Grade 1
45-55 Minutes
Animal Groups
Science
Question Types & Suggested Use
Paper 10 + speaking 10 = 20. Speaking items are marked 0 / 1 / 2 with clear "look for" notes. Score bands: 18–20 Excellent, 14–17 Good, 10–13 Developing, 0–9 Needs practice.
Skills Assessed
- Say the 8 shape words: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, heart, oval, diamond.
- Point to the right shape when they hear it — in any color, any size and turned any way.
- Ask and answer "What shape is it?" – "It's a circle."
- Find shapes in everyday things: a clock is a circle, a door is a rectangle.
- Say a color and a shape together: "a red circle", "a yellow star".
- Trace the 8 shapes and shape words, and count shapes in a picture.
How to Administer
- Give the paper to the whole class and read the Part A script two times. While children color or trace, call them one at a time for the speaking check (Show-Me Card on page 3). Record scores on the class sheet (page 4).
Differentiation
Support: Teach 4 shapes first (circle, square, triangle, star) and add the others in Lesson 2 or later. Give children real shapes to hold — cut card shapes, blocks or a cookie — and let them run a finger around the edge as they say the word. Accept the shape word alone ("Circle!"), then model "It's a circle." for them to repeat. In tracing, children can trace the shape only and leave the dotted words.
Extension: Children count sides and corners ("A triangle has 3 sides."), sort shapes by color, size or shape, and say "a big red circle / a small blue square". They make their own shape picture (a robot, a house, a fish) with the cut-out shapes and tell a partner: "I have 3 circles and 2 triangles." Strong children can copy the shape words without the dots.
Follow-Up Activities
- Use the Show-Me Card again as a quick daily check.
- Children who score 0–1 on an item play Shape Pop! in that mode.
Teacher Tips
Draw every new shape in the air with a big arm and count out loud as you go: "One, two, three — triangle!", "One, two, three, four — square!", "Round and round — circle!" Children copy you. Counting the sides is what stops the two common mix-ups: a square has 4 sides that are all the same, a rectangle has 2 long and 2 short sides; an oval is long like an egg, a circle is round like a ball. Also show each shape in a new color, a new size and turned upside down — many young children think a triangle must point up, or that "square" means "blue square" because that was the first card they saw.
What's Included
- 4-page test: paper (2 pages), speaking check + Show-Me Card, class record sheet (DOCX + PDF)
- Answer key with listening script and speaking guide (DOCX + PDF)
Additional Files
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Kindergarten ESL Test: Shapes (DOCX)
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Answer Key (PDF)
