We will complete assessments at the end of each quarter and send report cards home with your child. We also complete different assessments each week that will guide your child's instruction.
Reading Minnesota Standards: By the end of kindergarten, students should be able to:
identify and make rhyming words
count syllables in words
identify uppercase letters
identify lowercase letters
write uppercase letters
write lowercase letters
identify high frequency words (50)
write high frequency words
identify letter sounds
sound out three letter words
replace initial, medial, or ending sounds to create a new word
convey meaning through illustrations
convey meaning through print
When students meet the above goals, they may also:
Read and write full sentences
Learn sound “tricks” (silent e, vowel teams, ch, sh, th)
Master higher level quick words
AimsWeb
We will also complete fluency assessments we refer to as Aimsweb benchmarks. The students will have one minute to name as many letters or sounds as possible. You will be notified of your child's score. These tests give us scores that will help us prepare your child for first grade. There are also assessments in which children sound out words for one minute.
Image from www.startwrite.com
Writing Writing is an important part of the kindergarten day. Students will be given the chance to write each day to learn the basic handwriting skills as well as build an appreciation for reflection and journaling. The most basic rule of writing letters and numbers is to always start at the top of the number or letter. Starting at the bottom can create issues with reversals as well as slow down the writing process. Writing names and sentences also have an important rule to follow: Start with an uppercase letter and write the rest as lowercase.
This letter formation chart uses print often called "ball and stick" writing. Students start at the top or middle of their page. They create either circles or lines to form all letters.
For example, to write lowercase 'a': -start at the middle -circle around -draw a straight line on the side This creates a ball (the circle) and a stick (the line). When we switch to letter 'g', all students have to do is adjust how they make the line. When they create a 'd', students have to make the ball first.
By having students start at the top/middle for each letter (rather than the bottom), they will also be writing in the same direction (left to right) to help avoid reversals and errors.