What does a student learn in StateMaine,GradeKindergarten,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students answer questions about a story using words and pictures straight from the book. They point to or repeat what the text actually says before offering their own thoughts.

Students retell what a story is mostly about and share the key details that support it.

Students notice how a character acts or how a story's events unfold from start to finish. They talk about why things happen and how one moment leads to the next.

Students listen for words that feel happy, scary, or surprising in a story and talk about why the author chose them. Noticing word choices helps students understand the mood of what they're reading.

Students recognize that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and notice how each part connects to the whole.

Students notice who is telling a story and how that shapes what gets said. A scary forest feels different depending on whether the wolf or the lost child is doing the talking.

Students look at pictures, listen to a story, and talk about what they noticed. They practice getting meaning from both the words and the images on the page.

Kindergarteners aren't expected to analyze arguments yet. This standard applies to older grades. Check that the grade or standard code is correct before using it.

Two stories can cover the same idea in different ways. Students look at how two books handle a similar topic and talk about what's the same, what's different, and what they learned from reading both.

Students listen to and talk about stories and books that stretch their thinking. Over time, they build the stamina to follow longer, more complex texts on their own.

Students answer questions about a book by pointing to or repeating words straight from the page. They explain what the words tell them and what they can figure out from them.

Students pick out what a book or article is mostly about and name a few details that back it up.

Students explain how a person, event, or idea in a nonfiction book connects to other parts of the same book. This builds the habit of reading carefully instead of just skimming for facts.

Students learn what unfamiliar words mean by looking at the words and pictures around them in a nonfiction book. They start to notice how an author's word choices can make writing feel exciting, calm, or serious.

Students notice how a nonfiction book or page is put together, like how the first sentence sets up what comes next and how each part connects to the big idea.

Students notice who wrote a book or article and why. Recognizing the author's purpose helps students understand why certain details are included and how the writing is shaped around a specific point of view.

Students look at a photo, chart, or drawing in a book and talk about what it shows. They connect that information to what the words on the page say.

Students listen to a nonfiction book and decide whether the author's reasons make sense. Does the proof actually back up the point being made?

Two books can cover the same topic but say different things. Students look at two short books on the same subject and talk about what each one teaches them.

Kindergartners listen to and talk about nonfiction books on their own, building comfort with stories that explain real things like animals, weather, or how objects work.

Students learn how a book works: which end is the front, where reading starts on a page, and that words are made of letters with spaces between them.

Students learn that spoken words are made of smaller parts. They practice breaking words into syllables, hearing the separate sounds in a word, and putting those sounds together.

Students use letter-sound patterns they have learned to figure out unfamiliar words. This is the building block of learning to read.

Students read simple words and short sentences aloud smoothly enough to understand what they just read. The goal is not just saying the words correctly but following the meaning as they go.

Kindergartners share an opinion about a book or topic and give a reason why they think that. This is the start of learning to back up what you say with evidence.

Students pick a topic they know and write sentences that share real facts about it. The writing sticks to the topic and gives readers clear, true information.

Students write short stories about things that happened to them or characters they make up. They put events in order and add details that help readers picture what happened.

Students write sentences that fit the purpose. A story sounds like a story. A list of facts sounds different from a made-up tale. Even in kindergarten, the writing matches what it's trying to do.

Students practice fixing and improving their own writing by changing words, adding details, or starting over if something isn't working yet.

Students use a computer or tablet to write and share their work. With help from an adult, they might type a sentence, post it online, or work with a classmate on a piece of writing.

Students pick a simple question, find out the answer, and share what they learned. This is the beginning of research: ask, look, tell.

Students find facts from books and websites, check that the source can be trusted, and put the information into their own words.

Students point to a picture or sentence in a book to back up something they said or drew about it. This starts the habit of using what they read as proof.

Students write often, both in quick bursts and over several days. The topics, reasons for writing, and intended readers vary throughout the year.

Kindergartners take turns talking with classmates, listen to what others say, and add their own ideas to the conversation. The goal is for students to build on what a partner said, not just wait for their own turn to talk.

A teacher shares a picture, a short video, or a spoken story. Students listen or look carefully and then talk about what they learned from it.

Students listen to someone talk and decide whether that person's idea makes sense and whether the reasons behind it hold up.

Students share ideas out loud in a way that makes sense to whoever is listening. They pick words and details that fit the moment, whether they are telling a story, explaining something, or answering a question.

Students practice pointing to pictures, drawings, or simple charts to help explain an idea out loud. The goal is matching what they say with something others can see.

Students practice switching between everyday talk and more careful, formal speech. Asking a friend to play sounds different from answering a teacher's question, and this standard is about knowing the difference.

Students learn the basic rules of English: how to say and write a sentence correctly, choose the right words, and make themselves understood on paper and out loud.

Kindergartners practice the basic rules of writing: starting a sentence with a capital letter, ending it with a period or question mark, and spelling simple words correctly.

Students practice choosing words that fit the situation, noticing how a sentence sounds in a story versus a conversation. That awareness helps them read and listen with better understanding.

When students come across a word they don't know, they use clues from nearby sentences or word parts to figure out what it means. They also know how to look it up when those clues aren't enough.

Words don't always mean exactly what they say. Students learn to notice when language is playful or surprising, like calling the sun sleepy, and start building a feel for how words connect and differ in meaning.

Students learn and use everyday school words, like words for feelings, sizes, and simple ideas, so they can talk about what they read, describe their thinking, and understand what others say to them.