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Understanding that print carries meaning.

Knowing the directionality of text (left to right, top to bottom).

Recognizing parts of a book (cover, title, author, spaces between words).

Milestone: By the end of kindergarten, most children can demonstrate correct directionality and identify the difference between letters and words.

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• Typically Pre-K to Kindergarten (ages 3–6).

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1. Clay’s Concepts About Print Test (CAP)

• Students show book orientation, directionality, and recognition of letters/words.

2. Observational Checklist

• Teacher notes whether students handle books correctly, track print, or recognize spaces between words.

3. Interactive Read-Aloud Questions

• Asking, “Where do I start reading?” or “Can you point to a word?”

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Shared Reading with Big Books

• Teacher models left-to-right tracking, pointing to each word while reading aloud. Research shows that modeling concepts during authentic reading experiences supports emergent literacy.

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For ELs: Use picture walk before reading to build background knowledge and vocabulary.

For students with dyslexia: Provide tactile books (raised letters, textured illustrations) to reinforce the print concept in a multisensory way.

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Broad awareness of the sound structure of spoken language.

Includes rhyming, alliteration, word awareness, syllable segmentation, onset-rime.

Milestone: By end of Kindergarten, students can identify and produce rhymes, segment words into syllables, and identify initial sounds.

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• Pre-K through Grade 1 (ages 4–7).

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1. Phonological Awareness Test–2

• Measures rhyme, segmentation, blending, deletion, and substitution.

2. Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS, First Sound Fluency)

• Tracks growth in identifying initial sounds.

3. Informal Games

• “Clap the syllables” or “Which words rhyme?” activities for observational assessment.

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Rhyming and Syllable Games

• Use clapping, songs, and chants to segment syllables and recognize rhymes. Research supports using play-based phonological awareness tasks to build pre-reading skills.

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• For ELs: Pair new English words with visuals and allow use of home language to identify rhymes.

• For dyslexia: Use explicit, multisensory instruction (clapping, tapping, visual supports) for syllable segmentation.

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Narrower subset of phonological awareness.

Ability to identify, isolate, blend, segment, and manipulate individual phonemes (smallest units of sound).

Milestone: By Grade 1, students can segment and blend phonemes in CVC words (e.g., /c/ /a/ /t/ → cat).

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• Kindergarten through Grade 1 (ages 5–7).

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1. Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (DIBELS)

• Students break apart words into phonemes within 1 minute.

2. Yopp-Singer Test of Phoneme Segmentation

• Students segment words orally (teacher records accuracy).

3. Informal Blending/Segmenting Tasks

• Ask students to blend spoken sounds into words.

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Elkonin Boxes (Sound Boxes)

• Students push counters into boxes as they say each phoneme in a word. Research shows this visual-spatial strategy builds phonemic segmentation skills.

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For ELs: Use picture cues for words (cat, dog, sun) to support vocabulary while focusing on phonemes.

For dyslexia: Incorporate Orton-Gillingham–style multisensory instruction (saying, hearing, moving tokens, writing sounds).

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Ability to recognize and name letters of the alphabet (uppercase and lowercase).

Milestone: By end of kindergarten, students typically can name all 26 uppercase and lowercase letters.

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• Pre-K through Kindergarten (ages 3–6).

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1. Letter Naming Fluency (DIBELS)

• Students name as many letters as possible within 1 minute.

2. Alphabet Recognition Checklist

• Teacher points to letters in random order for child to identify.

3. Flashcard Assessment

• Informal check of both uppercase and lowercase letter naming.

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Alphabet Songs and Letter Games

• Singing alphabet songs, tracing letters, and using letter-matching games. Research shows repeated, engaging practice helps build automaticity.

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For ELs: Pair letter names with keyword pictures (A–apple, B–ball) to reinforce vocabulary.

For dyslexia: Provide tactile/kinesthetic practice (sandpaper letters, air-writing, tracing) to strengthen memory pathways.