Curriculum

Children will distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text. This means they will learn to notice what details come from the images and what details come from the written text. For example, if they see a picture of a dog playing in a park and read the sentence "The dog is running fast," they will understand that the picture shows how the dog looks and where it is, while the words describe what the dog is doing

Children will use illustrations and details in the story "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak to describe its characters, setting, or events. For instance, a teacher can ask, "Can you describe where Max sails to using the pictures?" Children might talk about the wide ocean and the forest of the Wild Things seen in the illustrations. They could also describe Max and the Wild Things from the way they are drawn, noting emotions and actions like Max's king costume and the Wild Things' wild dances.

Children will use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas. This means they will look at the pictures and read the text to understand the main points. For example, if they see a picture of a butterfly and read about how it grows from a caterpillar, they will use both the image and the words to explain the life cycle of a butterfly.

(Not applicable to literature)

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.

Children will compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in different stories. For example, using Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" and Ezra Jack Keats' "The Snowy Day," a teacher might guide a discussion on how each character's adventure differs. They could discuss how Max sails to an island of Wild Things and becomes their king, full of wild rumpuses, while Peter explores his neighborhood after a snowfall, experiencing the quiet and peaceful scenes of winter.

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.

Children will know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. For example, they will use their understanding of letter-sound relationships to read words like "cat," "fish," and "jump" by sounding out each letter. Additionally, they will recognize common digraphs such as "sh" in "ship" and "ch" in "chat," allowing them to decode those words effectively.

Children will use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. For example, if they come across a word they don't recognize while reading a sentence, they might use the surrounding words to figure it out. If the sentence reads, "The dog wags its ___," and they hesitate at the word "tail," they could think about the context and reread the sentence to understand that "tail" makes sense in that context.