Level K Fundations provides early learners with a structured literacy approach to develop sound- and word-level skills so they progress into proficient readers and writers. 

By the end of Level K, students will be able to: 

• Recognize and produce rhyming words

• Segment words in a spoken sentence

• Segment words into syllables

• Segment and pronounce initial, medial, and final phonemes in spoken CVC words

• Manipulate phonemes with additions or substitutions in one-syllable words

• Name all letters of the alphabet

• Write all manuscript letters in lowercase and uppercase

• Sequence letters of the alphabet

• Fluently produce sounds of consonants (primary) and short vowels when given the letter

• Fluently produce sounds for basic digraphs (wh, sh, ch, th, ck)

• Name and write corresponding letter(s) when given sounds for consonants, consonant digraphs, and short vowels

• Distinguish long and short vowel sounds within words

• Read and spell approximately 200 CVC words

• Spell other words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships

• Identify 75% of first 100 high frequency words, including 25–30 Trick Words (high frequency words) such as the, was, of

• Identify and name correct punctuation at end of sentence

• Capitalize the first letter of people’s names and of words at the beginning of sentences

• Name the author and illustrator of a story and define their roles

• Explain narrative story structure including character, setting, and main events

• Use a combination of drawing and dictating to narrate linked events to tell about a story in sequence

• Retell key details of narrative and informational text, using pictures or prompts as a guide

• Identify characters, settings, and main events in a story, with pictures or other prompts

• Describe what happened in a story when given a specific illustration

• With prompts, compare and contrast the experiences of characters in two stories

• Explain the differences between narrative and informational text

• Echo-read a passage with correct phrasing and expression

• Identify and explain new meanings for familiar words and newly taught words

• Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities

Our handwriting instruction focuses on correct letter formation, consistent stroke order, and proper pencil grip. Kindergarten lessons begin with gross- and fine-motor warm-ups, teacher modeling of letter strokes, and guided practice on developmentally appropriate pages. Students progress from tracing to independent letter writing and simple words, with attention to spacing and sizing. Building these foundational motor and visual skills supports legibility and helps children write more comfortably and confidently.

Progress in Mathematics emphasizes concrete experiences that develop number sense and problem-solving. In kindergarten, children work with counters, ten-frames, and other manipulatives to learn counting, comparing quantities, composing and decomposing numbers, and early addition and subtraction ideas. Units also cover shapes, patterns, measurement, money, and sorting. Lessons move from hands-on discovery to pictorial representations and finally to simple symbolic notation, helping students form a deep conceptual understanding rather than only memorizing procedures. 

The Nancy Larson science curriculum uses guided inquiry and hands-on investigations to spark curiosity about the natural world. Kindergarten units focus on observation, sorting, and asking questions as students explore plants, animals, weather, materials, healthy habits, the five senses, and motion through simple experiments and exploration stations. Lessons build vocabulary and scientific thinking by having children describe what they see, predict outcomes, and talk about results.

Scholastic’s social studies resources for kindergarten center on community, family, rules, and the basics of geography and citizenship. Through read-alouds, picture books, maps, songs, and role-play, children learn about different jobs, community helpers, rules that keep us safe, American symbols, and age-appropriate current events.