, those), with a second sorting layer for singular (this, that) and plural (these, those). Worksheets that show a child standing near one object and far from another, with blanks to fill in the correct demonstrative, reinforce the concept. Practice sentences where children choose the correct word (look at ____ stars in the sky / ____ book in my hand) build application skills. Games where one child describes an object using a demonstrative and others guess which object they mean (I want that ball. Which one?) make practice interactive. Consistent use of demonstratives in daily classroom language reinforces what worksheets teach.
What demonstrative worksheets are best for first grade?: The best first-grade demonstrative worksheets use visual cues to reinforce the near/far and singular/plural distinctions. Picture-based worksheets showing a child with nearby objects and distant objects, with blanks for students to fill in this, that, these, or those, are the most effective format. Sorting worksheets where students categorize sentences by which demonstrative they need develop analytical thinking about proximity and number. Sentence completion worksheets (look at ____ flowers in the garden, with a picture showing flowers far away from a child) provide contextual practice. Matching activities that connect this to a picture of one nearby object, those to a picture of several distant objects, and so on, build the four-way distinction. Error correction worksheets where students find and fix demonstrative mistakes (look at these mountain over there should be that mountain or those mountains) develop proofreading awareness. Choose worksheets that present all four demonstratives on the same page so students practice distinguishing between them rather than using one in isolation. These formats align with CCSS L.1.1g and provide the repeated practice needed to move demonstrative use from speech into confident, accurate writing.

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