Reading Grade Expectations

Reading Grade Expectations – Kindergarten

Early Reading Skills and Strategies:

Phonological Awareness

RK:1 Applies phonological knowledge and skills by…

• Recognizing pairs of rhyming words and producing rhymes

• Blending and segmenting syllables and onset-rimes (e.g.,

“cup-cake,” “s-at”)

• Isolating phonemes in single-syllable words (e.g., “tell me

the fi rst sound in ‘mop’ ”; “tell me the last sound in ‘mop,’”

“tell me the middle sound in ‘mop’”)

Early Reading Skills and Strategies:

Concepts of Print

RK:2 Demonstrates understanding of concepts of print during

shared or individual reading by…

• Distinguishing between printed letters and words

• Following text with fi nger-pointing (e.g., charts, simple

books), demonstrating left-to-right and top-to-bottom

directionality

• Identifying the fi rst and last parts of a word (beginning/end

of the word)

• Identifying key parts of a book: front and back, print, illustrations

Word Identifi cation Skills and Strategies

RK:3 Applies word identifi cation and decoding skills and

strategies (leading to automaticity) by…

• Reading approximately 20 high-frequency words, including

names, environmental print, sight words (as appropriate to

the child’s personal and classroom experiences)

• Recognizing and naming all upper- and lowercase letters

• Identifying the primary sounds represented by most letters

(sound-symbol correspondence)

• Demonstrating a basic understanding of how the letters

of phonetically regular words, going from left to right,

represent their sounds

Context and Self-Correction Strategies

RK:4 Applies context and self-correction strategies by...

• Noticing when simple sentences fail to make sense (while

listening to a read-aloud or reading a simple text)

• Using pictures, syntax, or repetitive language patterns to

help predict upcoming words

Vocabulary Strategies and Breadth of Vocabulary

RK:5 Identifi es the meaning of unfamiliar words by…

• Using strategies to unlock meaning (e.g., activating prior

knowledge, using context clues, or asking questions during

read-alouds)

Vocabulary Strategies and Breadth of Vocabulary

RK:6 Shows breadth of vocabulary knowledge, demonstrating

understanding of word meanings or relationships by…

• Identifying synonyms and antonyms (e.g., “big/large”; “hot/

cold”) to connect new words to known words

• Organizing words by category (e.g., sorting pictures or

objects into groups)

• Demonstrating knowledge of basic concepts (i.e., common

words that describe position in space and time, such as

“over,” “between,” “after,” “behind”)

Comprehension Strategies

RK:7 Uses comprehension strategies (fl exibly and as needed)

while listening to literary and informational text.

EXAMPLES of reading-comprehension strategies might include:

• using prior knowledge;

• predicting and making simple text-based inferences;

• generating clarifying questions;

• constructing sensory images (e.g., making pictures in one’s

mind); or

• making connections (text to self, text to text, and text to

world)

Monitoring and Adjusting Strategies

RK:8 Demonstrates ability to monitor comprehension and

adjust strategy use for different types of text and

purposes during read-alouds by…

• Recognizing problems with understanding and asking

questions as needed

Accuracy and Fluency

RK:9 No GLE at this grade level

Initial Understanding of Literary Text

All students need ongoing opportunities to apply and practice reading strategies with many different types of LITERARY texts. Recognizing a variety of literary texts and their characteristics will help students in meeting grade level expectations described in the Vermont GLEs. See Appendix for a list of suggested literary texts for instructional and assessment purposes.

RK:10 Demonstrate initial understanding of elements of literary

texts read aloud by…

• Identifying characters in a story

• Responding to simple questions about a book’s content

(e.g., “What did that hungry caterpillar eat?”)

RK:11 No GLE at this grade level

Initial Understanding of Informational Text

All students need ongoing opportunities to apply and practice reading strategies with many different types of INFORMATIONAL texts (expository and practical texts). Recognizing a variety of informational texts and their characteristics will help students in meeting grade level expectations described in the Vermont

GLEs. See Appendix for a list of suggested informational texts for instructional and assessment purposes.

RK:12 Demonstrate initial understanding of informational texts

read-aloud (expository and practical texts) by…

• Obtaining information, using text features such as title and

illustrations (e.g., “From the picture on the cover, what do

we think this book will tell us?”)

• Using explicitly stated information to answer questions

EXAMPLE: “So, what did we learn about what owls eat?”

Analysis and Interpretation of

Literary Text/Citing Evidence

RK:13 Analyze and interpret elements of literary texts READ

ALOUD, citing evidence where appropriate by…

• Making predictions about what might happen next

• Identifying physical characteristics or personality traits of

main characters

RK:14 Analyze and interpret author’s craft (citing evidence

where appropriate) by…

No GLE at this grade level

RK:15 Generates a personal response to what is read aloud

through a variety of means by…

• Comparing stories or other texts to personal experience,

prior knowledge, or other books

Analysis and Interpretation of

Informational Text/Citing Evidence

All students need ongoing opportunities to apply and practice reading strategies with many different types of INFORMATIONAL texts. Recognizing a variety of literary texts and their characteristics will help students in meeting grade level expectations described in the Vermont GLEs. See Appendix for a list of

suggested literary texts for instructional and assessment purposes.

RK:16 Analyze and interpret informational text read-aloud,

citing evidence as appropriate by…

• Telling what was learned

• Making basic inferences or drawing basic conclusions

EXAMPLE: “From what we just read, do you think it is

important to eat vegetables? Why?”

Reading Extensively

RK:17 Demonstrates the habit of reading extensively* by…

• Listening to at least one or two books read aloud every day

• “Rereading” or “reading-along”—alone, with a partner or an

adult—two familiar books, charts, or poems every day

* Materials should be at the student’s instructional and independent reading levels. The specific number of books should be viewed flexibly and is less

important than the extensiveness, duration/time, and frequency of reading.

Reading Widely and In Depth

(Assumes increasing text complexity across grade levels; see Appendix for descriptions of increasing text complexity.)

RK:18 Demonstrates the habit of reading widely and in

depth by…

• Reading from or listening to at least three different genres/

kinds of text and a variety of authors (e.g., literary texts:

poetry/nursery rhymes, fairy tales, fantasy, realistic fiction;

informational: content trade books, children’s magazines;

and practical/functional texts: lists, signs, labels)

Literate Community

RK:19 Demonstrates participation in a literate community by…

• Self-selecting reading materials in line with personal

interests

• Participating in appropriate discussions about text by

offering comments related to the text or topic