Herein we report the aqueous polymerization of acrylamide using reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization to perform a comprehensive study on the polymerization of acrylamide. More specifically, the effect of polymerization conditions on the polymerization kinetics, molecular weight control, and blocking ability were examined. With this in mind, it was necessary to prepare 'A' block (corona of the micelle) from a hydrophilic monomer. The responsive 'B' block present in the core will be disclosed in the next two reports.