Is Your Child’s Reading Progress Normal?
Reading Development Checklist from the National Research Council Report on Preventing Reading Difficulties
Three to 4-year-old Accomplishments
- Knows that alphabet letters are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named
- Recognizes local environmental print
- Knows that it is the print that is read in stories
- Pays attention to separable and repeating sounds in language (e.g., Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater , Peter Eater)
- Uses new vocabulary and grammatical constructions in own speech
- Understands and follows oral directions
- Is sensitive to some sequences of events in stories
- Shows an interest in books and reading
- When being read a story, connects information and events to life experiences
- Questions and comments demonstrating understanding of literal meaning of story being told.
- Displays reading and writing attempts, call attention to self: “Look at my story”
- Can identify 10 alphabet letters, especially those from own name
- “Writes (scribbles) message as part of playful activity
- May begin to attend to beginning or rhyming sound in salient words
Kindergarten Accomplishments
- Knows the parts of a book and their functions
- Begins to track print when listening to a familiar text being read or when reading own writing
- “Reads” familiar texts but does not necessarily use the verbatim print
- Recognizes and can name all uppercase and lowercase letters
- Understands that the sequence of letters in a written word represents the sequence of sounds in a spoken word (this is called the alphabetic principle)
- Learns many, though not all, one-to-one letter sound correspondences
- Recognizes some words by sight, including a few very common ones (a, the, I, you, is, are).
- Uses new vocabulary and grammatical constructions in own speech
- Makes appropriate switches from oral to written language situations
- Notices when simple sentences fail to make sense
- Connects information and events in texts to life and life to text experiences
- Retells, reenacts or dramatizes stories or parts of stories
- Listens attentively to books teacher reads to class
- Can name some book titles and authors
- Demonstrates familiarity with a number of types or genres of text (e.g., storybooks, poems, newspapers, everyday print such as signs , notices, labels)
- Can answer questions about stories read aloud
- Makes predications based on illustrations or portions of stories
- Demonstrates understanding that spoken words consist of sequences of phonemes
- Given spoken sets like “dan, dan, den” can identify the first two as sharing a same sound
- Given a spoken set like “dak, pat, zen” can identify the first two as sharing a same sound
- Given a spoken segment can merge them into a meaningful target word: e.g., “c” “a” “t” can be recognized as “cat”
- Given a spoken work can produce another word that rhymes with it
- Independently writes many uppercase and lowercase letters
- Uses phonemic awareness and letter knowledge to spell independently (may use invented spellings)
- Writes (unconventionally) to express own meaning
- Builds a repertoire of some conventionally spelled words
- Shows awareness of distinction between “kid writing” and conventional orthography
- Writes own name (first and last) and the first names of some friends or classmates
- Can write most letters and some words when they are dictated
First Grade Accomplishments
- Makes a transition from emergent to “real” reading
- Reads aloud with accuracy and comprehension any text that is appropriately designed for the first half of grade 1
- Accurately decodes orthographically regular, one-syllable words and nonsense words (e.g., sit, zot) using print-sound mapping to sound out unknown words
- Uses letter-sound correspondence knowledge to sound out unknown words when reading text
- Recognizes common irregularly spelled words by sight (have, said, where, two)
- Has a reading vocabulary of 300-500 words, sight words, and easily sounded out words
- Monitors own reading and self-corrects when an incorrectly identified word does not fit with cues provided by the letters in the word or the context surrounding the word
- Reads and comprehends both fiction and nonfiction that is appropriately designed for grade level
- Creates own written text for others to read
- Notices when difficulties are encountered in understanding text
- Reads and understands simple written directions
- Predicts and justifies what will happen next in stories
- Discusses prior knowledge of topics in expository test
- Discusses how, why and what-if questions in sharing nonfiction texts
- Describes new information gained from tests in own words
- Distinguishes whether simple sentences are incomplete or fail to make sense; notices when simple texts fail to make sense
- Can answer simple written comprehension questions based on material read
- Can count the number of syllables in a word
- Can blend or segment the phonemes or most one-syllable words
- Spells correctly three-and four-letter short vowel words
- Composes fairly readable first drafts using appropriate parts of the writing process
- Uses invented spelling/phonics-based knowledge to spell independently when necessary
- Shows spelling consciousness or sensitivity to conventional spelling
- Uses basic punctuation and capitalization
- Produces a variety of types of compositions (e.g., stories, descriptions, etc)
- Engages in a variety of literacy activities voluntarily (e.g., choosing books and storied to read, writing a note to a friend)
Second Grade Accomplishments
- Reads and comprehends both fiction and nonfiction that is appropriate for grade level
- Accurately decodes orthographically regular multi-syllable words and nonsense words
- Uses knowledge of print-sound mapping to sound out unknown words
- Accurately reads many irregularly spelled words
- Reads and comprehends both fiction and nonfiction that is appropriate for grade level
- Reads voluntarily for interest and own purposes
- Rereads sentence when meaning is not clear
- Interprets information from diagrams, charts, and graphs
- Recalls facts and details of texts
- Reads nonfiction materials for answers to specific question or for specific purposes
- Takes part in creative responses to tests such as dramatizations, oral presentations, fantasy play, etc
- Discusses similarities in characters and events across stories
- Connects and compares information across nonfiction selections
- Poses possible answers to how, why, and what-if questions
- Correctly spells previously studied words and spelling patterns in own writing
- Represents the complete sound of a word when spelling independently
- Produces a variety of types of compositions (e.g., stories, reports,. correspondence)
Third Grade Accomplishments
- Reads aloud with fluency and comprehension any text that is appropriate for grade level
- Uses letter-sound correspondence knowledge and structural analysis to decode words
- Reads longer fictional selections and chapter books independently
- Can point to or clearly identify specific words or wording that a causing comprehension difficulties
- Summarizes major points from fiction and nonfiction text
- In interpreting fiction, discusses underlying theme or message
- Asks how, why, and what-if question in interpreting nonfiction texts
- In interpreting nonfiction, distinguishes cause and effect, fact and opinion, main idea and supporting detail
- Uses information and reasoning to examine bases of hypotheses and opinions
- Infers word meanings from taught roots, prefixes, and suffixes
- Combines information from multiple sources in writing reports
- Independently reviews work for spelling, mechanics and presentation
- Produces a variety of written works in a variety of formats, including multimedia formats