Knows that alphabet letters are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.

Develops an Awareness of the Structure of Print

• Sings the "Alphabet Song."

Develops Phonemic Awareness

• Develops an understanding of the relationship between written letters and spoken sounds, identifying by name all letters in his or her first name.

Recognizes print in the local environment.

Develops an Awareness of Print in Everyday Surroundings & Its Many Uses

• Identifies different examples of print in the environment, such as in books, newspapers, magazines, on food containers, menus, mail, street signs, billboards, etc.

Knows that it is the print that is read in stories.

Demonstrates an Awareness of Book and Print Organization

• Points to the title of a book; the top, bottom, or middle of a page; the beginning of a book (first page); where to start reading a book (first word on the first page); the order that words are read on the page (left to right, line to line); the end of a book (last page); a word; a letter.

Understands that different text forms are used for different functions of print (e.g., a list of groceries is different than the list on a menu).

Develops an Awareness of Print in Everyday Surroundings & Its Many Uses

• Collects objects using a list of words and pictures.
• Dictates a caption for a drawing or photograph.
• Dictates a simple letter, invitation, or thank-you note.
• Uses a simplified schedule of daily activities, depicted in pictures and words to describe the order of events for the day, i.e., which are the first and last activities.
• Uses a simplified schedule of daily activities, depicted in pictures words to indicate which activity preceded and which will follow the current activity.
• Uses a simplified telephone directory, depicted in words and pictures.
• Depicts and represents "in writing:" people, objects, events or activities, derived from his or her own experience or imagination.
• Dictates a description to accompany one's own drawings of people, objects, events or activities, derived from his or her own experience or imagination.
• Follows a recipe depicted in words and pictures.
• Assembles a simple object or craft following illustrated directions.
• Depicts "in writing:" recipe or craft directions, scientific explanations of observed events or experiments.

Pays attention to separable and repeating sounds in language (e.g., Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater: Peter Eater)

Develops Phonemic Awareness

• Segments a spoken sentence into separate, distinct words.
• Blends spoken parts of a compound word and say the whole word, such as "bill" - "board" = "billboard."
• Blends two spoken syllables and say a whole word, such as "pic" - "nic" = "picnic."

Uses new vocabulary and grammatical constructions in own speech.

Understands and Uses Increasingly Varied and Complex Vocabulary and Syntax

Develops Independent Work Habits

• Carries out single step oral directions.
• Carries out multistep oral directions, accompanied by a preliminary demonstration.

Is sensitive to some sequences of events in stories.

Develops a Notion of "Story Schema"

• Sequences 3-5 illustrations of events from a story.

Shows an interest in books and reading.

Listens to Stories Read Aloud

• Participates in Stories Read Aloud

When being read a story, connects information and events to real life experiences.

(Addressed in training; not explicitly stated in Preschool Sequence goals & objectives.)

Questions and comments demonstrate understanding of literal meaning of story being told.

Listens to Stories Read Aloud

• Answers questions about the elements of a story: character(s), setting, plot, and events.

Can identify about ten alphabet letters, especially those from own name.

Develops Phonemic Awareness

• Develops an understanding of the relationship between written letters and spoken sounds, identifying by name all letters in his or her first name and also identifying the sound made by at least three letters in his or her first name.

Writes (scribbles) message as part of playful activity.

Develops an Awareness of Print in Everyday Surroundings & Its Many Uses

• Depicts and represents "in writing": people, objects, events or activities, derived from his or her own experience or imagination.

May begin to attend to beginning or rhyming sounds in salient words.

Develops Phonemic Awareness:

• Given a sound and a choice of two spoken words, identifies the word that begins with a given sound.
• Given a spoken word, gives the beginning sound.
• Develops a Sense of Rhyme
• Using familiar rhymes, poems, or songs, finishes a recitation that has been begun with the correct rhyming word.
• Using familiar rhymes, poems, or songs, indicates several possible rhyming word choices, other than those contained in the actual rhyme, to finish the recitation (nonsense words are acceptable).

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1. Readers are encouraged to refer to the complete Preventing Reading Difficulties, edited by Snow, C., S. Burns, and P. Griffin.  Washington, D.C.: National Research Council, 1998.
2. Readers are encouraged to refer to the complete Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence.  Charlottesville, VA: Core Knowledge Foundation, 2000, 1997.