Milestones:

-Understands how to hold a book correctly

-Tracks print (using fingers) left → right

-Understands that books are meant to tell a story and not focus on just the pictures.

Age/Grade Level:

Preschool- Kindergarten

Instruction Strategy:

• Group reading (the teacher reads while pointing to the words to engage and help the student become familiar with the text.)

Differentiation:

• Books with pictures (English Language Learners)

• Repetition and modeling (Students with dyslexia)

Reading Rockets. (2023). Basics: Print Awareness. Www.readingrockets.org. https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/print-awareness

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Milestones:

Students will begin to understand and identify letter sounds, clap the syllables in a word, and create rhymes.

Age/Grade:

Preschool-First grade

Assessment:

• Clapping syllables

• Group rhyming activities

• Sound matching

Instructional Strategy:

• Rhyming songs

• Syllable games

Differentiation:

• Visuals and Gestures (English Language Learners)

• Tapping and Clapping (Dyslexia)

Resource:

Reading Rockets. (2023). Phonological and phonemic awareness: Introduction. Www.readingrockets.org. https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-101-learning-modules/course-modules/phonological-and-phonemic-awareness

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Milestones:

• The student will be able to blend sounds (/d/o/g/)

• Segment sounds

• Changing and deleting sounds

Age/Grade:

Kindergarten-2nd grade

Assessments:

• Blending words

• Phoneme Deletion

• Sound segmentation tasks

Instruction Strategy:

• Verbal sound practice (blending, segmenting)

Differentiation:

• Slow Modeling (English Language Learners)

• Arm motions and tapping (dylexia)

Reading Rockets. (2023). Phonological and phonemic awareness: Introduction. Www.readingrockets.org. https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-101-learning-modules/course-modules/phonological-and-phonemic-awareness

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Milestones:

• Knowing and being able to identify uppercase and lowercase letters by name.

• Matching each letter to its sound.

• Recognizing letters in books that are read.

Age/Grade:

Preschool- First Grade

Assessments:

• Letter-sound matching

• Alphabet recognition worksheets/group games

• Letter naming activities

Instruction Strategy:

• Letter and sound instruction, using videos, worksheets, and group activities.

Differentiation:

• Pictures and upper case and lowercase letters, along with an item that matches the beginning letter sound. (English-Language Learners)

• Magnetic Letter board, fingerprinting etc. (dyslexia)

Texas Education Agency. (2024). The Alphabetic Principle | Reading Rockets. Www.readingrockets.org. https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/phonics-and-decoding/articles/alphabetic-principle

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Important points:

• Early reading skills = future reading success

• Reading gaps can lead to future reading struggles.

• Being able to receive support early on can allow the student to receive help sooner rather than later.