Preschool: Recognizes book orientation and turns pages correctly.

Kindergarten: Points to words while reading; distinguishes between letters and words.
Age/Grade Range: Ages 3–6 (Pre-K to K)

Concepts About Print (Clay, 2013) – Teacher reads a familiar book while prompting students to identify parts of the book, directionality, and print features.

Print Awareness Checklist – Observational tool noting student behaviors during shared reading.
Use: These determine if students can navigate print correctly and identify basic features, guiding small-group instruction.

Shared Book Reading – Teacher models book handling and tracks text with a finger while reading aloud, explicitly discussing print features (Justice & Ezell, 2004).

For ELs: Pair print concepts with visuals and gestures to reinforce meaning.

For Dyslexia: Use high-contrast text and enlarged print for clarity during shared reading.

Pre-K: Recognizes rhyming words and claps syllables.

K–1: Segments sentences into words; blends syllables into words.
Age/Grade Range: Ages 4–7 (Pre-K to Grade 1)

Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) – Assesses skills from rhyme recognition to phoneme manipulation.

Teacher-Designed Oral Tasks – Clap syllables, identify rhymes, or segment words orally.
Use: Frequent monitoring identifies gaps in auditory processing of language units.

For ELs: Connect phonological tasks to familiar vocabulary from their first language.

For Dyslexia: Provide extra practice with manipulatives (e.g., counters) to represent syllables or rhymes.

Kindergarten: Isolates initial and final sounds.

Grade 1: Segments and blends all phonemes in a word.
Age/Grade Range: Ages 4–7 (K to Grade 1)

Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) – Measures blending, segmenting, and sound isolation.

DIBELS Phoneme Segmentation Fluency – Times how many phonemes students can segment in one minute.
Use: Tracks growth in phonemic manipulation skills to ensure readiness for decoding.

For ELs: Model pronunciation clearly and use visuals for vocabulary.

For Dyslexia: Provide extra, repeated multisensory practice using tactile materials like magnetic letters.

Pre-K: Names some letters, often those in their own name.

Kindergarten: Names all uppercase and lowercase letters.
Age/Grade Range: Ages 3–6 (Pre-K to K)

Letter Naming Fluency (DIBELS) – Timed assessment of how many letters a student can name in one minute.

Alphabet Recognition Chart – Teacher checks student recognition of letters in random order.
Use: Identifies speed and accuracy in letter recognition for decoding readiness.

For ELs: Pair letter names with key picture words in both English and home language.

For Dyslexia: Use consistent, high-contrast visuals and kinesthetic tracing of letters.