Core Components:
The kindergarten student will be immersed in a text -rich environment to develop phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, and an appreciation for reading.
Phonological Awareness
Students will begin to discriminate between spoken sentences, words, and syllables, identify and produce words that rhyme, blend and segment words at the syllable level and then at the phoneme level, and identify words according to shared beginning and/or ending sounds.
Concept of Word
Students will learn to follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on a printed page. They will gain a speech-to-print match through finger pointing in familiar text that include words with more than one syllable. Students will be able to match their voices with the print they are reading.
Alphabet
Students will learn to identify and name the capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet, understand that letters represent sounds, and identify initial and final consonant sounds in one syllable words.
Comprehension/ Vocabulary
The exposure to fiction and nonfiction texts will enable students to develop an awareness of reading materials as sources of information and enjoyment. The kindergarten student will expand both listening and speaking vocabularies. They will also learn to comprehend and think creatively as they relate stories through drama, retelling, drawing, and their own writing.
Writing/ Handwriting/ Letter Formation
Students will begin to build a connection between oral and written language. Awareness that spoken language can be written and written language can be read is a fundamental concept. Students will learn to print the capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet as well as their first and last names. Kindergarten writing reflects the students’ oral language, and students will communicate their ideas through pictures and writing.