Kindergarten English Language Arts
16 units matched to the New York State Learning Standards. Kids see this subject as “Letters & Words”.
Focus areas
- Reading foundations: letters, sounds, rhymes and first sight words
- Reading: retelling stories and linking pictures to words
- Writing: drawing, telling and writing to share an idea
- Speaking and listening: taking turns and asking questions
Units
Unit 1
Letter Partners
Matching capital (big) letters with their lowercase (small) partners, including look-alikes such as b, d, p and q.
Learning standard: KRF1 · knowing the upper- and lowercase letters
Unit 2
First Sounds
Hearing the first sound in a word (b in bus) and linking it to its letter. Say the words out loud together and stretch out the first sound.
Learning standard: KRF2; KRF3 · hearing first sounds and matching them to letters
Unit 3
Rhyme Time
Hearing rhymes (cat, hat) and spotting a word that doesn't rhyme. Rhyming games build the listening skills behind reading.
Learning standard: KRF2 · hearing and making rhymes
Unit 4
Clap the Beat
Breaking words into syllables (ba-na-na) by clapping. Clap along out loud: one clap for each part you hear.
Learning standard: KRF2 · counting the syllables in spoken words
Unit 5
Sight Words
Recognizing common words such as the, see, can and my, plus color and number words, by looking closely at their letters.
Learning standard: KRF3 · reading common high-frequency words by sight
Unit 6
Story Order
Putting events in order, and listening to short stories to tell what happened at the beginning, middle and end.
Learning standard: KR2; KR3 · retelling what happens at the beginning, middle and end of a story
Unit 7
Book Detectives
How print works: telling letters, numbers, words and sentences apart, reading left to right and top to bottom, counting words, and what authors and illustrators do.
Learning standard: KRF1; KR6 · how print and books are organized, and what authors and illustrators do
Unit 8
Picture Clues
Using the picture and the first letter to read a word or a short sentence, a key early reading strategy.
Learning standard: KR7 · how the pictures and the words in a book go together
Unit 9
Blend a Word
Listening for the sounds in a word, blending them to read it, and counting the sounds in words.
Learning standard: KRF2; KRF3 · blending sounds into simple words
Unit 10
Talk & Listen
Chat about the day, ask your child to answer in a whole sentence, and let them ask you questions. Poems and rhymes are great practice too.
Learning standard: KSL1; KSL6 · taking turns in conversations and sharing thoughts and ideas clearly
Unit 11
Word Parts & Meanings
Practices how a small word part changes a word (-s for more than one, -ing for happening now, un- for not), grouping words by topic, opposites and same-meaning words, and naming picture parts with labels.
Learning standard: KL4; KL5 · working out word meanings and sorting words into groups
Unit 12
Ask and Find Out
Children practice asking who, what, where, when and why questions and choosing where to look for answers: a book, a grown-up, a picture or a simple test. This is the research and inquiry part of the standards.
Learning standard: KW6; KW7; KSL3 · asking questions and finding answers in books, pictures and from people
Unit 13
Think About a Book
Practices what readers do before, during and after a book: using the cover and what they already know to predict, making connections to their own lives, asking questions, seeing themselves in books, and noticing that people can respond differently to the same text.
Learning standard: KR1; KR9; KRF4 · predicting, asking questions and making connections before, during and after reading
Unit 14
Capitals, Periods & Planning
Practices capital letters for names, I and the start of a sentence, periods and exclamation marks, five- or six-word sentences, planning a piece of writing by drawing or talking, putting ideas in order, simple text forms such as lists, letters, stories and information, and changing a piece after feedback.
Learning standard: KW2; KW3 · planning simple texts: labels, lists, stories and facts
Unit 15
Feelings and Reasons
Your child finds the words in a short text that show feelings and the five senses, picks the detail that explains what happened, and practices giving an opinion with a reason (“I like it because…”).
Learning standard: KR4; KR8; KW1; KL6 · words for feelings and senses, the detail that tells why, and giving an opinion with a reason
Unit 16
Stories and Facts
Your child tells storybooks from information books, real from make-believe, and chooses ways to respond to a book, such as drawing a favorite part, acting it out or making a poem.
Learning standard: KR5; KW4 · telling stories from information books, and responding to a text with a drawing, acting or a poem
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