1st grade fluency passages with word counts
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Four original 1st grade fluency passages with word counts: a pretend bus, the last leaf, shadows, and duck feathers. Print student and examiner copies.
Grade 1 · printable
Four original passages for one-minute oral reading checks in 1st grade: two stories and two informational texts. Each one shows its word count and Flesch-Kincaid grade, and every passage is longer than the 1st grade spring 90th-percentile score (116 WCPM, Hasbrouck & Tindal 2017), so even a strong reader is still reading when the minute ends.
These are original practice passages, not passages from a published screener, so treat a score as a check-in rather than a diagnosis.
- 4 passages
- 133–135 words each
- Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2–1.3
Print student and examiner copies
The student copy is the passage alone, in large type with no numbers. The examiner copy adds a running word count at the end of each line, the 1st grade Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017) benchmarks, and a words-read-minus-errors scoring box.
Print one passage or all four, and pick Save as PDF in your browser's print dialog to keep a copy.
The box on the porch
- Narrative
- 133 words
- Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2
Focus: Short vowels, blends, and story sequence
The new sofa was in the house, but its big box was still on the porch. With a blue crayon, Ben drew wheels on the sides. He made a bus! He put a little chair at the front and a soft rug at the back. His sister came out with her teddy bear. She sat on the rug and held the bear in her lap. The bus went past a farm, over a hill, and into a busy town. At each stop, Ben made a loud beep. Then something bumped the side of the box. A furry head poked over the edge. Their cat had come for a ride. She stepped onto the rug and curled up by the bear. The next stop could wait. This bus had a sleeping cat on board.
The last leaf
- Narrative
- 133 words
- Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2
Focus: Vowel teams and changes in a scene
One gold leaf hung from the little tree by the gate. All the other leaves lay in piles on the grass. Each morning, Mia checked the branch on her way to school. The leaf was still there. It shook in the wind, but it held on tight. On a windy morning, she stopped to zip her coat. The leaf came loose. It spun past her nose and sailed over the gate! She ran a few steps and held out her hands. The leaf landed on her sleeve. It was thin and dry, with tiny lines like roads. At home, she set it on a sheet of paper. She drew the tree around it, with a trunk and lots of bare branches. Then she drew herself by the gate, with her hands held high.
Where a shadow goes
- Informational
- 135 words
- Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3
Focus: Position words and cause and effect
On a bright day, your shadow may stretch across the path. It is a dark shape, but it is not a thing you can pick up. Your body blocks some of the light. The dark shape on the ground is your shadow. Lift a hand, and the shadow lifts a hand, too. Jump, and it jumps with you. A tree or a bench can make a shadow as well. Shadows do not stay the same all day. When the sun is low, they can be very long. When it is high, they are shorter. You can make a shadow inside with a lamp. Put a toy in the light and look at the wall behind it. Move the lamp to one side. The toy stays in its spot, but its shadow slides across the wall.
A duck stays dry
- Informational
- 133 words
- Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2
Focus: Animal vocabulary and connected facts
A duck floats on a pond, but its skin can stay dry. The feathers on top fit close together. Tiny hooks help hold each one in shape. This makes a coat that sheds water. Drops roll off instead of soaking all the way in. Under that coat is a layer of soft down. The down holds air next to the skin to keep the duck warm. A duck takes good care of its coat. It turns its head and runs its bill along each part. This puts the tiny hooks back in place. It also spreads oil that keeps the feathers in good shape. The duck may look as if it is just resting by the pond. In fact, it has a job to do. A coat like this needs care each day.
What a 1st grade score means
Words correct per minute (WCPM) is the number of words a student reads in 60 seconds, minus errors. A typical 1st grade reader, the 50th percentile in Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017), scores about 29 WCPM in winter and 60 in spring. No fall norm is published for 1st grade.
Score the whole class without a stopwatch
Students read a passage aloud on any device, the WCPM is scored for you, and every error is reviewable. Free for your whole class: up to 25 students and unlimited assessments, no credit card.
Fluency passages for other grades
- 2nd grade fluency passages
- 3rd grade fluency passages
- 4th grade fluency passages
- 5th grade fluency passages
- All grades on one page
Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017) WCPM norms start in 1st grade, so kindergarten has no timed passages. Kindergarten reading level