1st Grade · Grammar · L.1.1.E, L.1.1.B

Verbs Lesson Plan for 1st Grade

A ready-to-teach verbs lesson for 1st Grade, built around identifying action verbs, using verbs in sentences, introduction to verb tenses. Print the plan, print the practice pages, and you are set.

Approximately 45 minutes

Learning objective

Identify action words (verbs) in word lists and sentences
Circle or underline verbs that show what someone or something does
Build foundational understanding of verbs as action words

Materials

Action Verbs - Bird
Past and present tense - Lion
Past, present or future - Clock
Singular and plural verbs
Matching Nouns With Verbs - Brain Muscle
Noun or verb - Piano
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 verbs 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 verbs 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 "Action Verbs - Bird". 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 verbs 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 verbs 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 verbs 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 verbs 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 verbs.

Skills covered in this lesson

Identifying verbs · Action verbs · Using verbs · Writing verbs · Singular and plural verbs · Past, present or future · Verbs ending in 'ed' · Verbs ending in 'ing' · Past and present tense · Present tense verbs · Past tense verbs

Questions teachers ask about teaching verbs

What verb skills should first graders learn?

First graders should identify action verbs in sentences, use verbs in the past and present tense, and begin to understand subject-verb agreement (CCSS L.1.1e). They should recognize that verbs tell what someone or something does and are essential parts of every sentence.

How do you teach action verbs to first graders?

Start with physical movement: have students act out verbs (jump, run, write, sing) and name the action. Then identify verbs in sentences. Worksheets that pair action illustrations with sentence completion exercises help students connect the concept of "doing" to the grammatical category.

What is past tense and when do first graders learn it?

Past tense describes actions that already happened. First graders learn to add -ed to regular verbs (walked, jumped) and begin encountering irregular past tenses (ran, went, said). Worksheets that show a "today/yesterday" format make the tense shift clear.