The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts emphasize the critical importance of building nonfiction background knowledge in a coherent and sequenced way within and across grades. This can be accomplished most effectively, at each grade level, by integrating the topics from history, geography, science, and the arts in the St. Peter K-II Literature Sequence into the language arts block.
In the Literature Sequence, there are many cross-curricular connections to history and science topics within Language Arts (e.g., poems, stories, and sayings), as well as to visual arts and music, which can and should be integrated into the applicable domain of study.
NOTE: The objectives listed in sections I–IV of Language Arts below are consistent with the Language Arts program and embed all of the skills and concepts within the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
I. Listening and Speaking
Listening and speaking are the primary means of communication throughout the early years of a young child’s development; reading and writing competencies are predicated on competencies in listening and speaking. The kindergarten class elaborates and extends each student's listening and speaking skills, while simultaneously begin to introduce reading, and then writing. The continuation of build listening and speaking competency, while also beginning reading and writing instruction, promotes successful literary patterns as the student graduates to academic maturity..
A. Classroom Discussion
• Participate in age appropriate activities involving listening and speaking. • Speak clearly with volume appropriate to the setting.
• Use agreed-upon rules for group discussions, i.e., look at and listen to the speaker, raise hand to speak, take turns, say “excuse me” or “please,” etc.
• Ask questions to clarify conversations, directions, exercises, and/or classroom routines.
• Carry on and participate in a conversation over four to five turns, staying on topic, initiating comments or responding to a partner’s comments, with either an adult or another child of the same age.
• Identify and express physical sensations, mental states, and emotions of self and others.
• Understand and use language to express spatial and temporal relationships (up, down, first, last, before, after, etc.).
• Understand and use narrative language to describe people, places, things, locations, events, actions.
• Understand and use common sayings and phrases such as “Better safe than sorry” and “Look before you leap.” B. Presentation of Ideas and Information
• Follow multi-step, oral directions.
• Give simple directions.
• Provide simple explanations.
• Recite a nursery rhyme, poem or song independently.
Core Knowledge Sequence | Kindergarten
C. Comprehension and Discussion of Read-Alouds—All Texts
Written text makes use of richer vocabulary and more complex syntax than conversational language. It is important that young children be exposed not only to the language of everyday conversation but also to the richer and more formal language of books. This can be done through frequent reading aloud. Helping young children develop the ability to listen to and understand written texts when they are read aloud must be an integral part of any initiative designed to build literacy.
At the kindergarten level, a students’ ability to understand what they hear far outpaces their ability to independently read and understand written text. By listening to stories or nonfiction selections read aloud, students can experience the complexities of written language without expending cognitive energy on decoding; they can likewise access deeper and more complex content knowledge than they are presently able to read independently.
Careful consideration is given to the selection of books read aloud to ensure that the vocabulary and syntax presented is rich and complex. Leveled texts will not provide the rich language experience desired during read-alouds and should only be used as a starting point with students for whom English is a second language.
Grade appropriate read-aloud selections for poetry and fiction are included in the Sequence. Nonfiction read-alouds are selected on the basis of the history, science, music and visual art topics identified fo, with emphasis on history and science read-alouds.
Careful consideration is given to the order in which nonfiction read-alouds are presented to ensure that knowledge about a topic builds in a progressive and coherent way.
Following any read-aloud, students participate in rich, structured conversations with an adult in response to the written text that has been read aloud. In this way, they can begin to orally practice comparing, analyzing, and synthesizing ideas in written text in much the same way as they will be expected to do as independent readers in the later grades.
• Listen to and understand a variety of texts read aloud, including fictional stories, fairy tales, fables, historical narratives, drama, informational text, and poems. Grasping Specific Details and Key Ideas
• Describe illustrations.
• Sequence four to six pictures illustrating events in a read-aloud.
• Answer questions requiring literal recall and understanding of the details and/or facts of a read-aloud, i.e., who, what, where, when, etc.
• Retell key details.
• Ask questions to clarify information in a read-aloud.
• Use narrative language to describe people, places, things, locations, events, actions, a scene or facts in a read-aloud. Observing Craft and Structure
• Understand and use words and phrases heard in read-alouds.
• Compare and contrast similarities and differences within a single read-aloud or between two or more read-alouds.
• Make personal connections to events or experiences in a read-aloud and/or make connections among several read-alouds. Integrating Information and Evaluating Evidence
• Prior to listening to a read-aloud, identify what they know and have learned that may be related to the specific story or topic to be read aloud.
• Use pictures accompanying the read-aloud to check and support understanding of the read-aloud.
• Make predictions prior to and during a read-aloud, based on the title, pictures, and/or text heard thus far and then compare the actual outcomes to predictions