Age/ Grade Range:

• The ability to read from left to right and top to bottom (from Pre-K to Kindergarten).

• Learning that letters form words and words form sentences (Kindergarten).

• Reading from beginning to end (Kindergarten).

Assessment:

1. Informal Reading Inventory (IRI): Measures student ability to track print and recognize letters.

2. Concepts of Print Assessment: An assessment of students' ability to recognize letters, words, and sentences.

Evidence-Based Instruction:

• Shared Reading: By pointing to words as they are read, teachers can show print positioning and demonstrate the difference between words and pictures.

Differentiation:

• Visual Support: Make sure picture books have large, clear text to help English learners (ELs) connect words with images.

• Multi-sensory Activities: Incorporate tactile activities, such as writing in sand or using magnetic letters, to help dyslexics.

Milestones:

• Identifying rhyming words (Pre-K to Kindergarten).

• Syllable counting (Kindergarten).

• Recognition of the initial sounds in words (Kindergarten to First Grade).

Assessment:

1. Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS): Assesses students' ability to recognize rhymes, separate words into syllables, and identify initial sounds.

2. Hearing and Recording Sounds in Words (HRSIW): A phonological awareness tool that assesses students' ability to hear and record sounds.

Evidence-Based Instruction:

• Identification Sounds: Students can identify the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in words through games and activities.

Differentiation:

• Visual and Kinesthetic Learning: Students with dyslexia can benefit from using audio boxes.

• Repetition and Chants: Use rhyming songs and chants for engaging ELs and developing their phonological awareness.

Milestones:

• Putting sounds together to form words (Kindergarten through First Grade).

• Learning how to break down words into individual sounds (First Grade).

• Adding or removing sounds (First Grade).

Assessment:

1. Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS): It measures phonemic awareness, such as fluency in separating phonemes.

2. Student Assessment of Phoneme Segmentation: Students take this test to assess their abilities to break downwords.

Evidence-Based Instruction:

• Teachers can use sound boxes to help students isolate and segment sounds. Consider: "The word is cat. Let's count its sounds: /c/ /a/ /t/."

Differentiation:

• Visual indicators : By showing pictures of objects, you can help ELs connect sounds with words.

• Explicit Instruction: Provide step-by-step instruction and immediate feedback to students who have dyslexia.

Milestones:

• Identifying and naming 10-15 letters (Pre-K).

• Recognizing all uppercase and lowercase letters (Kindergarten).

• Letter-sound associations (Kindergarten to First Grade).

Assessment:

1. Letter Recognition Assessment: Students name random letters presented to them.

2. Alphabet Knowledge Test: Measures a student's ability to recognize and name letters both alone and in words.

Evidence-Based Instruction:

• Alphabet Arc: An alphabet arc can be used by teachers to help students recognize letters and sequence them. A magnetic letter can be matched to an arc letter.

Differentiation:

• Multisensory Learning: Engage dyslexic students through hands-on activities like tracing letters in sand or using playdough.

• Interactive Games: Engage ELs with digital or hands-on games involving letter recognition.