Skill Descriptor: Express feelings and opinions, and give simple descriptions of experiences.

Global Competencies: SASM, CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Use descriptive language to express a feeling, opinion, or emotion
• Use new words to describe everyday events and personal experiences
• Use simple sentences and/or full thoughts

Skill Descriptor: Present simple facts and ideas to peers and teachers.

Global Competencies: CL, CM, ICE

Achievement Indicators:

• Use descriptive language to share simple facts and ideas about a specific topic

Skill Descriptor: Explore the language of harmony and respect.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Describe helpful, respectful, and equitable language
• Identify differences between kind and hurtful language
• Begin to use inclusive language that respects gender identity
• Begin to use language that demonstrates cultural sensitivity and respect

Skill Descriptor: Begin to ask and respond to questions.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, ICE

Achievement Indicators:

• Use question words to create questions about a specific topic or theme
• Ask questions about a specific topic or theme
• Respond to questions, answering or citing requested information

Skill Descriptor: Give and follow simple, one- or two-step directions or instructions.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Use words for sequence (first, next, then, etc.), time (today, tomorrow, at noon, etc.), and spatial concepts (under, over there, beside, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Explore appropriate communication conventions.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Begin to use language specific to topic
• Begin to use language specific to audience
• Begin to use language specific to situation

Skill Descriptor: Respond personally to presentations, oral stories, and multimodal text.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Use questions, wonderings, and reflections to respond to new information or visual imagery

Skill Descriptor: Explore social conventions when interacting.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Begin to use turn-taking when interacting with others
• Begin to demonstrate consideration for the thoughts and feelings of others
• Begin to use words in place of actions to seek a response (conflict resolution, negotiation, material requests, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Receive the ideas and opinions of others.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Receive information from others
• Reflect while others are speaking
• Interrupt when necessary or appropriate

Skill Descriptor: Identify concepts of print.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Identify concepts of print when engaging with text
• Explain that printed text carries meaning
• Differentiate between letters and numbers
• Differentiate between words and letters

Skill Descriptor: Demonstrate an awareness of words and some sounds in spoken language.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Segment words in a sentence
• Segment compound words
• Identify rhyming words
• Produce rhyming words
• Segment spoken multisyllabic words
• Delete a syllable in a multisyllabic word (including compound words)
• Segment words into onset and rime
• Identify words that start with the same initial sound
• Produce a word starting with a given sound (e.g., “Tell me a word that starts with /b/”)
• Produce the first sound of a given word (e.g., “Tell me what sound the word ‘bat’ starts with”)
• Identify some words with the same final consonant
• Blend two to four sounds orally to make a word
• Segment some one-syllable words into separate sounds (e.g., initial and final sounds)

Skill Descriptor: Apply letter-sound knowledge to decode words and simple connected text.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Identify own name
• Name all letters of a given word
• Match upper-case and lower-case letters
• Order alphabet in sequence
• Blend some initial consonants with common word families
• Attempt to sound out new words
• Decode some single syllable words. For example, consonant-vowel-consonant words (sit, cat, hop, etc.), vowel-consonant words (it, up, on, etc.), and consonant-vowel words (to, me, so, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Name letters and read some words with accuracy and expression.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Demonstrate automatic naming of all letters
• Demonstrate automatic recall of most letter sounds
• Automatically read some single syllable words. For example, consonant-vowel-consonant words (sit, cat, hop, etc.), vowel-consonant words (it, up, on, etc.), and consonant-vowel words (to, me, so, etc.)
• Begin to read with expression decodable text with single syllable words: (For example, consonant-vowel-consonant words (sit, cat, hop, etc.), vowel-consonant words (it, up, on, etc.), and consonant-vowel words (to, me, so, etc.)
• Automatically read some high frequency words

Skill Descriptor: Use a range of vocabulary when communicating.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Use Tier One (common) words in interactions (run, dog, house, etc.)
• Begin to use Tier Two (all-purpose) words in interactions (decide, positive, community, etc.)
• Use describing words
• Describe word relationships (synonyms and opposites, etc.)
• Use kinship vocabulary (brother, sister, sibling, mother, father, grandparent, Elder, etc.)
• Use story vocabulary (Once upon a time, etc.)
• Provide appropriate vocabulary to complete a phrase/sentence
• Sort common objects into categories
• Explain different meaning between similar verbs (stomp vs. march, etc.)
• Ask about word meanings
• Connect prior knowledge of words and word meanings to make predictions and discuss what will happen next
• Identify new meanings for familiar words
• Use vocabulary of feelings (happy, great, sad, frustrated, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Construct meaning from oral stories and when being read to.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Describe prior knowledge and connections to text imagery
• Discuss predictions about a text based on cover art, imagery, or other information
• Connect information and events to personal experiences
• Retell one or two events in familiar stories, orally
• Predict a plausible next event in a story
• Retell the main event of a story, orally or through other forms of representation
• Make inferences about a main character
• Retell sequence of events from beginning, middle, and end
• Elaborate on a main topic using a retell or illustrations, providing a few simple details

Skill Descriptor: Select and engage with a variety of text forms for specific uses.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Select from a variety of text forms, for interest or learning needs (decodable text, braille, audio book, graphic text, non-fiction text, etc.)
• Read or view a variety of text forms for interest or learning needs in first or additional languages
• Express preferences and opinions about text and text features to others
• Ask to view texts and be read to
• Seek text linking to prior knowledge or current learnings
• Refer to various text forms for knowledge, entertainment, interest, and information
• Interact with storytellers and people in the community (Elders, family members, librarians, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Begin to identify characteristics, forms, features, and types of text.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Talk about information in non-fiction texts and elements of a story from pictures or read-alouds
• Use basic text features to gain obvious information
• Recognize some simple text forms (fiction, non-fiction, visual, oral text, videos, poems, posters, letters, true and imaginary texts, etc.)
• Recognize basic text features and characteristics (author, illustrator, title, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Print or represent letters and words using a writing utensil or assistive technology.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Experiment with mark making and illustration
• Represent own name
• Represent most letters
• Represent most upper-case and lower-case letters
• Begin to represent left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality
• Identify and apply some mechanics (hand posture, grip, paper placement, use of assistive/augmentative technology, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Apply basic spelling conventions when creating written works.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Use letters to represent sounds
• Match some letters to sounds in spoken language
• Use abbreviated letter-sound mapping (often omitting consonants and vowels)
• Use some phoneme segmentation during invented spelling
• Attempt to spell and represent single syllable words: consonant-vowel-consonant words (sit, cat, hop, etc.), vowel-consonant words (it, up, on, etc.), and consonant-vowel words (to, me, so, etc.)
• Begin to spell out loud and finger spell to determine sounds in a word
• Represent some of the sounds in a word (“hc” for “hockey” and “mtk” for monster truck, etc.)
• Begin to use short vowels in writing

Skill Descriptor: Compose simple sentences.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Use drawings, letters, and approximations to record meaning
• Begin to use sequence when representing ideas visually and orally
• Begin to express feelings, opinions, and imaginative ideas orally, and through pictures
• Begin to experiment with meaningful documentation of own thoughts or oral language
• Begin to create simple sentences (e.g., subject-verb-object)
• Begin to ask questions using pictures and other representations
• Begin to represent or write complete thoughts
• Begin to experiment with punctuation
• Begin to use conventional spacing

Skill Descriptor: Organize ideas and create written or media texts.

Global Competencies: CM, CL, ICE

Achievement Indicators:

• Explain picture and story representations
• Begin to represent or tell a story, properly sequenced
• Begin to identify story elements
• Begin to generate ideas for writing and representing (pictures, jot notes, etc.)
• Begin to organize ideas for writing and representing (story map, story plan, etc.)
• Choose forms for specific audiences and purposes
• Begin to gather information for research
• Begin to use strategies for prewriting (storytelling, sharing, drawing, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Begin to seek information to support ideas and construct meaning.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Use information to support ideas
• Gather information to answer a question or solve a problem
• Use information to form a simple argument

Skill Descriptor: Express feelings and opinions and give simple descriptions of experiences.

Global Competencies: SASM, CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Use descriptive language to express a feeling, opinion, or emotion
• Use a variety of Tier Two (all-purpose) words and Tier Three (curriculum/content specific) words appropriately
• Use grammatically correct sentences appropriate to context
• Use simple sentences and/or full thoughts to make a point
• Make specific requests

Skill Descriptor: Present simple facts, ideas, and opinions to peers and teachers.

Global Competencies: CL, CM, ICE

Achievement Indicators:

• Use descriptive language to share simple facts, ideas, and opinions about a specific topic

Skill Descriptor: Explore the language of harmony and respect.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Describe helpful, respectful, and equitable language
• Identify differences between kind and hurtful language
• Use language that is not hurtful or offensive
• Begin to use inclusive language that respects gender identity
• Begin to use language that demonstrates cultural sensitivity and respect

Skill Descriptor: Begin to ask and respond to questions.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, ICE

Achievement Indicators:

• Use question words to create questions about a specific topic or theme
• Ask initial and follow-up questions about a specific topic or theme
• Respond to questions, answering or citing requested information

Skill Descriptor: Give and follow simple, one- or two-step directions or instructions.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Use words for sequence (first, next, then, etc.), time (today, tomorrow, at noon, etc.), and spatial concepts (under, over there, beside, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Explore appropriate communication conventions.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Begin to use language specific to topic
• Begin to use language specific to audience
• Begin to use language specific to situation

Skill Descriptor: Respond personally to presentations, oral stories, and multimodal text.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Use questions, wonderings, and reflections to respond to new information or visual imagery

Skill Descriptor: Explore social conventions when interacting.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Begin to use turn-taking when interacting with others
• Begin to demonstrate consideration for the thoughts and feelings of others
• Begin to use words in place of actions to seek a response (conflict resolution, negotiation, material requests, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Receive the ideas and opinions of others.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Receive information from others
• Reflect while others are speaking
• Interrupt when necessary or appropriate

Skill Descriptor: Identify concepts of print.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Identify concepts of print when engaging with text
• Explain that printed text carries meaning
• Differentiate between letters and numbers
• Differentiate between words and letters
• Explain how punctuation serves a purpose

Skill Descriptor: Demonstrate an awareness of sounds in spoken language.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Blend sounds orally to make a word
• Segment one-syllable words into separate sounds
• Identify final sounds
• Produce a word ending with the same final sound
• Identify medial sounds
• Locate a sound within a word (e.g., initial, medial, and final)
• Produce a new word when asked to delete a sound
• Produce a new word when asked to add a sound
• Substitute initial, medial, and final sounds in words with two to four sounds

Skill Descriptor: Apply letter-sound knowledge to decode words and connected text.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Decode and read single syllable words: consonant-vowel-consonant words (sit, cat, hop, etc.), vowel-consonant words (it, up, on, etc.), consonant-vowel words (to, me, etc.), consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant words (flat, stop, trap, etc.), and consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant words (back, pond, sick, etc.)
• Read words with:
  • all long vowels with marker ‘e’ (bite, cube, robe, etc.)
  • two-letter initial and final consonant blends and digraphs (that, chat, moth, etc.)
  • vowel digraphs (ea, ee, ie, etc.)
• Read some multisyllabic words accurately
• Use sound/symbol knowledge (word structures, familiar onset and rimes, word chunks, etc.) to decode and write new words
• Use knowledge of affixes to decode new words (un-, re-, -s, -es, -er, -ed, -ing, etc.)
• Use sound/symbol knowledge to decode and write high-frequency words varying in spelling regularity

Skill Descriptor: Read familiar words in developmentally appropriate text passages with accuracy and expression.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Automatically read single syllable words: consonant-vowel-consonant words (sit, cat, hop, etc.), vowel-consonant words (it, up, on, etc.), consonant-vowel words (to, me, etc.), consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant words (flat, stop, trap, etc.), and consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant words (back, pond, sick, etc.)
• Read decodable text with expression, including: consonant-vowel-consonant words (sit, cat, hop, etc.), vowel-consonant words (it, up, on, etc.), consonant-vowel words (to, me, etc.), consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant words (flat, stop, trap, etc.), and consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant words (back, pond, sick, etc.)
• Read high-frequency words in decodable text
• Repeat and use frequently occurring affixes with voice variation (un-, -ed, -less, etc.)
• Respond to internal and end punctuation when reading aloud

Skill Descriptor: Use a range of vocabulary when communicating.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Connect prior knowledge of words and word meanings to new words
• Define familiar words by category and by one or more key attributes (animals that have fur: rabbit, cat, raccoon, etc.)
• Use words for sequencing and spatial concepts (first, second, third, on top, under, beside, etc.)
• Use language to explain similarities and differences between objects
• Use prefixes and suffixes with root words to change meaning (zip/unzip, use/reuse, tall/taller/tallest)
• Use Tier Two (all-purpose) words in interactions (decide, positive, community, etc.)
• Use some Tier Three (curriculum/content specific) words and more abstract vocabulary (environment, respect, physical activity, etc.)
• Classify information into subcategories (winter sports: hockey, skiing, snowshoeing, etc.; summer sports: track & field, baseball, soccer, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Construct meaning from oral stories, read-alouds, and text.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

When being read to:

• Make simple inferences about a main character’s actions/feelings using concrete examples from text, when prompted
• Recognize that a character’s actions/motives may be related to the conflict
• Retell main idea of a story and the events and provide some general details

When being read to AND/OR reading independently:

• Use knowledge of affixes (un-, re-, -s, -es, -ed, -ing, etc.) to aid meaning
• Make personal connections and relate prior knowledge to text
• Elaborate on prior knowledge connections
• Make obvious comparisons and conclusions from one story to another story
• Ask questions to better understand text
• Make predictions to support comprehension
• Begin to identify specific facts found in one place in the text

When reading independently:

• Self-monitor for understanding by re-reading, reading around, or slowing down
• Retell orally the main events of a story and main idea from non-fiction texts

Skill Descriptor: Select and engage with a variety of text forms for specific uses.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Select from a variety of text forms, for interest or learning needs (decodable text, braille, audio book, graphic text, non-fiction text, etc.)
• Read or view a variety of text forms for interest or learning needs in first or additional languages
• Express preferences and opinions about text and text features to others
• Ask to view texts and be read to
• Seek text linking to prior knowledge or current learnings
• Refer to various text forms for knowledge, entertainment, interest, and information
• Interact with storytellers and people in the community (Elders, family members, librarians, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Begin to identify characteristics, forms, features, and types of text.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Use text features to gain obvious information
• Use some text features to gain additional information from the text
• Identify some simple text forms and describe the general purpose of the form
• Recognize some basic text features and characteristics (author, illustrator, title, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Print or represent letters, words, and sentences using a writing utensil or assistive technology.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Represent upper- and lower-case letters
• Represent letters/words using left-to-right and top to bottom directionality
• Represent letters/words using conventional spacing and letter sizing
• Represent own full name and the names of others with upper-case letter at the beginning
• Identify and apply print conventions (upper- and lower-case letters, directionality, conventional spacing, margins, etc.)
• Identify and apply handwriting mechanics (hand posture, grip, paper placement, use of assistive technology, etc.)
• Experiment with representation (print, cursive, stylized fonts, symbols, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Apply basic spelling conventions when creating written works.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Show awareness of predominant sounds with invented spelling/finger spelling
• Use invented spelling or groups of words to represent a thought, idea, or to explain an illustration
• Spell and represent single syllable words: consonant-vowel-consonant words (sit, cat, hop, etc.), vowel-consonant words (it, up, on, etc.), and consonant-vowel words (to, me, so, etc.)
• Use some affixes in spelling (un-, re-, -s, -es, -ed, -ing, etc.)
• Identify and apply knowledge of open and closed syllable types in spelling/writing (sit, cat, hop, to me, so, etc.)
• Spell words in parts/chunks of letter patterns
• Use vowels in invented spelling
• Demonstrate clear correspondence between number of letters in spelling and number of sounds in word (e.g., no additional letters or sounds not represented in spelling)
• Begin to use irregular spellings and high-frequency words in writing/representing
• Use knowledge of some syllable types to spell/write unknown words, including:
  • vowel digraphs (ea, ee, ie, etc.)
  • marker-e (can/e, tub/e, pin/e, etc.)
  • r-influenced vowels (ar, er, ir, or, etc.)
  • three-letter blends (scr, thr, spl, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Compose complete thoughts and sentences.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Write/record complete thoughts and sentences
• Use one-to-one correspondence when presenting representations and written ideas
• Use articles and pronouns
• Begin to write legibly and with clarity
• Use repetitive simple sentence patterns (I like…; and then…; etc.)
• Begin to create compound and complex sentences
• Use conversational language
• Write or represent complete sentences (with and without punctuation)
• Experiment with punctuation (e.g., periods after every word, use of exclamation and question marks, etc.)
• Use Tier One, Two, and Three vocabulary to communicate and enhance meaning in written works
• Use simple reference materials (anchor charts, dictionaries, word lists, environmental print, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Organize ideas and create written or media texts.

Global Competencies: CM, CL, ICE

Achievement Indicators:

• Generate ideas for writing and representing (peer and class discussions, topic lists, personal interests, models, etc.)
• Organize ideas in writing and representing for a specific purpose (drawings, graphic organizers, story boards, etc.)
• Gather information for research
• Identify audience and purpose for writing and representing
• Begin to communicate intended purpose of written works
• Use strategies for prewriting (storytelling, drawing, sharing experiences, discussion, etc.)
• Use strategies for revising, editing, and presenting (read to self or partner, review wording for spelling and clarity, expand upon thoughts or ideas)
• Begin to evaluate personal representations
• Present information to support or refute ideas
• Introduce information or topic in opening section
• Write persuasively or to form an argument
• Create various written or represented forms based on personal interest and choice

Skill Descriptor: Begin to seek information to support ideas and construct meaning.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Use information to support ideas
• Gather information to answer a question or solve a problem
• Use information to form a simple argument

Skill Descriptor: Express feelings and opinions, providing some explanation, and give simple descriptions of experiences.

Global Competencies: SASM, CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Use descriptive language to express a feeling, opinion, or emotion
• Use a variety of Tier Two (all-purpose) words and Tier Three (curriculum/content specific) words appropriately
• Use grammatically correct sentences appropriate to context
• Use simple sentences and/or full thoughts to make a point
• Make specific requests

Skill Descriptor: Present facts, ideas, or opinions about a specific topic or theme to peers and teachers.

Global Competencies: CL, CM, ICE

Achievement Indicators:

• Use descriptive language to share simple facts, opinions, and ideas about a specific topic

Skill Descriptor: Explore the language of harmony and respect.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Describe helpful, respectful, and equitable language
• Use language that is not hurtful or offensive
• Identify differences between kind and hurtful language
• Begin to use inclusive language that respects gender identity
• Begin to use language that demonstrates cultural sensitivity and respect

Skill Descriptor: Ask and respond to questions to clarify and gather further information.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, ICE

Achievement Indicators:

• Use question words to create questions about a specific topic or theme
• Ask initial and follow-up questions about a specific topic or theme
• Respond to questions, answering or citing requested information

Skill Descriptor: Give and follow directions or instructions.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Use words for sequence (first, next, then, etc.), time (today, tomorrow, at noon, etc.), and spatial concepts (under, over there, beside, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Explore appropriate communication conventions.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Begin to use language specific to topic
• Begin to use language specific to audience
• Begin to use language specific to situation

Skill Descriptor: Respond personally to presentations, oral stories, and multimodal text.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Use questions, wonderings, and reflections to respond to new information or visual imagery

Skill Descriptor: Explore social conventions when interacting.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Begin to use turn-taking when interacting with others
• Begin to demonstrate consideration for the thoughts and feelings of others
• Begin to use words in place of actions to seek a response (conflict resolution, negotiation, material requests, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Receive and reflect on the ideas and opinions of others.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Receive information from others
• Reflect while others are speaking
• Interrupt when necessary or appropriate

Skill Descriptor: Demonstrate an awareness of sounds in spoken language.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Orally blend four or more sounds to make a word
• Substitute initial, medial, and final sounds in words with four or more sounds

Skill Descriptor: Apply letter-sound knowledge to decode connected text.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Represent sounds in various ways when spelling words (a-e, ai, ei, ay)
• Use sound/symbol knowledge (word structures, familiar onset and rimes, word chunks, etc.) to decode and write new words
• Use knowledge of affixes to decode new words (un-, re-, -s, -es, -er, -est, -ed, -en, -ing, etc.)
• Use sound/symbol knowledge to decode and write high-frequency words varying in spelling regularity
• Read words with:
  • vowel diphthongs (ow, ou, etc.)
  • r-influenced vowels (ar, er, ir, or, etc.)
  • three-letter blends (scr, thr, spl, etc.)
  • other sounds for “y” (yard, my, silly, gym, etc.)
  • -le syllable types (handle, puzzle, middle, etc.)
• Use knowledge of syllables when reading multisyllabic words
• Read a variety of high-frequency words

Skill Descriptor: Read with accuracy and expression.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Read affixes with voice variation (un-, re-, -less, -ed, -er, etc.)
• Respond to internal and end punctuation when reading aloud with appropriate expression
• Automatically read a variety of words when reading, including high-frequency words varying in spelling regularity
• Read familiar passages fluently with appropriate phrasing and expression to convey a sense of text to audience

Skill Descriptor: Use a range of vocabulary when communicating.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Connect prior knowledge of words and word meanings to new words and themes
• Classify information into subcategories (winter sports: hockey, skiing, snowshoeing, etc.; summer sports: track & field, baseball, soccer, etc.)
• Replace Tier One (common) words with more precise Tier Two (all-purpose) words and Tier Three (curriculum/content specific) words (school > education, guess > estimate, etc.)
• Use literary techniques, such as similes, to enhance and enrich meaning
• Use known root words as a clue to understand the meaning of a new word (zoology, unicycle, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Construct meaning from printed text when being read to and when reading independently.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Explain prior knowledge connections
• Use knowledge of affixes (un-, re-, dis-, -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -er, -est, -en, etc.) to aid meaning
• Use knowledge of root/base words to aid meaning (dis-organiz-ed, un-wrap, re-act, etc.)
• Identify specific facts found in one place in the text
• Make comparisons from one text to another and draw conclusions (“In another story, when Majid was late for school, their mom called a taxi. Maybe Ali’s Grandma will call a taxi to get them to the doctor on time.”)
• Make predictions to support comprehension
• Use context to support comprehension
• Make inferences about a character’s actions or feelings and story events, providing some general contextual details (“I think Majid was disappointed that they were going to be late for school. I could tell when they said, ‘Oh no, Mama, today is going to be awful.’”)
• Answer what if, how, and why questions
• Self-monitor for understanding by re-reading, reading on, or slowing down
• Begin to describe reading comprehension processes (re-reading, reading around, looking for context clues, slowing down, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Select and engage with a variety of text forms for specific uses.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Select from a variety of text forms, for interest or learning needs (narrative text, predictable text, repetitive text, decodable text, braille, audio book, graphic text, non-fiction text, etc.)
• Read or view a variety of text forms for interest or learning needs in first or additional languages
• Express preferences and opinions about text and text features to others
• Ask to view texts and be read to
• Seek text linking to prior knowledge or current learnings
• Refer to various text forms for knowledge, entertainment, interest, and information
• Interact with storytellers and people in the community (Elders, family members, librarians, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Identify some characteristics, forms, features, and types of text.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

• Use text features to gain additional information from the text
• Identify simple text forms and describe characteristics and the general purpose of the form
• Recognize some basic text features and characteristics (author, illustrator, title, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Print or represent words and sentences using a writing utensil or assistive technology.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Recognize and apply handwriting mechanics (hand posture, grip, paper placement, use of assistive technology, etc.)
• Use print conventions and mechanics for clarity and legibility
• Print, represent, or write in cursive, upper-case and lower-case letters
• Demonstrate left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality
• Use conventional spacing between words and sentences
• Begin to use indents and spacing for simple paragraphs and separate sections

Skill Descriptor: Apply appropriate spelling conventions when creating written works.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Spell, write, and represent words with:
  • vowel digraphs (ea, ee, ie, etc.)
  • vowel diphthongs (ow, ou, etc.)
  • r-influenced vowels (ar, er, ir, or, etc.)
  • three-letter blends (scr, thr, spl, etc.)
  • other sounds for “y” (yard, my, silly, gym, etc.)
  • -le syllable types (handle, puzzle, middle, etc.)
  • affixes (dis-, un-, re-, -s, -es, -er, -est, -ed, -en, -ing, etc.)
• Use knowledge of phonics patterns and syllable types to spell unknown multisyllabic words
• Spell a variety of high-frequency words (regular and irregular spellings)
• Use grade level conventional spelling (Tier Two vocabulary, Tier Three curriculum specific vocabulary, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Compose complete thoughts and sentences.

Global Competencies: CM

Achievement Indicators:

• Use Tier One, Two, and Three vocabulary to communicate and enhance the meaning in written works/representations
• Begin to write longer and more complex sentences
• Use compound and complex sentences to share ideas and experiences
• Experiment with paragraph form
• Write with increasing clarity and fluency
• Use consistent regular past tense
• Begin to use irregular past tense
• Use nouns, pronouns, and verbs correctly
• Use simple words to indicate comparisons (but, so, however, etc.)
• Use descriptive language (adjectives, active verbs, adverbs, etc.)
• Begin to use commas, apostrophes, and quotation marks
• Use reference materials (anchor charts, dictionaries, word walls, environmental print, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Organize ideas and create written or media texts.

Global Competencies: CL, CM, ICE

Achievement Indicators:

• Generate ideas for writing and representing (discussions, topic lists, personal interests, models, etc.)
• Organize ideas in writing and representing (drawings, graphic organizers, lists, research, key words, headings, etc.)
• Identify general topic and purpose (experiences, opinions, facts, feelings, etc.)
• Communicate intended audience and purpose of written works
• Use form and formatting to match intended purpose
• Present information in a logical sequence
• Elaborate on complex topics
• Link ideas in a variety of ways, creating some flow to the writing (e.g., When it stopped raining…)
• Link ideas using a variety of connecting words (and, then, so, first, next, finally, because, etc.)
• Create various written or represented forms based on personal interest and choice
• Draft a piece of writing that has a topic focus, basic sequence, and supporting details
• Include an obvious conclusion restating the topic or purpose
• Re-read and revise written works for clarity, word order, and spelling based on personal observations and teacher or peer feedback
• Edit written works using a simple checklist for conventions (upper-case/lower-case, punctuation, and spelling)
• Share a finished piece of work with others (bulletin board, orally, online, etc.)

Skill Descriptor: Seek information to support ideas and construct meaning.

Global Competencies: CM, CTPS, SGC

Achievement Indicators:

• Use information from one or two sources to support ideas
• Gather information to answer a question or solve a problem
• Use information to form a simple argument