Literacy

Literacy Grade Level Standards

These brochures on the English Language Arts/literacy standards provide insight into what children are learning as they progress through the grade levels. The brochures also offer suggestions to support students’ learning and a list of additional resources.

Kindergarten – Grade 2, English Language Arts/Literacy Grades 3–5, English Language Arts/Literacy Grades 6–8, English Language Arts/Literacy Grades 9–12, English Language Arts/Literacy

Spanish

Del kindergarten al segundo grado, artes del lenguaje de inglés (Spanish) Del tercer al quinto grado, artes del lenguaje de inglés (Spanish) Del sexto al octavo grado, artes del lenguaje de inglés (Spanish) Del noveno al décimo segundo grado, artes del lenguaje de inglés (Spanish)

Source: https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp

Balanced Literacy

Teachers are teaching the above reading standards through a balanced literacy model. The model includes the following structures, which are a part of the daily reading instructional block in K-6 classrooms.

Read Aloud – Teachers read high-quality text aloud that is above the students' reading level to model fluent reading, expose students to new vocabulary and language structures, and foster a love for reading. Students interact with the text through carefully planned discussion and questioning. K-1 students work on grade-level standards through read-aloud; grades 2–6 extend comprehension using read-aloud. (Whole group)
Shared Reading – The teacher selects various grade-level texts from a variety of genres to teach grade-level standards. This is an interactive reading experience. Students read with the teacher through echo reading, choral reading, or partner reading. Activities deepen comprehension skills. (Whole group)
Guided Reading – Teachers work with small groups of students using text at their instructional reading level to provide reading tips and strategies, word work, and guided writing. Students read on their own and teachers guide/support. As students improve, they progress in reading levels. (Small group)
Independent Reading – Students read self-selected or teacher-selected books at their independent level to build reading fluency. This structure allows students to practice and build on strategies. They read for pleasure and develop a love for reading. (Independent work)

Reading Foundational Skills

The reading foundational skills are the fundamental skills students must acquire to become fluent readers. They include print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics, and fluency. These skills are embedded within the balanced literacy model.

Print Concepts include book organization, book handling, directionality (reading left to right and top to bottom), the concept of a letter, a word, a sentence, and the recognition and naming of all upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Students must understand that the word is the basic unit of meaning. They should be able to distinguish between pictures and text. Students in Kindergarten and first-grade practice print concepts.
Phonological Awareness is a building block for students in their understanding of the alphabetic principle. Students must be able to hear and manipulate word parts (syllables, onset/rhyme) and the individual sounds in words. They participate in a variety of oral and auditory activities to practice rhyming, sentence segmentation, syllable segmentation and blending, sound blending, taking apart individual sounds in words, and deleting and manipulating individual sounds. Students in Kindergarten and first-grade practice phonological awareness.
Phonics and Word Recognition is the ability for students to apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills to decode (read) words. Students learn the various phonics rules to decode/read and write regular and irregular words. Students in grades K-6 practice phonics and word recognition skills.
Fluency is the ability to read grade-level text with accuracy, proper pacing, and expression to demonstrate an understanding of the text. Students in grades K -6 practice fluency.

Parent Resources

Sound Spelling Card

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Literacy