Language Arts · Grade 1

Active learning ideas

Creating Simple Informational Posters

Active learning works for this topic because first graders need to move, talk, sketch, and compare to truly grasp how to organize information. When students research and present facts in a hands-on way, they internalize the purpose of clarity over decoration before they ever hold a marker.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.2
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.7

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 25 min · Pairs

Pairs: Fact Brainstorm and Sketch

Partners choose an animal and list 4-5 facts from shared books or charts. They sketch a poster layout with space for text and images. Pairs share one idea with the class for feedback.

Design a poster that clearly presents key facts about an animal.

Facilitation Tip

During Pairs: Fact Brainstorm and Sketch, circulate and ask guiding questions like 'Which fact will your picture explain?' to keep pairs focused on meaning.

What to look for

Students swap posters with a partner. Provide a checklist with questions like: 'Is the animal's name clear?', 'Are there at least two facts?', 'Are the pictures easy to understand?'. Students circle 'yes' or 'no' for each question and offer one suggestion for improvement.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Image Hunt Stations

Set up stations with animal photos and drawings. Groups select 3 relevant images, label them, and explain why each supports a fact. Rotate stations and compile choices for posters.

Justify the inclusion of specific images or diagrams on your poster.

Facilitation Tip

Set a timer for Image Hunt Stations to add urgency and prevent groups from collecting too many images that may not support their key facts.

What to look for

As students are working, circulate and ask them to point to one fact on their poster and explain why they chose to include it. Ask another student to point to a picture and explain what information it adds to the poster.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Draft Gallery Walk

Display draft posters around the room. Students walk in pairs, note one strength and one clarity suggestion on sticky notes. Return to revise based on feedback.

Critique another student's poster for clarity and accuracy of information.

Facilitation Tip

During the Draft Gallery Walk, have students carry their poster with them and ask each classmate to point to one fact and one picture that helped them understand.

What to look for

Students write one sentence about their animal that they think is the most interesting fact. They also draw a small picture of their animal and label one body part.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 40 min · Individual

Individual: Final Poster Assembly

Students create final posters using construction paper, markers, and printed images. They add a title, facts, and labels. Present to a partner for quick accuracy check.

Design a poster that clearly presents key facts about an animal.

What to look for

Students swap posters with a partner. Provide a checklist with questions like: 'Is the animal's name clear?', 'Are there at least two facts?', 'Are the pictures easy to understand?'. Students circle 'yes' or 'no' for each question and offer one suggestion for improvement.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model how to narrow facts to the essentials before students start drawing, using think-alouds to show how to reject extra details. Avoid showing a polished example first; instead, use rough sketches and talk about what is still missing. Research in early literacy suggests that first graders learn design principles better when they see their own drafts critiqued by peers than when they follow a perfect model.

Successful learning looks like students choosing facts for a purpose, pairing words with images that explain, and justifying their choices to peers. By the end, each poster should answer key questions about the animal while the creator can explain each choice to classmates.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pairs: Fact Brainstorm and Sketch, watch for students adding many colors and pictures without connecting them to facts.

  Ask pairs to set aside their crayons and first decide which two or three facts they will teach. Only after choosing facts should they sketch images that directly explain those facts.

• During Small Groups: Image Hunt Stations, watch for students collecting any image that looks interesting.

  Give each station a mission card with the animal’s name and two focus questions like 'What does it eat?' Ask groups to find images that answer those questions, then discard any that do not match.

• During Whole Class: Draft Gallery Walk, watch for students assuming every picture needs to be labeled.

  Before the walk, model how to circle one picture and ask, 'What fact does this image help explain?' If a drawing cannot be linked to a fact, the creator should revise it.

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Methods used in this brief

• Outdoor Investigation Session