Curriculum

Children will identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. This means they will read and find specific explanations or examples that the author provides to explain their ideas. For example, if they read that "eating vegetables is healthy," they will look for reasons like "vegetables have vitamins" and "they make you strong" to see why the author thinks eating vegetables is good.

With prompting and support, children will compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories. For example, a teacher might read two stories like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" and "The Three Little Pigs." Afterward, the teacher can ask the children, "How are Goldilocks' adventures different from those of the three pigs?" and "What similar things happened to Goldilocks and the pigs in their stories?" This activity helps children understand the characters' actions and experiences, encouraging them to think about stories in a deeper way and notice similarities and differences.

Children will, with prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. For example, after reading a nonfiction text, the teacher might ask, "What reasons does the author give to explain why trees are important?" The children could respond with answers such as, "The author says trees provide oxygen and homes for animals." The teacher may encourage them to look back at the text for specific phrases that support their answers, helping them understand how authors use reasons to back up their main points.

Children will read prose and poetry that is suitably complex for their grade level with some prompting and support. For instance, in a grade 1 classroom, a teacher might introduce a simple poem like "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear and a short story such as "Frog and Toad Are Friends" by Arnold Lobel. The teacher could help the children through challenging words and phrases, guide them in understanding the flow of the poetry, and discuss the plot and characters in the story.

Children will identify basic similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic. This means they will look at how the texts are alike and how they are different in their illustrations, descriptions, or procedures. For example, if they read two books about frogs, they might notice that both books talk about where frogs live (similarity) but one book has more pictures while the other has more detailed descriptions (difference).

Children will actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. This means they will participate in reading sessions where they listen attentively, ask questions, and discuss the story with their peers and teachers. For example, during a group reading of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," the teacher might pause to ask the children about the caterpillar's food choices and their consequences.

Children will, with prompting and support, identify basic similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic. For example, after reading two books about animals, the teacher might ask, "What is the same about these two books?" The children could identify similarities, such as "Both books show pictures of lions." Then, the teacher might prompt them to find differences, asking, "How are these books different?" The children might respond, "One book talks about lions living in the jungle, and the other talks about lions in the zoo."

Children will use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces about their favorite books. For example, a 5-year-old might choose to talk about "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. The child could draw a picture of the caterpillar eating through various foods, dictate to a teacher or use beginner writing skills to note, "My favorite book is 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar.'" They could then express their opinion, "I like it because the caterpillar eats so many things and turns into a butterfly."

Children will segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes). For example, when the teacher says the word "bat," the children will listen and then break it down into its individual sounds by saying "/b/ /a/ /t/." Similarly, for the word "ship," they will segment it into "/sh/ /i/ /p/."

Children will read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. For example, after practicing a short story multiple times, they will be able to read it aloud accurately, using a steady pace and clear pronunciation. They will also incorporate expression, such as raising their voices for exciting parts or using softer tones for quieter moments.