Telling and asking sentences worksheets
Aligned with Common Core L.1.1j
Printable sentence worksheets for first grade: telling or asking, building sentences from scrambled words, complete sentences, question words, and answering questions in full sentences.
The worksheets
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Telling and Asking Sentences Chart
Telling and asking sentences with their end marks, how to spot a complete sentence, and the six question words.
Telling or Asking?
Ten sentences to sort into telling and asking, then finish with the right end mark.
Build a Sentence
Five sets of scrambled word cards. Put them in order and write the sentence.
Is It a Sentence?
Ten word groups. Some are complete sentences and some are missing a part.
Question Words
Eight questions missing their first word. Choose who, what, where, when, why or how.
Ask and Tell
Four questions to answer with full telling sentences, using a sentence starter.
Print the whole packet
One copy of every sheet above, in order. Tap + for more copies (up to 10).
For the parent or teacher
What it is
A telling sentence shares an idea and ends with a period. An asking sentence is a question and ends with a question mark. A complete sentence tells who it is about and what happens. First graders learn to tell the difference, to build their own sentences, and to answer questions with a whole sentence.
What comes next
Three-sentence writing, where kids put several sentences together to tell about one idea.
How to teach it
- Play "turn it around". "The dog is big." becomes "Is the dog big?"
- Use question words. Who, what, where, when, why and how start most questions.
- Answer in full sentences at the dinner table. "What did you eat?" "I ate a taco."
- When a sentence feels unfinished, ask "Who?" or "What happened?"
Common mistakes
- Writing a fragment like "The big red ball." and calling it a sentence.
- Using a question word but ending with a period.
- Answering with one word instead of a whole sentence.
- Putting words in an order that doesn't make sense.