ELA Kindergarten
Foundational Skills

Understand that words are specific sequences of letters that carry meaning

Understand that letters in print symbolize spoken sounds in words (e.g., students find the letter that starts their name in environmental print and identify the sound it makes)

Track printed words from left to right and top to bottom on a page

Name, rapidly and automatically, the letters of the alphabet

Compare the lengths of different words based on how many letters they contain (e.g., explain that sit is longer than it because sit has more letters)

Name all the letters of the alphabet and recognize their lower- and uppercase forms (e.g., pick another way to write the letter G from q, g, j)

Distinguish between the shapes of upper and lowercase letters (e.g., pick the letter that is different in S, S, C; pick the letter that is different in E, f, f)

Recognize the sounds of letters in lower and uppercase form

Isolate, say, and distinguish initial or final phonemes in spoken CVC words (e.g., say the initial sound in hat, the final sound in cup)

Count syllables in multisyllabic words (e.g., count the three syllables in potato)

Identify and blend onsets and rimes in single-syllable words (e.g., identify the sounds /m/ /an/ in man and blend the sounds /m/ /an/ to produce man)

Blend, count, and segment syllables in spoken words (e.g., from an oral prompt, students identify that /spi/-/der/ makes the word spider)

Blend phonemes orally to produce words (e.g., blend the sounds /b/ /u/ /g/ to produce bug) and segment and count the sounds in words

Isolate and say long vowel sounds in single-syllable words in spoken language

Isolate and say long vowel sounds in single-syllable words in spoken language

Identify, match, and distinguish consonant blends

Add or substitute initial or final phonemes in order to produce new one-syllable words in spoken language (e.g., change the /k/ in cat to /h/ to make hat; change the /g/ in bug to /s/ to make bus)

Understand that consonants make different sounds and be able to produce the most common ones (e.g., c as /k/ and /s/)

Identify and match the short vowel sounds with the letters that represent them

Decode regularly spelled single-syllable words by distinguishing between short vowel sounds

Decode single-syllable (CVC) words (e.g., cat, get, mom)

Read grade-appropriate high-frequency (e.g., Dolch, Fry) words by sight

Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the consonants that differ (e.g., pick the word that has the /k/ sound: cat, pat, pat)

Identify the letters that most commonly represent long vowel sounds (e.g., a_e, i_e, o_e, u_e)

Identify and match letters for final consonant sounds in single-syllable words (e.g., pick the letter for the last sound in fan by reading from choices: f, v, and n)

Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the vowels that differ (e.g., pick the word that has the /a/ sound: cat, cot, cut)

Identify purpose for reading (e.g., listening comprehension, enjoyment) by choosing with direct support an appropriate book to read, and read and comprehend emergent-reader texts (i.e., predictable texts with rhyme, repetition, illustration support, simple sentences, familiar topics, clear ideas) demonstrated by answering questions during and after the reading that reflect on the purpose (e.g., what parts of the story did you like?)

With assistance, confirm or correct understanding of a text by using illustrations and other strategies (e.g., looking back, checking for clues)