Curriculum

Children will read on-level text with purpose and understanding. For example, when reading a story appropriate for their grade level, they will be able to identify the main idea and details, make predictions about what might happen next, and ask questions about the text. During reading activities, they might discuss the characters and settings, or summarize the story in their own words to demonstrate their comprehension.

Children will decode regularly spelled one-syllable words. For example, they will use their knowledge of phonics to read words like "cat," "dog," "sit," and "run" by sounding out each letter and blending the sounds together.

Children will know the final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds. For example, they will understand that the final -e in words like "cake" and "bike" signals that the vowel sound is long (the "a" in "cake" sounds like /ā/ and the "i" in "bike" sounds like /ī/). They will also recognize vowel teams such as "ai" in "rain," "ea" in "team," and "oa" in "boat," which also represent long vowel sounds.

Children will use the knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word. For example, they will examine words like "banana," "table," and "happy," recognizing that each syllable contains a vowel sound. They might clap for each syllable as they say the word aloud, helping them to identify that "banana" has three syllables (ba-na-na) and "table" has two syllables (ta-ble).

Children will decode two-syllable words by breaking the words into syllables and following basic patterns. For example, they will learn to recognize and pronounce words like "happy," "basket," and "sunset" by dividing them into syllables (hap-py, bas-ket, sun-set)

Children will read words with inflectional endings. For example, they will be able to read words like "walking," "jumped," "cats," and "happier," recognizing how the endings change the meaning of the base word. During reading activities, they might enter sentences or short stories that include these words, and they will practice by sounding them out and understanding how the endings affect the verb tense or indicate plurals and comparisons.

Children will read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. For example, as they read aloud, they will focus on pronouncing words correctly, using appropriate pacing, and applying expression to ensure that they understand the text. They might practice reading familiar stories or grade-level texts multiple times to build their confidence and fluency.

Children will be taught phonological awareness as well as three-letter words and beginning and ending sounds. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words.1 (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.) They will be able to produce the initial sound of a given word.

Children will count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words. For example, they might clap their hands for each syllable in a word like "elephant" (three claps) or say, "Let's say the word 'butterfly' together: but-ter-fly." They can also blend syllables together by sounding out the syllables separately and then combining them to form the complete word.

Children will be able to define words by category and by one or more key attributes.** For example, they might say, "A duck is a bird that swims," or "A tiger is a large cat with stripes."