Kindergarten

Standard

How can I support my child?

Try some of these cooperative play activities.

Knows how to communicate emotions

Use this Understanding Feelings document or feelings chart to help identify emotions. Read books together. Read-alouds about feelings.

Works to resolve conflicts with peers

Actively listening to your student is an important part of modeling how to resolve conflicts with peers. Use these toolbox tools to help.

Shows kindness and considers others’ perspectives

Use these social emotional tips at home.

Persists in hard tasks and works with focus

Tips for helping your child focus.

Standard

How can I support my child?

Reading Support

Reading Tips for Families

Encourage your student to reread favorite books aloud. Repeated readings improve children’s fluency and comprehension.

Summarizes stories and identifies main topics in informational texts with teacher guidance

Read a book together and ask your student:

• Who is in the story
• What happens in the beginning, middle, and end of the story? 
• What is this book about?

Compares similarities and differences in stories and informational texts on the same topic with teacher support

Read a book together and ask your student: 

• How is the information presented in the story different from the way it's presented in an informational text?

This helps the child to think critically about the texts and identify similarities and differences.

Produces the sounds for all letters of the alphabet

Letter Sound Video

Uses sound-letter knowledge to read grade level appropriate words

Two articles about phonics:

Reading with your child

The Alphabetic Principle

Reads high frequency words based on trimester expectations

Sight Word Cards 

Games to Play

Reads at trimester grade level expectations

Reading with your child

Uses writing to describe a drawing while adding details

Write a story together in English or your home language:

Ask your student, “Who are the characters?”  “What happens at the beginning, middle, and end?”

Uses writing and drawing to give information about a topic

Write and/or draw:

• facts about an animal

• directions on how to play a game

• facts about space

• how to make something

Uses writing and drawing to share an opinion

Write together in any language:

• What is your favorite color? Why? 
• Do you like sushi or cheeseburgers? Why
• What is your favorite season? Explain.

Prints letters

Printing Upper and Lowercase letters  

Proper Pencil Grip Video

Uses sight words and spells phonetically

Sight Word Cards 

Daily Journaling: Provide your child with a small notebook and encourage them to draw a picture and write a word or two about it. Don’t worry about spelling being perfect—focus on them using the sounds they hear.

Uses proper spacing between words, capitalization, and punctuation

Improve writing skills at home through collaborative writing together, e.g., making lists, thank you notes.

• Start with a capital letter

• Add a finger space between words

• Add punctuation at the end of a sentence (. ?!)

Tips for Kindergarten Caregivers

Speaks in all settings by taking turns and asking and answering questions

Ask your student to provide evidence for their opinions on various topics, such as extra recess or the cafeteria's lunch options.

Tells about the main points and details from different books and multimedia for their grade level

Ask your student to draw pictures related to a book they have read or a show they have watched and then describe their drawings.

Make up a story using a wordless book.

Ask your student to draw a picture to give to a family member. Have them use kid spelling to label their picture.

Ask your child what they would like to do as a family. Prompt them to come up with reasons why each family member would enjoy the activity.

Compares and contrasts the location of people, places, and environments (maps, layouts, and symbols)

Ask your student:

“What city do we live in? How can we use maps to help us find the park?”

Describes and applies the characteristics of an informed citizen

Ask your student:

"Can you tell me what being brave, controlling yourself, being fair, being a hero, leading, and taking care of yourself mean? Can you also talk about someone in our community who has shown these qualities?"

Places events in order (days, weeks, months)

Sing the days of the week and months of the year with your student.

Reasons about problems, explains thinking, and considers thinking of others

Ask questions:

• How did you figure that out?
• How did you know the answer?

Mathematical Concepts and Skills

Counts with one-to-one correspondence up to 20 objects in various configurations

Use any object at home (pennies, paper clips, pebbles, etc)

• Practice counting 5 objects (touching each object as they say the number)

• Once they can count 5, practice the same activity to 10, and then 20

Writes and identities numbers from 0-20

• Point out written numbers in books, signs, etc and discuss the name of the number.  See if your child can identify which number it is.

• Trace numbers with their finger

• Make numbers with playdough.

Use your finger to make the numbers in a cookie sheet full of salt or sand. (use the number formation poems)

Names and describes 2D and 3D shapes using attributes

Point out shapes in nature, or your house, and describe them with your child:

• Is it a flat shape or is it solid

• Does it have corners?  Straight lines?  Curved lines

• How many sides does it have?  Corners?

• What is the name of the shape?

• What faces does it have? (3D)

Make shapes with playdough, toothpicks, straws, etc. and have your child describe the shape they made (sides, faces- 3D, corners,)

2D Shapes video

3D Shapes video

Compares and describes the difference between two sets of objects by a measurable attribute

Play “Compare” with your child.  Give them two objects to hold in each hand or point out two objects close to them:

• Which is heavier? Which is lighter?

• Which is longer/taller?  Shorter?

• Encourage your child to use sentences like:

_________ is shorter than _______. 

Adds fluently within 5

Subtracts fluently within 5

• Play dice games

• Roll two die and have your child add the numbers

• Flash fingers on both hands and have them add the fingers together

• Use up to 5 objects.  Show the student 2 groups of objects and have them add them together.

Adds within 10 using objects, drawings, or equations (including story problems)

Subtracts within 10 using objects, drawings, or equations (including story problems)

Tell math stories (4 ducks were in the pond, 2 more came to play.  How many ducks are there now?)

• Have students act them out with toys

• Draw pictures of the math stories

• Ask how your child will find the answer.  

• Ask how do you know that answer is correct?  Show me!

Compare two groups of objects less than 10 using greater than, less than, or equal to

Play “Compare” with sets of objects.  Work with up to 10 objects.  You and your child should each take a number of objects and count them:

• Who has more?  

• Who has less?  

• Are they equal?

Discuss “greater than” “less than” and equal to.

Works with and writes numbers 11-19 to demonstrate place value

Practice counting the “Say 10” way for teen numbers:

• 10 one is 11

• 10 two is 12

• 10 three is 13 etc.

Orally counts to 100 by tens and ones

Counting songs (you tube)

Count together starting at different numbers within 100.

How can I support my child?

Asks questions based on observations to find more information about the natural and human-made world

Nature Walks:

Take short walks outside and play a game of "I Spy." Ask your child to spot something interesting, like a flower or a bird, and ask, "What do you think that is?" or "Why do you think it’s there?"

Observation at Home:

Look out the window or around the house together. Ask simple questions like, "What do you see?" or "Why do you think the sun is shining today?" Encourage them to be curious.

With guidance, plans and conducts investigations in collaboration with peers

Mini-Experiments:

Try fun and easy activities like mixing baking soda and vinegar to see what happens. Ask them what they think will happen before you start and talk about what you see together.

Playtime Projects:

During playdates or with siblings, suggest they work together to build something simple, like a block tower. Help them plan who will do what and how they will build it.

Ask and Explore:

Before doing an activity, ask your child, "What do you think will happen if we do this?" Encourage them to watch closely and talk about what they see.

Building Fun:

Give them blocks, cups, or even pillows to build a tower or a fort. Challenge them by saying, "Let’s see how tall we can make it!" or "Can you make a bridge for your toy car?"

Creative Play:

Provide safe, everyday items like cardboard tubes or paper plates and ask them to build something like a house or a car. Praise their creativity and talk about what they made.

Help at Home:

When doing simple tasks like stacking cans in the pantry, ask your child to help. Say, "Can you build a tower with these cans?" This turns a chore into a fun engineering activity.

Students demonstrate motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities.

Students will demonstrate knowledge of movement concepts, principles, and strategies that apply to the learning and performance of physical activity.

Students assess and maintain a level of physical fitness to improve health and performance. 

Students demonstrate knowledge of physical fitness concepts, principles and strategies to improve health and performance.

Students demonstrate and utilize knowledge of psychological and sociological concepts, principles and strategies that apply to the learning and performance of physical activities.

During the first trimester students experience PE through guided play and exploration of personal space, class expectations and play structure safety. They will develop skills necessary to play recess games and navigate the play structure safely. Developing locomotor skills will be emphasized throughout the year. Tossing, catching and bouncing small objects will be covered. We are learning about physical fitness and running laps. We perform curl-ups, trunk lifts, sit and reach stretches, and hold push-up positions twice each week. Students who receive a 3 are generally performing within expected benchmark norms. In addition to benchmarks our grades include participation and effort. Absences directly affect participation and may lower a student grade. Students should demonstrate sharing and cooperation in physical activities in the first trimester of kindergarten.

Students demonstrate motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities.

Students will demonstrate knowledge of movement concepts, principles, and strategies that apply to the learning and performance of physical activity.

Students assess and maintain a level of physical fitness to improve health and performance.

Students demonstrate knowledge of physical fitness concepts, principles and strategies to improve health and performance.

Students demonstrate and utilize knowledge of psychological and sociological concepts, principles and strategies that apply to the learning and performance of physical activities.