The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words.

Rhyming: Recognizing and generating words that rhyme.

Syllable Segmentation: Breaking words into syllables.

• Letter Recognition: Identifying letters of the alphabet, both uppercase and lowercase. 

• Letter-Sound Correspondence: Understanding the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent. 

• Building Word Bank: Introducing unfamiliar words and expanding vocabulary through daily interactions and experiences. 

• Word Meaning: Understanding the meanings of words in context. 

• Understanding Print Concepts: Knowing how to handle a book, recognizing the front and back covers, understanding that print carries meaning. 

• Tracking Print: Following words from left to right and understanding the purpose of punctuation. 

• Scribbling: Experimenting with making marks on paper, which eventually evolves into controlled scribbles. 

• Letter Formation: Practicing forming letters and eventually writing recognizable letters, words, and simple sentences. 

• Listening Comprehension: Understanding stories and spoken language. 

• Story Retelling: Recalling the main events and details of a story. 

• Making Connections: Relating stories to firsthand experiences or other texts. 

• Oral Language Skills: Expressing thoughts and ideas verbally, understanding and following directions. 

• Conversational Skills: Engaging in back-and-forth exchanges with peers and adults. 

Literacyessentials. https://literacyessentials.org/downloads/gelndocs/k-3_literacy_essentials.pdf