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An idea of what skills their child will learn

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What will children learn about reading and writing in kindergarten? What are they expected to know by the end of the kindergarten year? While the goals may vary somewhat from state to state, there are some typical expectations. This list can give you a good idea of what your child will learn about language arts in the first year of school-assuming he or she doesn't already know most of it.

Your Kindergartener Will Learn the Alphabet

The ABC's are the first step to learning how to read and will likely be one of the first skills your child nails down. Help them along by singing the song as often as possible (even if you get sick of it).

They will learn how to:

Reading Readiness

Armed with the basics of the alphabet, your kindergartener is now ready to read books. It's ok if there are very few words in them. Simply exposing your child to books will help foster a love of reading from an early age.

Once kindergarteners understand the bare-bones basics of books and initial sounds, they will work to string sounds together and read basic 3-5 letter words and, eventually, sentences.

Once your child has the basics of the alphabet down, they'll also be able to write. Spelling their name for the first time will be an exciting moment.

Kindergartners will be able to:

Is Your Child Ready?

These are the skills that are generally taught in schools. It's good to check with the school your child will attend to know exactly what they will be teaching. If your child has already mastered most or even many of these skills, you might want to find out what kind of services, if any, the school provides for children who need advanced instruction. If your child has already reached many or most of the other kindergarten curriculum goals, you might even check to see if the school will allow your child to skip kindergarten and start school in first grade.

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Reading and Writing Skills in Kindergarten

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What will children learn about reading and writing in kindergarten? What are they expected to know by the end of the kindergarten year? While the goals may vary somewhat from state to state, there are some typical expectations.

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Good site for teachers for fun sentence work

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Kindergarten Sentence Games | Turtle Diary

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Play one of Turtle Diary's large variety of Sentences games for kindergarten. These games are a great way to teach students about a large variety of subjects.

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Game for teachers or parents to use to help teach capital letters for sentences

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usa | world | animals | vocabulary | health | science | math | preschool

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Magical Capitals: a language arts game about capitalization.

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Magical Capitals game: learn about the rules of capitalization!

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Games for teachers or parents to use to help make writing fun

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Reading and Writing Unit: Writing - BrainPOP Jr.

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Great ideas for new teachers

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Here is an example of a shared writing lesson using both sight words and inventive, phonetic spelling in a real Kindergarten classroom! For more information and creative ideas visit www.HeidiSongs.com --------------------------- Connect with Heidi: Website: http://www.Heidisongs.com Heidi's Blog: http://www.heidisongs.com/blog Main Channel: http://www.youtube.com/gbutkus Second Channel: http://www.youtube.com/heidisongsreso... Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HeidiSongs Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/heidisongs

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For parents or teachers

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Phonological Awareness? Check! Alphabet Knowledge? Check! The Kindergarten countdown is underway and we still have one more skill to practice - Emergent Writing! Read on for some of our favorite Emergent Writing activities to try this summer.

Emergent Writing Activities: "I'm a writer!"

Emergent writing helps children understand writing is a form of communication we use to convey feelings, thoughts, and ideas. By providing children with rich writing experiences it will help lay a strong foundation in literacy learning. Early writing is a strong predictor of children's later reading success . There are five main stages of emergent writing, beginning from scribbling and going through using letters for prominent phonemes. You can introduce your emergent writers to six main forms of emergent writing:

By the time a child begins Kindergarten, they should reach the following developmental emergent writing standards:

Uses letter-like forms, symbols, or recognizable letters to express ideas, feelings, and opinions.

Uses writing tools with adult guidance.

Show emerging awareness that writing can be used for a variety of purposes.

Note: Some children may be able to write letters that represent the sounds they hear in words they write, but it's perfectly fine if this doesn't happen until Kindergarten.
Get your children kindergarten-ready with these five emergent writing activities!

1. Write a Summer Journal

A summer journal doesn't have to be pages of hand-written details about every day's activities, but you could help your child put together a journal of sorts, chronicling their summer adventures.

Having children draw what they did and then write out what the activity is in the picture is a great way for them to create their own writing prompt. Encourage them to not just explain what they did, but also how they felt during those experiences, and then put all the beautiful artwork on display!

2. Write a Postcard to a Friend or Relative

Who doesn't like getting mail? And getting something handwritten from a friend or relative is extra special. Have your child write a short postcard to someone extra special in their life and then they can send it in the mail!

3. Make a Packing List for an Upcoming Trip

Shoes. Check! Shirts. Check! Toys. Check! Have your children put together a packing list for a trip they're going on. This trip doesn't have to be anywhere fancy - it could be as simple as going to Grandma's or to a friend's house. In addition to practicing their writing skills, it's a great opportunity to talk through what your child might do and the things they would need for each activity.

4. Label a Picture Your Child Colored or Painted

Unleash your students' inner artist and after they've completed their masterpiece, have them label what is happening in the picture. Is it a picture of their family? They can write out the names of their family members. This is a fun and easy way to include emergent writing skills during coloring time.

5. Vote for Your Favorite

Which would you choose? Fruits or veggies? Day or night? Beach or mountains? Take a topic you've been talking about at home and turn it into an opportunity for children to discuss their favorite things. Write out the questions and have your child write their name under each one of their favorites!

Try these kindergarten readiness activities with your Pre-K children this summer and they'll have so much fun, they won't even know they're learning! And don't forget to check out our posts on Phonological Awareness and Alphabet Knowledge .

Recommended Resources for Kindergarten Readiness Skills

Emergent Writing

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Fun Kindergarten Readiness Activities to Try This Summer: Emergent Writing | Cox Campus

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Phonological Awareness? Check! Alphabet Knowledge? Check! The Kindergarten countdown is underway and we still have one more skill to practice - Emergent Writing! Read on for some of our favorite Emergent Writing activities to try this summer. Emergent writing helps children understand writing is a form of communication we use to convey feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

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Information for parents

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What are writing readiness (pre-writing) skills?

Pre-writing skills are the fundamental skills children need to develop before they are able to write. These skills contribute to the child's ability to hold and use a pencil, and the ability to draw, write, copy, and colour. A major component of pre-writing skills are the pre-writing shapes. These are the pencil strokes that most letters, numbers and early drawings are comprised of. They are typically mastered in sequential order, and to an age specific level. These strokes include the following strokes: |, -, O, +, /, square, \, X, and Δ.

Why are writing readiness (pre-writing) skills important?

Pre-writing skills are essential for the child to be able to develop the ability to hold and move a pencil fluently and effectively and therefore produce legible writing. When these skills are underdeveloped it can lead to frustration and resistance due to the child not being able to produce legible writing or to 'keep up' in class due to fatigue. This can then result in poor self esteem and academic performance.

What are the building blocks necessary to develop writing readiness (pre-writing)?

Hand and finger strength: An ability to exert force against resistance using the hands and fingers that allows the necessary muscle power for controlled movement of the pencil.

Crossing the mid-line: The ability to cross the imaginary line running from a person's nose to pelvis that divides the body into left and right sides.

Pencil grasp: The efficiency of how the pencil is held, allowing age appropriate pencil movement generation.

Hand eye coordination: The ability to process information received from the eyes to control, guide and direct the hands in the performance of a task such as handwriting.

Bilateral integration: Using two hands together with one hand leading (e.g. holding and moving the pencil with the dominant hand while the other hand helps by holding the writing paper).

Upper body strength: The strength and stability provided by the shoulder to allow controlled hand movement for good pencil control.

Object manipulation: The ability to skilfully manipulate tools (including holding and moving pencils and scissors) and controlled use of everyday tools (such as a toothbrush, hairbrush, cutlery).

Visual perception: The brain's ability to interpret and make sense of visual images seen by the eyes, such as letters and numbers.

Hand dominance: The consistent use of one (usually the same) hand for task performance, which allows refined skills to develop.

Hand division: Using just the thumb, index and middle finger for manipulation, leaving the fourth and little finger tucked into the palm stabilizing the other fingers but not participating.

How can I tell if my child has problems with writing readiness (pre-writing) skills?

If a child has difficulties with writing readiness they might:

Have an awkward pencil grasp.

Have difficulty controlling a pencil for colouring, drawing or writing.

Show a tendency to use their whole hand to manipulate objects rather than just a few fingers.

Have poor endurance for pencil based activities.

Display messy and/or slow handwriting.

Have difficulty staying within the lines when colouring.

Apply inappropriate pressure to the paper for pencil based activities (either too heavy and frequently breaks the pencil, or too light and 'spidery').

Have poor upper limb strength (weak shoulders).

Have difficulty coordinating both hands together for two handed tasks.

Have poor hand-eye coordination.

Be verbally skilled but has difficulty showing this on paper (i.e. writing, drawing or colouring).

Not meet the pre-writing expectations outlined below.

What other problems can occur when a child has writing readiness (pre-writing) skill difficulties?

When a child has writing readiness difficulties, they might also have difficulties with:

Behaviour: The may avoid or refuse to participate in pencil and other fine motor tasks.

Self esteem: when they compare their work against that of their peers.

Academic performance: They find it more difficult and be slower completing these tasks, contributing to slower skills acquisition (e.g. learning to write their name, or draw a person).

Self care: The ability to (age appropriately) master independence in everyday life activities (such as dressing, eating, cleaning teeth, brushing hair).

Avoidance: Preferring to get others to perform fine motor tasks for them under their direction, rather than actually doing themselves (e.g. "Daddy, draw me a house", or "build me a rocket", with refusal to do it themselves).

What can be done to improve writing readiness (pre-writing) skills?

Hand dominance: Determine and reinforce the dominant hand use in precision task performance.

Experience: Encourage participation in activities that involve grasping and manipulating small objects such drawing, puzzles, opening containers, threading or other related tasks.

Poking and pointing: Practice tasks that use just one or two fingers (not all at once) e.g. poking games.

Praise and encouragement when your child engages in fine motor activities, especially if they are persistent when finding an activity difficult.

Hand and finger strength (e.g. scrunching, paper, using tweezers, play dough, pegs).

Sensory play activities (e.g. rice play, finger painting) to assist the development of tactile awareness.

Hand-eye coordination: Practice activities that involve hand-eye coordination (e.g. throwing and catching) and crossing the mid-line (e.g. reaching across the body to pick up items).

Upper limb strength: Encourage play activities that develop upper limb strength (e.g. climbing ladders, wheelbarrow walking).

What activities can help improve writing readiness (pre-writing) skills?

Threading and lacing with a variety of sized laces.

Play-doh (playdough) activities that may involve rolling with hands or a rolling pin, hiding objects such as coins in the play dough or just creative construction.

Scissor projects that may involve cutting out geometric shapes to then paste them together to make pictures such as robots, trains or houses.

Tongs or teabag squeezers to pick up objects.

Drawing or writing on a vertical surface.

Every day activities that require finger strength such as opening containers and jars.

Pre writing shapes: Practice drawing the pre-writing shapes (l, -, O, +, /, square, \, X, and Δ).

Finger games: that practice specific finger movements such as Incy wincy Spider.

Craft: Make things using old boxes, egg cartons, wool, paper and sticky or masking tape.

Construction: Building with duplo, lego, mobilo or other construction toys.

Why should I seek therapy if I notice difficulties with writing readiness (pre-writing) skills in my child?

Therapeutic intervention to help a child with writing readiness difficulties is important to:

Improve ability in, and persistence with, fine motor tasks for academic performance.

Increase school readiness skills for your child's emotional comfort and ease of transition into school.

Help a child to develop age appropriate self care tasks such as doing up buttons and zips.

Avoid my child becoming disengaged in an academic environment due to difficulties completing colouring, drawing and writing.

Avoid frustrations experienced by parents, teachers and children when the child is struggling to remain engaged in academic activities.

Help develop and maintain my child's positive sense of well being through belief in their pencil skills for academic and play tasks.

Ensure that my child doesn't fall behind their peers in development of handwriting or drawing.

If left untreated what can difficulties with writing readiness (pre-writing) skills lead to?

When children have difficulties with writing readiness, they are might also have difficulties with:

Meeting (preschool or school based academic criteria due to poor pencil skills and rapid fatigue.

Difficulties mastering letter and number formation.

Learning to write their own name or draw age appropriate pictures (pre-school age).

Excessive pressure and anxiety in a school-aged child due to difficulties 'keeping up' in class.

Completing worksheets or tests due to difficulty answering all written questions within the allocated time.

Poor self esteem when a child compares their abilities with their peers.

Difficulty manipulating items for construction (puzzles, lego).

What type of therapy is recommended writing readiness (pre-writing) difficulties?

If your child has difficulties with writing readiness (pre-writing) skills, it is recommended they consult an Occupational Therapist.

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Writing Readiness (Pre-Writing) Skills - Kid Sense Child Development

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What are writing readiness (pre-writing) skills? Pre-writing skills are the fundamental skills children need to develop before they are able to write. These skills contribute to the child's ability to hold and use a pencil, and the ability to draw, write, copy, and colour. A major component of pre-writing skills are the pre-writing shapes.

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Great for teachers

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A Kindergarten Writing Center in Action | Scholastic

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Read on as I share activities that will help make your writing center a more enticing place for your little learners.

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Great info for parents at a look into the classroom

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I just read another good blog post from Tim Shanahan, this one about how to teach writing in kindergarten.... on the same day that our new Keys to Early Writing book is going to the printer! So, I thought I'd devote this entry to kindergarten writing instruction.

You might be asking this question: Do young children in kindergarten even have the skills to be able to write? Part of the answer is how you define writing. If you substitute the word composing, it's easy to see that the answer is yes! Kindergarteners definitely have the ability to compose, even if they can't yet read or write letters.

One thing we point out in our Keys to Early Writing training is the difference between transcription skills and writing/composing skills. Transcription skills include spelling and handwriting, tasks for which students should become fluent by the time they leave grade 3. For reading, when students become fluent in decoding/word recognition, there is more cognitive energy available to focus on making meaning. It's similar to writing - when students become fluent in transcription skills, it frees them to focus on determining what they want to say and how they want to say it. However, with both reading and writing, this doesn't mean that students have to learn to decode, spell and write letters before we can teach them comprehension and compose. The Common Core writing standards recognize this. The opinion, informational, and narrative writing standards all begin in Kindergarten as shown below.

Kindergarten Common Core Writing Standards:

# 1 Opinion Writing: tell the topic or name of a book, state opinion or preference; use drawing, dictating, and writing to complete an opinion piece

# 2: Informational Writing: name what they are writing about; use drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative texts; supply some information about the topic

# 3: Narrative Writing: use drawing, dictating and writing to narrate a single event of several loosely linked events; tell about the events in the order in which they occurred; provide a reaction to what happened

Notice that the standards include drawing and dictating as an alternative to actual writing. Students enter kindergarten with a very wide range of skills - some can't name the letters and do not know how to match sounds to letters, while others can independently apply basic reading and writing skills. Also, learning of these basic skills is highly accelerated in this grade. There is a big difference between the skills they have at the start of the school year and the end.
Drawing
Drawing is a critical stage in early writing - it is a form of rehearsal for writing. The act of drawing and the picture itself provide a supportive scaffolding within which students can construct a piece of writing. Lucy Calkins (1994) notes that by using just a single word with a picture, a student is able to convey a story because most of the meaning is carried by the picture. Here's what she has to say about kindergarten and grade 1 drawing:

"First drawings "hold the world still" - they tend to be a collection of objects placed on the page. Then students enter action by using lines, dots, arrows or something similar to show that the characters are interacting with each other in their settings. In these grades, students can convey their meaning more easily through drawing than through print because their word writing is limited."
Dictating
Young children often have a lot more to say than their drawings can capture. This is where the help of an adult comes in. When teachers ask students to explain the opinion, information, or narrative they are trying to convey in their drawing, and then transcribe (i.e., write down) their responses, the students are able to connect their composing to print.
Oral Rehearsal
Shanahan emphasizes the value of dictating throughout his blog post. Here's some of what he suggests:

"I have always begun children's writing with oral composition... Oral writing tends to be easier for young kids than writing by hand is and it helps them to gain the concept of writing-which very quickly bears fruit in guiding them into creating their own writing by hand. In kindergarten, I would usually start language experience out on a whole class basis. The first step is a shared experience... some hands-on activity or observational event in which everyone is engaged. Then gather kids around a chart and ask them to tell about the experience. Some of this can be "turn and talk," some of it might be students responding individually to teacher questions. The idea is to help kids see that language allows them to relive experiences and to think about them.

Now that you have them buzzing, tell them that you want to write an article about the experience. Ask who has something they would like to say about the experience. Then help that child construct a sentence about it. This might be simply transcribing what was said, or it might be helping the child to expand a thought and then transcribing. Print the students' ideas to get 4 or 5 sentences. I continue with this kind of thing regularly until students are able to do it easily...By the time you are done with language experience approach, the children should have a clear idea of the nature of book sentences, that print (the ABCs) is used to record one's words, that print moves from left-to-right and from top-to-bottom. They should know the difference between pictures and writing, too."

I'll be sharing more from Keys to Early Writing in some upcoming blog posts. You may find some of the free templates and printables from the book helpful. Click here to access them.

Click here to learn more about Keys to Early Writing.

Reference:

Calkins, L. M. (1994). The art of teaching writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

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Teaching Writing in Kindergarten - Keys to Literacy

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I just read another good blog post from Tim Shanahan, this one about how to teach writing in kindergarten.... on the same day that our new Keys to Early Writing book is going to the printer! So, I thought I'd devote this entry to kindergarten writing instruction.

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Great for teachers

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Kindergarten and first-grade students are starting to learn more about the writing process. Use this "stretch a sentence" worksheet to help your little writers expand ideas and topics by adding more details to a sentence. This resource provides students with sentence starters that are sure to get their creative juices flowing!

Grade

Subject

View aligned standards

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Stretch a Sentence | Worksheet | Education.com

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Kindergarten and first-grade students are starting to learn more about the writing process. Use this "stretch a sentence" worksheet to help your little writers expand ideas and topics by adding more details to a sentence. This resource provides students with sentence starters that are sure to get their creative juices flowing!

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Great for teachers

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When telling people that I teach kindergarten, I often am asked, "How do you do it?" Now, imagine teaching five year olds how to write entire paragraphs. Yes, we are superheroes with the powers of patience, perseverance and the ability to bend at the waist for long periods of time. Here are the best kindergarten writing tips that I have gathered over the years.

1. Teach letter formation in context

Kill two birds with one stone. Kindergarten students need to be taught how to form their letters. This can be done within the context of writing a sentence. Often, when students practice writing letters in isolation, they have trouble transferring handwriting skills to sentence writing. Teach capitalization, spacing and end punctuation while demonstrating proper letter formation.

2. Practice consistently

Have your students engage in meaningful writing from day one. Kids learn to talk by talking, and we know kindergartners have mastered that skill. They learn to write by writing even if it is a large string of letters at first or even scribbling. They have to start somewhere. We give them the tools to develop into confident writers by allowing them the time to write and draw every day.

3. Sight words, sight words, sight words

Students need to know how to read and spell several anchor sight words in order to build confidence with sentence writing. I use a word wall, songs and chants to teach students to spell sight words. For example, I sing the word like to the tune of "It's a Small Word." L-I-K-E, that spells like. L-I-K-E that spells like.... . Once they are armed with an arsenal of words that are essential to the structure of a sentence, they are well on their way to success.

4. Encourage invented spelling

Invented spelling refers to stretching out words and writing them exactly as they are heard by a beginning writer. If students become hung up on spelling words correctly, creativity and continuity suffers. Students will only want to write very simple sentences. Kindergarten teachers double as detectives easily decoding sentences such as "I lik pesu and is kem (pizza and ice cream)."

[Check out our article on why invented spelling is so important.]

5. Do mini lessons

Kindergarteners have the attention span of a fruit fly. This is why right before journal writing time, I teach them one quick skill. Mini lessons are great for teaching narrative, opinion writing, how to compose a topic sentence, and various stages of the writing process.

6. Try interactive writing

Morning message or class news is a good example of interactive writing. This refers to the teacher and student sharing the pen. One student gives the teacher news, and students are called up to the white board to help sound out words and place appropriate punctuation.

7. Choose meaningful topics

Kindergarteners love themselves, their family and their friends. Let them write about the topics they choose in their journals. Sentence starters confuse kindergarten students. If they write about the same thing for a while, it is ok. It is much like reading the same book over and over again. They are building confidence

8. Write across the curriculum

Reading and writing go hand in hand. Students can write their favorite part of a story or compose a letter to a character. Reading informational text and drawing and labeling a picture are a great ways to combine science and social studies research with writing.

9. Remember that punctuation is tough

Kindergarten students often will put periods at the end of each word or line. Teaching kindergarteners the concept of a complete thought is difficult because their thoughts go on and on and on and on. I teach the students that if their writing answers the question, "Guess what?", it needs a period.

10. Share, share, share

Give students the opportunity to share their writing with their peers. The more opportunities kindergarteners are given to express themselves, the less likely they will be to shout out in the middle of the math lesson that they have a wiggly tooth or Uncle Joey is visiting.

Kindergarten writing is not for the faint of heart. Enjoy the strange spellings, humorous thoughts and the innocent excitement that will lead to young students becoming life-long writers.
What are your tips or questions for teaching kindergarten writing? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Plus, 50 tips and tricks for teaching kindergarten and the best kindergarten books.

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10 Tricks for Teaching Kindergarten Writing - WeAreTeachers

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When telling people that I teach kindergarten, I often am asked, "How do you do it?" Now, imagine teaching five year olds how to write entire paragraphs. Yes, we are superheroes with the powers of patience, perseverance and the ability to bend at the waist for long periods of time.

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Great for parents

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Writing standards for kindergarten define the knowledge and skills needed for writing proficiency at this grade level. By understanding kindergarten writing standards, parents can be more effective in helping their children meet literacy goals.

What is Kindergarten Writing?
Kindergarteners are actively engaged in all aspects of language arts as they develop their oral language skills and begin to read and write. In kindergarten, children learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet and understand the sounds letters make. Kindergarteners become aware that letters can be arranged into words, that words have spaces between them, and that print is read from left-to-right and from top-to-bottom. Students in kindergarten learn to hold a crayon and pencil correctly and print the letters of the alphabet in upper- and lowercase forms. Teaching writing in kindergarten usually involves discussions on the meanings of words and encourage students to express themselves in complete thoughts. In kindergarten, students listen to a wide variety of children's literature, respond to questions, and retell stories. Students learn to read some words by sight such as "the," and write consonant-vowel-consonant words such as "cat." While children develop at different rates, by the end of kindergarten, most children should be able to use their knowledge of sounds and letters to write simple sentences and write their own names. Students may also create stories with pictures and words, revise their writing with assistance, and then publish or share it with assistance.
The following writing standards represent what states* typically specify as kindergarten benchmarks in writing proficiency:
Kindergarten: The Writing Process
In kindergarten, students are introduced to the writing process through shared writing activities, in which the teacher writes a story and students contribute to it orally. The writing process is also taught through interactive writing activities, in which students and the teacher compose text together. In kindergarten, students are taught to use each phase of the writing process as follows:

Prewriting: Students generate ideas for writing through class discussion and by drawing pictures about their ideas for self-selected and assigned topics.

Drafting: Students participate in drafting writing by drawing, telling, or writing about a familiar experience, topic or story, and by creating a group draft, scripted by the teacher.

Revising: Students participate in revising the draft for clarity and effectiveness, by adding additional details to the draft and checking for logical thinking with prompting from the teacher.

Editing: Students participate in correcting the draft for standard language conventions according to their level of development.

Publishing: Students participate in producing, illustrating, and sharing a finished piece of writing.

Use of technology: Kindergarten students may use available technology to compose text.

Kindergarten: Writing Purposes
Kindergartners are introduced to different types of writing in a variety of ways. Teachers read aloud from children's literature and discuss each author's purpose with the class. Students also learn the different reasons for writing through simple writing activities. Writing lessons for kindergarten usually center on a shared writing activity, with the teacher acting as a scribe. As students learn, they progress from drawing pictures and writing individual letters to writing short sentences that tell a story or describe their experiences. Specifically, writing standards stipulate that kindergarten students will:

Participate in writing simple stories, poems, rhymes, or song lyrics.

Dictate messages for others to write, such as a thank-you note.

Write labels, notes, and captions for illustrations, possessions, and charts for classroom activities, such as a science project.

Write to record ideas and reflections, such as keeping a personal journal.

Create narratives by drawing and/or using emergent writing.

Draw simple map of the classroom.

Kindergarten: Writing Evaluation
In kindergarten, students focus on recognizing various types of text, such as stories, poems, lists, signs, and information books. Kindergarteners are taught simple story structure and learn to distinguish fiction from nonfiction, including fact and fantasy.

Kindergarten: Written English Language Conventions
Students in kindergarten are taught Standard English conventions appropriate to this grade level. In particular, kindergarten writing standards specify these key markers of proficiency:

Words and Sentences
-Recognize and use complete, coherent sentences when speaking.
-Understand relationship between sounds and letters.
-Recognize sight words such as "the" and read simple sentences.
-Use letters and phonetically spelled words to write about experiences, stories, people, objects, or events.
-Write words and brief sentences that are legible.
-Write his/her own first and last name and other important words.
Punctuation
-Use end punctuation, including periods, question marks, and exclamation points.
Capitalization
-Capitalize letters to begin "important words."
Spelling
-Spell simple words independently by using pre-phonetic knowledge, sounds of the alphabet, and knowledge of letter names.
-Write consonant-vowel-consonant words ("cat").
Penmanship
-Print uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet and recognize the difference between the two.
-Write from left to right and top to bottom of page.
-Recognize spacing between letters and words.
-Understand the concept of writing and identifying numerals.

Kindergarten: Research and Inquiry
Kindergarten students learn to gather information and use writing as a tool for inquiry and research in the following ways:

Record or dictate questions for investigating, such as "What do bugs eat?"

Record or dictate his/her own knowledge of a topic in various ways such as by drawing pictures, making lists, and showing connections among ideas.

Use pictures, print, and people to gather information and answer questions.

Draw conclusions from information gathered.

Locate important areas of the library/media center.

Kindergarten Writing Tests
While standardized writing tests aren't usually given until at least third grade, some schools begin testing in kindergarten. These assessments are classroom-based and developmentally appropriate, such as Dibels (pronounced "dibbles"), an early-literacy measurement used in many schools. Other schools use early reading curriculums that feature regular assessments to measure progress in all language arts areas. These standards-based tests help teachers determine where each student needs help and are used to tailor instruction to the individual child. Kindergarten teachers also observe children as they do various tasks. Because kindergarteners have no track record, teachers often do observational assessments early in the year, as well as on an ongoing basis, to gauge what each child can do and plan lessons appropriately. These types of informal assessments are done one-on-one or in a group. Of course, your own observations are also valid and should be shared with your child's teacher.

Test Preparation? Simply Encourage Literacy at Home
Kindergarten students do not need to "prepare" for assessments. Instead, you'll be helping their literacy development tremendously if you simply read and talk with your children. Home writing activities for kindergarten can include conversations together, writing a grocery list together, and selecting books together at the library. Raise their awareness of language in their environment, such as on billboards, traffic signs, and menus in restaurants. Don't forget, children also need ample time to play for their overall well-being. Play enhances cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.

Time4Learning Supports Kindergarten Learning
Time4Learning is an excellent complement to any kindergarten program, as well as an outstanding home curriculum. Learn more about Time4Learning online programs for kindergarten.

For more information about general learning objectives for kindergarten students including math and language arts, please visit Time4Learning.com.

*K-12 writing standards are defined by each state. Time4Learning and Time4Writing rely on a representative sampling of state writing standards, notably from Florida, Texas, and California, as well as on the standards published by nationally recognized education organizations, such as the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association.

You've been exploring the writing standards for kindergarten. To view the writing standards for other grade levels, use one of the following links:

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writing test preparation in the kindergarten

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writing test preparation for kindergarteners

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Writing standards for kindergarten define the knowledge and skills needed for writing proficiency at this grade level. By understanding kindergarten writing standards, parents can be more effective in helping their children meet literacy goals. What is Kindergarten Writing? Kindergarteners are actively engaged in all aspects of language arts as they develop their oral language skills and begin to read and write.