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

Students answer questions about a story using words and pictures from the book itself. They point to or read aloud the part that supports what they are saying.

Students listen to a story and name what it is mostly about, then point to the details that show it.

Students talk about who is in a story, what happens, and how one event leads to the next. They start to see how stories are built from beginning to end.

Students notice unfamiliar words in a story and figure out what they mean from the words and pictures nearby. They also start to see how an author's word choices can make a story feel funny, scary, or sad.

Stories have parts that work together. Students learn how the beginning sets up the middle, and how the middle leads to the ending, so each part of a story does its job.

Students figure out who is telling a story and notice how that shapes what happens and what details get included.

Students look at a picture, photo, or drawing in a book and talk about what it shows. They practice connecting what they see to what the words on the page say.

Most kindergarten books tell stories, so this standard rarely applies at this grade. When it does come up, students listen to a simple informational text and decide whether the author's reason actually supports what the author is saying.

Students listen to two books on the same topic and talk about what is alike or different between them, such as how each author tells the story or what each one teaches.

Students listen to and follow along with stories and simple nonfiction books, building the habit of reading on their own. The goal is comfort with a range of books, not just favorites.

Students answer questions about a book by pointing to or saying the exact words that gave them the answer.

Students listen to or read a nonfiction book and say what it is mostly about, then name a detail or two that supports that idea.

Students learn how people, events, and ideas connect in a nonfiction book. They notice why something happened or how one event leads to the next.

Students learn what unfamiliar words mean by looking at the words and pictures around them in a nonfiction book. They practice figuring out why an author chose a particular word and what feeling that word gives the reader.

Students notice how a book's pages and sentences work together to explain one big idea. They see how the beginning sets up what the middle and ending explain.

Students learn to notice who wrote a book or article and why. Recognizing the author's purpose helps students understand why some details are included and why the writing sounds the way it does.

Students look at a photo, drawing, or simple chart in a book and talk about what it shows. They connect what they see in the picture to what the words say.

Students find the reason an author gives for thinking something is true. They decide whether that reason actually makes sense.

Two books can cover the same topic in different ways. Students look at both and notice what the authors each chose to include or explain differently.

Students listen to and talk about nonfiction books on their own, building the habit of making sense of what they read from the very start.

Reading starts on the left and moves right, top to bottom, with spaces between words. Students learn that marks on a page stand for spoken words and that books have a front, back, and title.

Students learn that spoken words are made of smaller pieces. They practice breaking words into syllables and individual sounds, like hearing that "cat" has three sounds: /k/, /a/, /t/.

Students use letter-sound knowledge to sound out unfamiliar words. They look at the letters, connect each one to its sound, and blend those sounds into a word they can read.

Students read simple words and short sentences out loud smoothly enough to understand what they say. The goal is recognition without too much sounding out, so meaning comes through.

Students pick a side and write sentences explaining why they think something is true. In kindergarten, this means drawing a picture and writing a word or sentence that shows their reason.

Students pick a topic they know and write sentences that teach others about it. The writing shares real facts, not opinions or made-up details.

Students draw or write a short story about something that happened or something they made up. They put the events in order and add details that help the story make sense.

Students write sentences that fit the job. A story sounds like a story. A list of facts sounds like a list of facts. The words and shape of the writing match what the writing is supposed to do.

With a teacher's help, students look back at their writing and make it better. They might add a word, fix a sentence, or start over with a new idea.

Students use a computer or tablet to type words, share their writing, and work with classmates or a teacher on a piece together.

Students pick a simple question, find out the answer, and share what they learned. This is the beginning of knowing how to look something up and explain it to someone else.

Students find facts from books or websites, check that the source seems trustworthy, and put the information into their own words when they write.

Students point to a picture or sentence in a book to back up something they said or drew about it. This is the beginning of using real evidence from a text to support an idea.

Students practice writing often, for many different reasons. Some pieces take several days to finish; others are quick writes done in a single sitting.

Talking and listening in a group is a skill. Students learn to share their own ideas out loud and build on what a classmate just said, whether the group is two kids or the whole class.

Students listen to a read-aloud, watch a short video, or look at a picture and then talk about what they learned. They practice pulling information from different sources, not just books.

Students listen to someone talk and notice what the speaker is trying to say and whether their reasons make sense.

Students share a simple idea out loud and give a reason or detail that helps listeners follow along. What they say is organized to fit who they're talking to.

Students add pictures, drawings, or simple visuals to help explain what they are sharing with the class.

Students practice switching how they talk depending on the situation. Answering a question in class sounds different from chatting at recess, and this standard is about learning to tell the difference.

Students learn the basic rules of English, like how to use words in the right order and speak in complete sentences. These habits show up in both talking and writing from the start of school.

Students learn when to use a capital letter, where to put a period, and how to spell simple words as they write sentences for the first time.

Students learn that word choice changes depending on the situation. Talking to a friend sounds different from writing a letter, and noticing that difference helps students understand what they read and hear.

When students come across a word they don't know, they use nearby words in the sentence to figure out its meaning. They can also look at parts of the word itself, or check a dictionary for help.

Students learn that words can mean more than what they say. They practice word pairs like hot and cold, and notice how choosing one word over another changes the feeling of a sentence.

Students learn and use everyday school words like "compare," "describe," and "solve" in their reading, writing, and conversations. Building this vocabulary early helps students keep up as the words in books and lessons get harder each year.