Dolch sight words for 1st grade
The Dolch first grade list is the third of the five Dolch levels: 41 words such as "after", "could", "every" and "know" that a 1st grader meets constantly in print and should read without stopping to sound them out.
Free printable PDF, 1st grade.
One page, black and white, prints the same every time.
What is on the sheet
The table below is the sheet as it prints with these options: First grade, Yes.
First grade 41 words
| after | give | live | take |
| again | going | may | thank |
| an | had | of | them |
| any | has | old | then |
| as | her | once | think |
| ask | him | open | walk |
| by | his | over | were |
| could | how | put | when |
| every | just | round | |
| fly | know | some | |
| from | let | stop |
Where 1st grade sits in the Dolch levels
By the start of 1st grade a child is expected to know the 92 kindergarten words, and the year adds these 41. They are longer and less regular than the primer words: "could", "would" and "once" are not spelled the way they sound, and "of" is one of the most misread words in English. The list is short enough to finish by mid-year, which leaves time for the second grade list in the spring for a strong reader.
Choose "With the kindergarten lists" to print all 133 words from the first three levels on one page, for a start-of-year check.
Using the checklist
Tick a word when the child reads it instantly on three separate days. Write the unticked words on cards and keep them by the bedtime book: a word met in a real sentence sticks faster than one drilled alone. When the whole list is ticked, print the 2nd grade list.
Common questions
- How many Dolch words should a 1st grader know?
- All 133 words of the first three levels by the end of the year is the common goal: 40 pre-primer, 52 primer and these 41.
- Is the order on the page a difficulty order?
- No, it is alphabetical. Dolch's own list was in frequency order and most classroom versions are alphabetical; the difficulty is about the same across the level.