Curriculum

Children will demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound for each consonant. For example, when shown the letters, they might correctly say the sounds like /b/ for "B," /k/ for "C," and /t/ for "T."

Children will associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels: A, E, I, O, and U. For example, they will learn that the short sound for "A" is heard in "cat," while the long sound is in "cake."

Children will be able to read high-frequency words by sight. For example, they will recognize common words like "the," "and," "is," and "you" without needing to sound them out.

Children will follow agreed-upon rules for discussions, such as listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion.For example, during a classroom discussion, they will practice waiting for their turn to speak and expressing their thoughts by saying things like, "I like what you said about the story," or "I have a different idea."

Children will recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet. For example, during a classroom activity, they might sing the alphabet song, point to letters on a chart, or play games where they match upper- and lowercase letters, such as finding and pairing "A" with "a."

Children will be able to continue a conversation through multiple exchanges. For example, during a discussion about their favorite animals, if one child says, "I like dogs," another child might respond, "I like dogs too! What kind of dog do you have?" The first child could then reply, "I have a golden retriever. What about you?"

Children will demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). For example, they might clap their hands for each syllable in their name, saying "Sam-my" for two claps, or they could identify the beginning sound in words like "bat" and "cat," recognizing that both start with the /b/ and /k/ sounds, respectively.

Children will confirm their 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.** For example, after listening to a story, a child might ask, "Why did the character feel sad?" or "What happened after that?" They will also learn to respond to questions from peers or the teacher, such as saying, "I think the story means..." or "Can you tell me more about that part?" If they don't understand something, they might say, "I don’t get what that means. Can you explain it again?" This practice helps them engage actively with the text and enhances their comprehension skills.

Children will demonstrate an understanding of rhyming words by identifying and producing words that rhyme. For example, they might recognize that "cat," "hat," and "mat" all end with the same sound.

Children will ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.** For example, during a classroom activity, a child may ask, "Can you help me with this math problem?" or "What do we do next?" In response, their peers or teacher might clarify by saying, "You need to add these two numbers together," or "Next, we are going to read a book."