Skip To Main Content

Essential Learnings K-5

Young Boy Writing at Desk

What will students know and be able to do?

Kindergarten

Foundational Skills (K)

  • Demonstrate understanding of features of print.

  • Recognize and name uppercase and lowercase letters.

  • Blend and segment sounds in CVC words.

  • Decode CVC words.

  • Read high frequency words.

  • Read decodable texts accurately, with guidance and support.

  • Print many uppercase and lowercase letters.

  • Recognize that words are separated by spaces and put in a specific order to create a sentence.

  • Demonstrate one-to-one letter correspondence.



     

     

Reading (K)

  • Ask and answer questions about a text.

  • Identify characters and setting.

  • Recognize orientation of text (front cover, back cover, title).

  • Recognize repeated lines in a story.

  • Identify the topic of a text.

  • Recognize the difference between literary and informational text.

  • Recognize common types of text (e.g., storybooks, informational, poems).

  • Define the role of an author and illustrator in telling the story.

  • Ask and answer questions about vocabulary in a text.

Writing (K)

  • Write routinely (including a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing).

  • Respond to a story verbally or in writing/drawing.

  • Plan and draft writing (may include a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing).

  • Tell a story about a personal experience or that of a character, verbally, visually or in written form.

  • Correctly order beginning, middle and end of a story, with support.

  • State a personal opinion for the purpose of sharing, verbally, visually or in written form, with support.

  • Make a statement about a topic and offer one or two details about the topic, verbally, visually or in written form, with support.

Grade 1

Foundational Skills (Gr 1)

  • Blend and segment sounds in three and four phoneme words.

  • Know and apply grade-level phonics skills to decode words.

  • Know the sounds and spellings for consonant digraphs, blends, final e, and vowel teams.

  • Read high-frequency words accurately.

  • Read decodable texts accurately.

  • Print all uppercase and lowercase letters.

  • Recognize the features of a sentence (first word, capitalization, end punctuation).

  • Accurately spell words in common word families.

  • Accurately spell high-frequency words.

  • Use nouns and verbs in simple sentences in writing.

     

     


     

Reading (Gr 1)

  • Read and comprehend grade level text.

  • Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding about key details in a text; retell key details.

  • Identify characters and setting.

  • Identify the beginning, middle, and end of a text.

  • Identify the central idea, message, or moral of a text.

  • Identify if a text is literary or informational.

  • Identify informational text features (heading, table of contents, glossary).

  • Describe the connection between information or ideas in an informational text.

  • Ask and answer questions to help determine the meaning of vocabulary in text.

Writing (Gr 1)

  • Write routinely through a combination of writing, drawing, and speaking.

  • Plan, draft and revise to strengthen writing.

  • Write to tell a story with details about characters and setting.

  • Include details in a story in an order that makes sense.

  • Write to state a personal opinion, and provide one or two reasons for the opinion with support.

  • Write to inform or explain, identifying a topic and stating facts about the topic.

  • Write to respond to a story.

Grade 2

Foundational Skills (Gr 2)

  • Blend and segment sounds and syllables in single and multi-syllable words.

  • Know the spelling-sound correspondences for short vowels, blends, and common long vowel patterns.

  • Read high-frequency words accurately.

  • Know and apply grade-level phonics skills to decode words.

  • Read grade level texts with sufficient fluency, accuracy, rate, and expression.

  • Use correct end punctuation and capitalization in writing.

  • Apply spelling patterns and rules to spell words.

  • Accurately spell high-frequency words.

  • Use nouns, verbs, and adjectives in simple sentences.

     

     

     

     

Reading (Gr 2)

  • Select, read, and comprehend grade level texts for academic tasks.

  • Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding about key details in a text; retell the text.

  • Identify characters, setting, conflict, resolution, and events in literary text.

  • Identify the central idea, message, or moral of a text.

  • Identify informational text features.

  • Identity if a text is informational or literary and support with evidence.

  • Identify and explain how images are used to illustrate ideas.

  • Describe the connection between events in an informational text.

  • Determine the meaning of unfamiliar phrases or vocabulary.

Writing (Gr 2)

  • Write routinely, including illustrations, for a range of tasks and purposes.

  • Plan, draft, revise, and edit writing.

  • Write to tell a story, including a character, setting, and problem.

  • Use words that signal time order.

  • Write to inform or explain, using details to show understanding of the topic and including an introductory and concluding statement.

  • Write to state an opinion and provide reasons to support the opinion.

  • Write to respond to characters, setting, and conflict in a story.

Grade 3

Foundational Skills (Gr 3)

  • Know and apply grade-level phonics skills.

  • Decode multi-syllable words.

  • Read high frequency words accurately.

  • Read grade-level texts fluently with sufficient accuracy, rate, and expression.

  • Use correct punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and grammar in writing.

  • Apply spelling patterns and rules to spell multi-syllabic words.

  • Accurately spell high-frequency words.

  • Use nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions in simple and compound sentences.

     

     


     

Reading (Gr 3)

  • Select, read, and comprehend grade level texts for academic tasks.

  • Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding, referring to the text as the basis for answers; summarize the text.

  • Identify the central idea or argument and explain how it is supported by key details.

  • Describe the relationship between events, concepts, or steps using time, sequence, and cause and effect.

  • Use informational text features to understand information relevant to a given topic.

  • Interpret the ideas/information conveyed through illustrations, graphics and other audiovisual elements.

  • Demonstrate understanding of figurative language.

  • Determine the meaning of vocabulary and phrases in informational text.



     

Writing (Gr 3)

  • Write routinely for a range of tasks and purposes.

  • Plan, draft, revise, and edit writing.

  • Write to respond to thoughts and feelings of characters in a literary text.

  • Write to tell a story, describing thoughts and feelings to develop characters.

  • Use dialogue and descriptive words in writing.

  • Write to inform or explain, selecting and organizing relevant details to show understanding of the topic.

  • Write to persuade, blending opinion and facts that support the opinion.

Grade 4

Foundational Skills (Gr 4)

  • Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills.

  • Decode and comprehend multi-syllabic words.

  • Read grade-level texts fluently with sufficient accuracy, rate, and expression to support comprehension.

  • Use correct punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and grammar in writing.

  • Apply spelling patterns and rules to spell words in writing.

  • Demonstrate subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement in simple, compound, and complex sentences.

     

     


     

Reading (Gr 4)

  • Select, read, and comprehend grade level texts for academic tasks.

  • Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining the text and making inferences; summarize the text.

  • Determine a theme or central idea of a story or poem from details in the text.

  • Distinguish literal from figurative language in stories or poems.

  • Describe the informational text structure of events, ideas, concepts or information in a text.

  • Interpret the ideas/information conveyed through illustrations, graphics and other audiovisual elements.

  • Demonstrate understanding of word origins in academic vocabulary.



     

Writing (Gr 4)

  • Write routinely for a range of tasks and purposes.

  • Plan, draft, revise, and edit writing.

  • Use words, phrases, and punctuation to convey ideas.

  • Write to create, developing literary elements including character, setting, conflict and resolution.

  • Describe sensory detail in written narratives, poetry or other creative text.

  • Write to inform or explain, organizing ideas clearly, including an introduction and a conclusion.

  • Write to persuade, including an introduction and conclusion.

  • Plan and conduct independent research using sources to build understanding of a topic.

  • Use and cite a variety of sources on a topic.

Grade 5

Foundational Skills (Gr 5)

  • Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills.

  • Decode and comprehend multi-syllabic words.

  • Read grade-level texts fluently with sufficient accuracy, rate, and expression to support comprehension.

  • Use correct punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and grammar in writing.

  • Apply spelling patterns and rules to spell words in writing.

  • Use nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns in writing.

     

     


     

Reading (Gr 5)

  • Select, read, and comprehend grade level texts for academic tasks.

  • Quote accurately from a text when explaining the text and making inferences; summarize the text.

  • Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is developed through specific examples.

  • Describe how and when characters, setting, conflict, resolution, and events are introduced and how they change or evolve.

  • Interpret, apply and evaluate the ideas/information conveyed through illustrations, graphics and other audiovisual elements.

  • Identify the effects of text structure on a text or part of a text.

  • Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

  • Interpret words and phrases in academic and domain-specific vocabulary.

  • Collect information from a variety of sources.
  • Evaluate sources based on validity and credibility of information.

Writing (Gr 5)

  • Write routinely for a range of tasks and purposes.

  • Plan, draft, revise, and edit writing.

  • Use words, phrases, punctuation, and sentences to convey ideas.

  • Write to respond to the style, tone and plot of a literary text.

  • Write to create, using basic literary techniques to impact style, tone and plot.

  • Write to persuade or argue.
  • Write to inform or explain, developing subtopics, and grouping related information logically.
  • Plan and conduct independent research using sources to build knowledge on a topic.
  • Use and cite sources in various formats.