Kindergarten ELA CA Core Standards

Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions by listening attentively, following turn-taking rules, and asking and answering questions.

Contribute to conversations and express ideas by asking and answering yes-no and wh- questions and responding using gestures, words, and simple phrases.

Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions by listening attentively, following turn-taking rules, and asking and answering questions.

Draw, dictate, and write to compose longer literary texts (e.g., story) and informational texts (e.g., an information report on dogs), collaboratively with an adult (e.g., joint construction of texts), with peers, and independently using appropriate text organization.

Draw, dictate, and write to compose very short literary texts (e.g., story) and informational texts (e.g., a description of a dog), using familiar vocabulary collaboratively in shared language activities with an adult (e.g., joint construction of texts), with peers, and sometimes independently.

Draw, dictate, and write to compose short literary texts (e.g., story) and informational texts (e.g., a description of dogs), collaboratively with an adult (e.g., joint construction of texts), with peers, and with increasing independence.

Offer opinions and provide good reasons with detailed textual evidence or relevant background knowledge (e.g., specific examples from text or knowledge of content).

Offer opinions and provide good reasons (e.g., My favorite book is X because X.) referring to the text or to relevant background knowledge.

Offer opinions and provide good reasons and some textual evidence or relevant background knowledge (e.g., paraphrased examples from text or knowledge of content).

Retell texts and recount experiences using increasingly detailed complete sentences and key words.

Retell texts and recount experiences using a select set of key words.

Retell texts and recount experiences using complete sentences and key words.

Use a wide variety of general academic and domain-specific words, synonyms, antonyms, and non-literal language to create an effect (e.g., using the word suddenly to signal a change) or to create shades of meaning (e.g., The cat's fur was as white as snow) while speaking and composing.

Use a select number of general academic and domain-specific words to add detail (e.g., adding the word spicy to describe a favorite food, using the word larva when explaining insect metamorphosis) while speaking and composing.

Use a growing number of general academic and domain-specific words in order to add detail or to create shades of meaning (e.g., using the word scurry versus run) while speaking and composing.

Collaborate with the teacher and peers on joint composing projects of informational and literary texts that include a greater amount of writing (e.g., a very short story), using technology, where appropriate, for publishing, graphics, and the like.

Collaborate with the teacher and peers on joint composing projects of short informational and literary texts that include minimal writing (labeling with a few words), using technology, where appropriate, for publishing, graphics, and the like.

Collaborate with the teacher and peers on joint composing projects of informational and literary texts that include some writing (e.g., short sentences), using technology, where appropriate, for publishing, graphics, and the like.

Offer opinions in conversations using an expanded set of learned phrases (e.g., I think/don't think X. I agree with X, but…), as well as open responses, in order to gain and/or hold the floor or add information to an idea.

Offer opinions and ideas in conversations using a small set of learned phrases (e.g., I think X), as well as open responses.

Offer opinions in conversations using an expanded set of learned phrases (e.g., I think/don't think X. I agree with X), as well as open responses, in order to gain and/or hold the floor.

Demonstrate active listening to read-alouds and oral presentations by asking and answering detailed questions, with minimal prompting and light support.

Demonstrate active listening to read-alouds and oral presentations by asking and answering yes-no and wh- questions with oral sentence frames and substantial prompting and support.

Demonstrate active listening to read-alouds and oral presentations by asking and answering questions with oral sentence frames and occasional prompting and support.

Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., insect metamorphosis), and text elements (e.g., major events, characters, setting) using key details based on understanding of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with light support.

Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., parts of a plant), and text elements (e.g., characters) based on understanding of a select set of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with substantial support.

Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., how butterflies eat), and text elements (e.g., setting, characters) in greater detail based on understanding of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with moderate support.

Describe the language an author uses to present or support an idea (e.g., the vocabulary used to describe people and places), with prompting and light support.

Describe the language an author uses to present an idea (e.g., the words and phrases used when a character is introduced), with prompting and substantial support.

Describe the language an author uses to present an idea (e.g., the adjectives used to describe a character), with prompting and moderate support.

Distinguish how multiple different words with similar meaning (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) produce shades of meaning and a different effect.

Distinguish how two different frequently used words (e.g., describing an action with the verb walk versus run) produce a different effect.

Distinguish how two different words with similar meaning (e.g., describing an action as walk versus march) produce shades of meaning and a different effect.

Plan and deliver longer oral presentations on a variety of topics in a variety of content areas (e.g., retelling a story, describing a science experiment).

Plan and deliver very brief oral presentations (e.g., show and tell, describing a picture).

Plan and deliver brief oral presentations on a variety of topics (e.g., show and tell, author's chair, recounting an experience, describing an animal).

Apply understanding of how different text types are organized predictably (e.g., a narrative text versus an informative text versus an opinion text) to comprehending texts and composing texts in shared language activities guided by the teacher, with peers, and independently.

Apply understanding of how text types are organized (e.g., how a story is organized by a sequence of events) to comprehending and composing texts in shared language activities guided by the teacher, with peers, and sometimes independently.

Apply understanding of how different text types are organized to express ideas (e.g., how a story is organized sequentially with predictable stages versus how an informative text is organized by topic and details) to comprehending texts and composing texts in shared language activities guided by the teacher, collaboratively with peers, and with increasing independence.

Apply understanding of how ideas, events, or reasons are linked throughout a text using a variety of connecting words or phrases (e.g., first/second/third, once, at the end) to comprehending texts and composing texts in shared language activities guided by the teacher, with peers, and independently.

Apply basic understanding of how ideas, events, or reasons are linked throughout a text using more everyday connecting words or phrases (e.g., one time, then) to comprehending texts and composing texts in shared language activities guided by the teacher, with peers, and sometimes independently.

Apply understanding of how ideas, events, or reasons are linked throughout a text using a growing number of connecting words or phrases (e.g., next, after a long time) to comprehending texts and composing texts in shared language activities guided by the teacher, collaboratively with peers, and with increasing independence.

Use a wide variety of verbs and verb types (e.g., doing, saying, being/having, thinking/feeling) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and independently.

Use frequently used verbs (e.g., go, eat, run) and verb types (e.g., doing, saying, being/having, thinking/feeling) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and with increasing independence.

Use a growing number of verbs and verb types (e.g., doing, saying, being/having, thinking/feeling) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and independently.

Use a wide variety of verb tenses appropriate for the text type and discipline to convey time (e.g., simple present for a science description, simple future to predict) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and independently.

Use simple verb tenses appropriate for the text type and discipline to convey time (e.g., simple past for recounting an experience) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and with increasing independence.

Use a growing number of verb tenses appropriate for the text type and discipline to convey time (e.g., simple past tense for retelling, simple present for a science description) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and independently.

Expand noun phrases in a wide variety of ways (e.g., adding a variety of adjectives to noun phrases) in order to enrich the meaning of phrases/sentences and add details about ideas, people, things, and so on, in shared language activities guided by the teacher and independently.

Expand noun phrases in simple ways (e.g., adding a familiar adjective to describe a noun) in order to enrich the meaning of sentences and add details about ideas, people, things, and so on, in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Expand noun phrases in a growing number of ways (e.g., adding a newly learned adjective to a noun) in order to enrich the meaning of sentences and add details about ideas, people, things, and so on, in shared language activities guided by the teacher and with increasing independence.

Expand simple and compound sentences with prepositional phrases to provide details (e.g., time, manner, place, cause) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and independently.

Expand sentences with frequently used prepositional phrases (such as in the house, on the boat) to provide details (e.g., time, manner, place, cause) about a familiar activity or process in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Expand sentences with prepositional phrases to provide details (e.g., time, manner, place, cause) about a familiar or new activity or process in shared language activities guided by the teacher and with increasing independence.

Combine clauses in a wide variety of ways (e.g., rearranging complete simple sentences to form compound sentences) to make connections between and join ideas (e.g., The boy was hungry. The boy ate a sandwich. The boy was hungry so he ate a sandwich) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and independently.

Combine clauses in a few basic ways to make connections between and join ideas (e.g., creating compound sentences using and, but, so) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Combine clauses in an increasing variety of ways to make connections between and join ideas, for example, to express cause/effect (e.g., She jumped because the dog barked) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and with increasing independence.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Print many upper- and lowercase letters.

Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.

Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).

Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).

Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with).

Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I.

Recognize and name end punctuation.

Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).

Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.

Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck).

Use the most frequently occurring inflections and affixes (e.g., -ed, -s, re-, un-, pre-, -ful, -less) as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word.

With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.

Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms).

Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful).

Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings.

Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.

Production and Distribution of Writing

Expanding and Enriching Ideas

Reading Standards for Literature

Interacting with others in written English in various communicative forms (print, communicative technology, and multimedia)

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

(Begins in grade 4)

Conventions of Standard English

Interpretive (comprehension and analysis of written and spoken texts)

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

Speaking and Listening Standards

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Structuring Cohesive Texts

Key Ideas and Details

Connecting and Condensing Ideas

Range of Writing

(Begins in grade 2)

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Expressing information and ideas in formal oral presentations on academic topics

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Production and Distribution of Writing

Learning About How English Works

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

Understanding cohesion

Knowledge of Language

Phonics and Word Recognition

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Analyzing how writers and speakers use vocabulary and other language resources for specific purposes (to explain, persuade, entertain, etc.) depending on modality, text type, purpose, audience, topic, and content area

Key Ideas and Details

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

(Begins in grade 2)

Modifying to add details

Offering and supporting opinions and negotiating with others in communicative exchanges

Reading closely literary and informational texts and viewing multimedia to determine how meaning is conveyed explicitly and implicitly through language

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Knowledge of Language

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills

Craft and Structure

Fluency

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Productive (creation of oral presentations and written texts)

Craft and Structure

(Begins in grade 2)

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

Print Concepts

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Selecting and applying varied and precise vocabulary and language structures to effectively convey ideas

(Not applicable to literature)

Text Types and Purposes

Using verbs and verb phrases

Craft and Structure

Text Types and Purposes

Using nouns and noun phrases

Comprehension and Collaboration

Connecting ideas

Composing/writing literary and informational texts to present, describe, and explain ideas and information, using appropriate technology

Range of Writing

Reading Standards for Informational Text

Collaborative (engagement in dialogue with others)

Key Ideas and Details

Supporting own opinions and evaluating others' opinions in speaking and writing

Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative conversations on a range of social and academic topics

Comprehension and Collaboration

Conventions of Standard English

Evaluating how well writers and speakers use language to support ideas and opinions with details or reasons depending on modality, text type, purpose, audience, topic, and content area

Interacting in Meaningful Ways

Understanding text structure

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Writing Standards

Listening actively to spoken English in a range of social and academic contexts

Language Standards

Phonological Awareness

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.

Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.

Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

Recognize and produce rhyming words.

Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.

Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.

Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonent-vowel-consonent, or CVC) words. (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)

Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.

Blend two to three phonemes into recognizable words.

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words both in isolation and in text.

Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary or many of the most frequent sound for each consonant.

Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels. (Identify which letters represent the five major vowels [Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, and Uu] and know the long and short sound of each vowel. More complex long vowel graphemes and spellings are targeted in the grade 1 phonics standards.)

Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).

Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

Activate prior knowledge related to the information and events in texts.

Use illustrations and context to make predictions about text.

With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.(See grade K Language standards 4–6 additional expectations.)

Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.

With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).

With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.

With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

Activate prior knowledge related to the information and events in texts.

Use illustrations and context to make predictions about text.

With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.

With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. (See grade K Language standards 4–6 for additional expectations.)

Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems, fantasy, realistic text).

With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.

Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).

Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.

Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

Understand and follow one- and two-step oral directions.

Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.

Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.

Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is…).

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.

With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.

With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).

With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Condensing ideas within sentences using a variety of language resources

Connecting ideas within sentences by combining clauses

Using Foundational Literacy Skills

Connecting and Condensing Ideas

Interacting in Meaningful Ways

Collaborative Engagement in dialogue with others

Exchanging information/ideas via oral communication and conversations

Interacting via written English (print and multimedia)

Offering opinions and negotiating with/persuading others

Adapting language choices to various contexts

Interpretive Comprehension and analysis of written and spoken texts

Listening actively and asking/answering questions about what was heard

Reading closely and explaining interpretations/ideas from reading

Evaluating how well writers and speakers use language to present or support ideas

Analyzing how writers use vocabulary and other language resources for specific purposes

Productive Creation of oral presentations and written texts

Composing/writing literary and informational texts

Supporting opinions or justifying arguments and evaluating others’ opinions or arguments

Selecting and applying varied and precise vocabulary and other language

Expressing information and ideas in oral presentations

Learning About How English Works

Structuring Cohesive Texts

Understanding text structure and organization based on purpose, text type, and discipline

Understanding cohesion and how language resources across a text contribute to the way a text unfolds and flows

Expanding and Enriching Ideas

Using verbs and verb phrases to create precision and clarity in different text types

Using nouns and noun phrases to expand ideas and provide more detail

Modifying to add details