Kindergarten English Language Arts
12 units matched to the Washington State Learning Standards. Kids see this subject as “Letters & Words”.
Focus areas
- Reading: letters, sounds and first words
- Writing: drawing and writing to share an idea
- Speaking, Listening and Digital Forums: sharing ideas and building on what others say
- Language: grammar, vocabulary and conventions
- Research and Media Literacy: finding information and thinking about media messages
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: ELA.K.R.1 · 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: ELA.K.R.2; ELA.K.R.3 · 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: ELA.K.R.2 · 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: ELA.K.R.2 · counting the syllables in spoken words
Unit 5
Blend a Word
Listening for the sounds in a word, blending them to read it, and counting the sounds in words.
Learning standard: ELA.K.R.2; ELA.K.R.3 · blending sounds into simple words
Unit 6
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: ELA.K.R.3 · reading common high-frequency words by sight
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: ELA.K.R.1 · knowing how print and books are organized
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: ELA.K.R.4 · using pictures to make meaning while reading
Unit 9
Story Order
Putting events in order, and listening to short stories to tell what happened at the beginning, middle and end.
Learning standard: ELA.K.R.4 · retelling what happens first, next and last in a story
Unit 10
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: ELA.K.L.3; ELA.K.L.4 · using word endings and sorting words into groups
Unit 11
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: ELA.K.SLDF.1; ELA.K.L.1 · listening, taking turns and speaking for the place you are in
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: ELA.K.RML.1 · asking questions and seeking answers from provided sources
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