What order do the six words come in?

Who, what, and where come first because their answers are concrete; when, why, and how follow. These sheets mix them once all six are in play.

How does this connect to comprehension?

Wh-questions are the backbone of every reading check: who was in the story, where did it happen. Owning the question words is owning the questions.

1st grade question words

1st grade question words worksheets

First graders use all six (who, what, where, when, why, how) and write the fitting word to open each question.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.K.1.d.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Choose the question word that fits, and write it on the line.

(What / Where / Who) did the ball roll?
Fixed: Where did the ball roll?
(What / When / Who) is recess today?
(What / When / Who) does a bunny eat? Carrots and clover.

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 1st grade sheet

1st grade sheets draw from 40 sentences, 6 to a page. Kindergarten and 1st grade print from the same 40 sentences. The teaching notes below are written for this grade. Kindergarten sheets print 5 to a page.

A few of the sentences:

When will the rain stop?
How deep is the snow?
Where do the scissors go? In the red cup.

Fix it. Choose the question word that fits, and write it on the line. 6 sentences to fix per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Play the answer-first game: you give an answer (under the bed), they build the question (Where is the cat?). Working backward from answers to question words is the deepest practice there is, and it is giggly.

Watch for: Each question word collects one kind of answer: match the word to what the asker wants to know. Where hunts places; why hunts reasons. Question sentences end with a question mark, and these words are the signal one is coming. Spotting them is early reading radar.

Common questions about 1st grade question words

What order do the six words come in?: Who, what, and where come first because their answers are concrete; when, why, and how follow. These sheets mix them once all six are in play.
How does this connect to comprehension?: Wh-questions are the backbone of every reading check: who was in the story, where did it happen. Owning the question words is owning the questions.

Related worksheets

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Aligned to Common Core L.K.1.d. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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