First Grade · Writing · week 7

Telling Where or When

Extend a sentence with a phrase that tells where or when the action happens.

You can make a sentence stronger by telling WHERE something happens or WHEN it happens. "The kids played." is fine, but "The kids played at the park." tells us where.

You can add "when" too: "The kids played after lunch." Where and when words help the reader picture the whole scene, not just the action.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Ask "where" and "when" as two separate follow-up questions after your child says a plain sentence out loud.
  • Point out where/when phrases in a picture book you already own -- they show up everywhere once you notice them.
  • Let your child try the phrase at the beginning of the sentence sometimes ("After lunch, we played.") to hear how it sounds either way.
  • Keep the core sentence simple so the new where/when phrase stands out clearly.
Talk about it:
  • What does a "where" phrase tell the reader?
  • What does a "when" phrase tell the reader?
  • Can a sentence have both a where phrase and a when phrase?

Mastery looks like: They extend a plain sentence with a clear where or when phrase, and can add both in one sentence.

Common stumbles: Adding a vague phrase (like "one time") that does not really answer where or when.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Sentence BuilderDrag word tiles into a real sentence, with a capital and end mark.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Writing for this learner.
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