Grade 1 ESL Grading Rubric: Food and Drinks — Speaking, Reading and Writing

Learning Objectives

• Name and write 12 foods and drinks: rice, noodles, bread, egg, chicken, fish, apple, banana, water, milk, juice, tea.
• Sort words into food and drinks.
• Say and write "I like ___." and "I don't like ___."
• Ask and answer "Do you like …?" – "Yes, I do. / No, I don't."
• Say "I'm hungry." / "I'm thirsty." and order politely: "I want ___, please."
• Read a short text (Mia's Lunch) and answer simple questions.

How to Use This Resource

• Use during Find Someone Who, the Café role play, the worksheet and the Speaking Check. Circle one level for each skill, add the scores (6–24) and use the bands for report comments. Cut off the star self-check for children to color after the unit.

Classroom Activity Ideas

• Show children the star self-check before the Café, so they know what "good" looks like.
• Use the "next step" comment idea on the rubric for report cards.

Differentiation

Support: Start with 6 words (rice, noodles, egg, apple, water, milk) and add the rest in Lesson 2. Let children point to a picture and answer with one word before you model the full sentence. Give sentence strips ("I like ___." / "I don't like ___.") with picture cards to place in the gap, and pair a confident child with a quieter one for the Café role play.

Extension: Add "and" and "too": "I like rice and chicken." / "I like fish, too." Ask "What do you want for breakfast?" and have children write 3 sentences about their family's favorite food from the homework survey. Strong readers can read Mia's Lunch aloud to the class and write a new ending.

Assessment

Scores 6–24: 21–24 Excellent, 16–20 Good, 11–15 Developing, 6–10 Needs Practice.

Teacher Tips

Listen for four mistakes that are very common in Asian classrooms: "I like eat rice" (say "I like rice."), "I no like fish" (say "I don't like fish."), "Yes, I like" (say "Yes, I do.") and "a rice / a juice" (no "a" before rice, water, milk, juice or tea). Correct by recasting, not by stopping the child: repeat the sentence correctly with a thumbs up, and the child copies you. Also teach "please" from day one — in many Asian languages politeness is in the tone or a particle, so "I want juice" feels polite to the child but sounds rude in English.

What's Included

• List these files:
• 1-page grading rubric with star self-check (DOCX + PDF)

Additional Files

• Grade 1 ESL Grading Rubric: Food and Drinks — Speaking, Reading and Writing (DOCX)

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