16 Engaging 1st Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets

First grade reading comprehension is a critical part of the curriculum throughout this year. So much of later learning builds on what is established in first grade. When it comes to reading comprehension, children at this level should be able to listen to or read a short story and understand it enough to answer questions or have a conversation about the plot and characters.  

Table of Contents

• How Do I Teach My First Grader Reading Comprehension?
• Best 1st Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets
• What Words Should a First Grader Be Able To Read?
• Check Out These Additional 1st Grade Resources

How Do I Teach My First Grader Reading Comprehension?

The best way for students to improve their reading comprehension is through practice. This includes repetition, recognition, games, and assessment. 

Students should be reading different types of content every day in all kinds of scenarios. Teachers can have students practice by reading aloud in class, having children do a report about a story with partners, and provide homework and summer reading for students to advance on their own time. 

In partnership with Teach Simple, whose marketplace is full of educational materials created by actual teachers (plus 50% of all revenues go to them), I’ve gathered a list of engaging reading comprehension worksheets for students. They can be implemented in the classroom for morning work or group work, assigned as homework, or even as a whole class activity, where students can take turns reading and answering questions. You can easily print out these worksheets and be ready to help your students greatly improve their reading comprehension skills! 

Best 1st Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets

Things That Come In 3’s: Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet has students group objects together in 3’s. There are pictures and fun words for them to learn and understand the different words for groups of 3’s.

Ling Lost Her Ring: Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This fun reading comprehension worksheet has students learning phonics, specifically around the letters “ng,” while reading an amusing story. Ask students questions about the story when they are done to enhance their comprehension.

Uh Oh Eggs Predictions Worksheet

This 1-page printable comes with a short story for students to read. After reading the story, they will write about what they think happens next. Making predictions is a great way to enhance reading comprehension and get students thinking about what happens after a story they’ve read.

Favorite Sports Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet has students learn vocabulary words about their favorite sports. Ask students questions about the story to engage them further and enhance their comprehension.

The Four Bears Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet has students learn about bears. It is a 1-page printable that comes with a short story for students to read. Follow up the story by having students ask each other questions about it to enhance comprehension. 

Giraffes Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet has students learn about giraffes. It is a 1-page printable that comes with a short story and follow-up questions for students to read and answer. This is a great sheet for independent work or quiet reading time.

Who Is Talking Now Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet has students learn about perspective. They will identify who is telling the story and answer other questions about the story. It is a 1-page printable that comes with 3 stories for students to read. 

Carl the Crocodile Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet has students read about Carl the Crocodile and answer questions about him and the story. 

Baby Sister Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet is all about having a baby sister. It is a 1-page printable that comes with a short story for students to read. Have them come up with questions to ask each other about the story and about what it’s like to have a baby sister for enhanced comprehension.

The Lost Bird Pre-Primer Sight Words Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This pre-primer sight words reading comprehension worksheet is a 1-page printable that comes with a short story for students to read. A word bank helps them identify important vocabulary that will help them understand more about the story.

Book Parts Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet has students learn about the components of a book. Part of reading comprehension is learning how the books you’re reading are constructed. This worksheet uses visuals and multiple-choice questions to teach students about book parts.

My Pet Horse Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet has students learn all about having a pet horse. Have students ask each other questions after reading about the story and about what types of pets they own at home for enhanced engagement.

First Train Ride Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet has students read a fun story about a first train ride. They can then ask each other questions about the train ride in the story and compare it to train rides they may have taken in their lives.

Close Reading Comprehension: A Day out at the Forest

This reading comprehension worksheet has students read the story and then answer the reading comprehension questions. It includes 28 pages that include a longer story and several different types of comprehension questions for students to work through.

Christmas Tree Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This reading comprehension worksheet has students read a story from someone whose favorite holiday is Christmas! Since this is probably a favorite holiday of a lot of students, have them ask each other questions about the person in the story and then answer questions about their own favorite holidays. This could be a great extension to teach the class about different cultures and celebrations as well.

The Brother and Sister Short Story

This is a short story about siblings. Students will read the 2-page short story and then complete the exercises that follow, which assess their comprehension and teach grammar skills. 

What Words Should a First Grader Be Able To Read?

First grade is one of the most rapid periods of vocabulary learning and reading comprehension. Generally students begin the year at level 4 and, by the end of grade 1, reading comprehension can be up to level 16. 

Here are some of the sight words they should be able to read:

• prefer 
• comfortable
• problem
• calm
• consequences
• instead
• proud
• curve
• decide
• leader
• discover
• repeat 
• rhyme 
• searching
• fascinating 
• gigantic
• positive 

As a student reads more and more, their sight word capacity grows significantly. This flows into reading comprehension, as the more words they know, the more they can comprehend. It is also important to include a social aspect of reading with students; if they read together and talk about what they have read, they are able to put into practice the new vocabulary they have learned, and eventually sight word knowledge helps enhance their 1st grade reading comprehension classroom work. 

About the Author

Jen Skolsky has a background in English, Psychology, and Creative Writing. She has taught for many years in international education, including ESL for all ages, middle school literature, speech and debate; high school AP Psychology, AP Language, AP Literature; university level Academic Writing, and Chinese Medicine Theory. She now works in marketing and book publishing.