Common Planner
K–12 Standards

English Language Arts

Other Massachusetts Guidelines for Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Experiences sets

READING: LITERATURE (RL)

  •  

    Key Ideas and Details

    1. 1

      With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about a story or poems read aloud.RL.PK.1

    2. 1

      With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RL.K.1

    3. 2

      With prompting and support, retell a sequence of events from a story read aloud.RL.PK.2

    4. 2

      With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.RL.K.2

    5. 3

      With prompting and support, act out characters and events from a story or poem read aloud.RL.PK.3

    6. 3

      With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.RL.K.3

  •  

    Craft and Structure

    1. 4

      With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words in a story or poem read aloud. (See Language standards 4–6 on applying knowledge of vocabulary to reading.)RL.PK.4

    2. 4

      Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. (See kindergarten Language standards 4–6 on applying knowledge of vocabulary to reading.)RL.K.4

    3. 5

      Show awareness of the rhythmic structure of a poem or song by clapping or movement.RL.PK.5

    4. 5

      Recognize common types of texts and characteristics of their structure (e.g., story elements in storybooks; rhyme, rhythm, and repetition in poems).RL.K.5

    5. 6

      With prompting and support, “read” the illustrations in a picture book by describing a character or place depicted or by telling how a sequence of events unfolds.RL.PK.6

    6. 6

      With prompting and support, explain that reading the cover or title page is how to find out who created a book; name the author and illustrator of a book and define the role of each in telling the story.RL.K.6

  •  

    Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 

    1. 7

      With prompting and support, make predictions about what happens next in a picture book after examining and discussing the illustrations.RL.PK.7

    2. 7

      Describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).RL.K.7

    3. 8

      (Not applicable.)RL.PK.8

    4. 8

      (Not applicable.)RL.K.8

    5. 9

      With prompting and support, make connections between a story or poem and one’s own experiences.RL.PK.9

    6. 9

      With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories. RL.K.9

  •  

    Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

    1. 10

      Listen actively as an individual and as a member of a group to a variety of age-appropriate literature read aloud.RL.PK.10

    2. 10

      Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.RL.K.10

READING: INFORMATIONAL TEXT (RI)

  •  

    Key Ideas and Details

    1. 1

      With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about an informational text read aloud.RL.PK.1

    2. 1

      With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.RI.K.1

    3. 2

      With prompting and support, recall important facts from an informational text after hearing it read aloud.RL.PK.2

    4. 2

      With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.RL.K.2

    5. 3

      With prompting and support, represent or act out concepts learned from hearing an informational text read aloud (e.g., make a skyscraper out of blocks after listening to a book about cities or, following a read-aloud on animals, show how an elephant’s gait differs from a bunny’s hop).RL.PK.3

    6. 3

      With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. RL.K.3

  •  

    Craft and Structure

    1. 4

      With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words in an informational text read aloud.RI.PK.4

    2. 4

      With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.RL.K.4

    3. 5

      Standard begins in Kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.RI.PK.5

    4. 5

      Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.RL.K.5

    5. 6

      With prompting and support “read” illustrations in an informational picture book by describing facts learned from the pictures (e.g., how a seed grows into a plant).RI.PK.6

    6. 6

      Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.RL.K.6

  •  

    Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

    1. 7

      With prompting and support, describe important details from an illustration or photograph.RI.PK.7

    2. 7

      With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).RL.K.7

    3. 8

      (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)RI.PK.8

    4. 8

      With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.RL.K.8

    5. 9

      With prompting and support, identify several books on a favorite topic or several books by a favorite author or illustrator.RI.PK.9

    6. 9

      With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).RL.K.9

  •  

    Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

    1. 10

      Listen actively as an individual and as a member of a group to a variety of age-appropriate informational texts read aloud. RI.PK.10

    2. 10

      Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.RL.K.10

READING: FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS (RF)

  •  

    Print Concepts

    1. 1

      With guidance and support, demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of printed and written text: books, words, letters, and the alphabet.F.PK.1

      1. a

        Handle books respectfully and appropriately, holding them rightside-up and turning pages one at a time from front to back.F.PK.1.a

      2. b

        (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)F.PK.1.b

      3. c

        (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)F.PK.1.c

      4. d

        Recognize and name some uppercase letters of the alphabet and the lowercase letters in one’s own name.F.PK.1.d

    2. 1

      Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.F.K.1

      1. a

        Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.F.K.1.a

      2. b

        Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.F.K.1.b

      3. c

        Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.F.K.1.c

      4. d

        Recognize and name all upperand lowercase letters of the alphabet.F.K.1.d

  •  

    Phonological Awareness 

    1. 2

      With guidance and support, demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).F.PK.2

      1. a

        With guidance and support, recognize and produce rhyming words (e.g., identify words that rhyme with /cat/ such as /bat/ and /sat/).F.PK.2.a

      2. b

        With guidance and support, segment words in a simple sentence by clapping and naming the number of words in the sentence.F.PK.2.b

      3. c

        Identify the initial sound of a spoken word and, with guidance and support, generate several other words that have the same initial sound.  F.PK.2.c

      4. d

        (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)F.PK.2.d

      5. e

        (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)F.PK.2.e

    2. 2

      Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).F.K.2

      1. a

        Recognize and produce rhyming words.F.K.2.a

      2. b

        Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.F.K.2.b

      3. c

        Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.F.K.2.c

      4. d

        Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words. * (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)F.K.2.d

      5. e

        Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, onesyllable words to make new words.F.K.2.e

  •  

    Phonics and Word Recognition

    1. 3

      Demonstrate beginning understanding of phonics and word analysis skills.  F.PK.3

      1. a

        Link an initial sound to a picture of an object that begins with that sound and, with guidance and support, to the corresponding printed letter (e.g., link the initial sound /b/ to a picture of a ball and, with support, to a printed or written “B”).F.PK.3.a

      2. b

        (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)F.PK.3.b

      3. c

        Recognize their own name and familiar common signs and labels (e.g., STOP).F.PK.3.c

      4. d

        (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)F.PK.3.d

    2. 3

      Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.F.K.3

      1. a

        Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.F.K.3.a

      2. b

        Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.F.K.3.b

      3. c

        Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does). F.K.3.c

      4. d

        Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ. F.K.3.d

  •  

    Fluency

    1. 4

      See K standard (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.) Activities included here are meant to build a foundation for the K standard.F.PK.4

    2. 4

      Read early-emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.F.K.4

WRITING (W)

  •  

    Text Types and Purposes

    1. 1

      Dictate words to express a preference or opinion about a topic (e.g., “I would like to go to the fire station to see the truck and meet the firemen”).W.PK.1

    2. 1

      Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces that tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is . . .).W.K.1

    3. 2

      Use a combination of dictating and drawing to supply information about a topic.W.PK.2

    4. 2

      Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts that name and supply some information about the topic.W.K.2

    5. 3

      Use a combination of dictating and drawing to tell a story.W.PK.3

    6. 3

      Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or experience, or several loosely linked events or experiences; sequence the narrative appropriately and provide a reaction to what it describes.W.K.3

  •  

    Production and Distribution of Writing

    1. 4

      (Begins in grade 1.)W.PK.4

    2. 4

      (Begins in grade 1.)W.K.4

    3. 5

      (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)W.PK.5

    4. 5

      With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.W.K.5

      1. a

        (Begins in Grade 3).W.K.5,a

      2. b

        Demonstrate the ability to use vocabulary appropriate for kindergarten (as described in kindergarten Language standards 4- 6).W.K.5,b

    5. 6

      Recognize that digital tools (e.g., computers, mobile phones, cameras) are used for communication and, with guidance and support, use them to convey messages in pictures and/or words.  W.PK.6

    6. 6

      With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.W.K.6

  •  

    Research to Build and Present Knowledge

    1. 7

      (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)W.PK.7

    2. 7

      Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).W.K.7

    3. 8

      (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)W.PK.8

    4. 8

      With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.W.K.8

    5. 9

      (Begins in grade 4.)W.PK.9

    6. 9

      (Begins in grade 4.)W.K.9

    7. 10

      (Begins in kindergarten or when the individual child is ready.)W.PK.10

    8. 10

      Write or dictate writing routinely for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.W.K.10

SPEAKING & LISTENING (SL) 

  •  

    Comprehension and Collaboration

    1. 1

      Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners during daily routines and play.SL.PK.1

      1. a

        Observe and use appropriate ways of interacting in a group (e.g., taking turns in talking, listening to peers, waiting to speak until another person is finished talking, asking questions and waiting for an answer, gaining the floor in appropriate ways).SL.PK.1.a

      2. b

        Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.SL.PK.1.b

    2. 1

      Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.SL.K.1

      1. a

        Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).SL.K.1.a

      2. b

        Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.SL.K.1.b

    3. 2

      Recall information for short periods of time and retell, act out, or represent information from a text read aloud, a recording, or a video (e.g. watch a video about birds and their habitats and make drawings or constructions of birds and their nests).SL.PK.2

    4. 2

      Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.SL.K.2

    5. 3

      Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.SL.PK.3

    6. 3

      Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.SL.K.3

  •  

    Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

    1. 4

      Describe personal experiences; tell stories.SL.PK.4

    2. 4

      Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.SL.K.4

    3. 5

      Create representations of experiences or stories (e.g., drawings, constructions with blocks or other materials, clay models) and explain them to others. SL.PK.5

    4. 5

      Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. SL.K.5

    5. 6

      Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas. SL.PK.6

    6. 6

      Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.SL.K.6

LANGUAGE (L)

  •  

    Conventions of Standard English

    1. 1

      Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.  L.PK.1

      1. a

        Demonstrate the ability to speak in complete sentences and to form questions using frequently occurring nouns, verbs, question words, and prepositions; name and use in context numbers 0-10 (see prekindergarten mathematics standards for Counting and Cardinality).L.PK.1.a

    2. 1

      Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; retain and further develop language skills learned previously.L.K.1

      1.  

        Sentence Structure and Meaning

        1. a

          Demonstrate the ability to produce and expand complete sentences using frequently occurring nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, question words, and prepositions; name and use in context number 0-100 (see kindergarten mathematics standards for Counting and Cardinality).L.K.1.a

        2. b

          Form questions that seek additional information, rather than a simple yes/no answer.L.K.1.b

      2.  

        Word Usage 

        1. c

          Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/.L.K.1.c

    3. 2

      (Begins in kindergarten.)L.PK.2

    4. 2

      Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.L.K.2

      1. a

        Print upper- and lowercase letters.L.K.2.a

      2. b

        Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. L.K.2.b

      3. c

        Recognize and name end punctuation.L.K.2.c

      4. d

        Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).L.K.2.d

      5. e

        Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of soundletter relationships.L.K.2.e

      6. f

        Write numbers 0-20 (see kindergarten mathematics standards for Counting and Cardinality). L.K.2.f

  •  

    Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

    1. 3

      (Begins in grade 2.)L.PK.3

    2. 3

      (Begins in grade 2.)L.K.3

    3. 4

      Ask and answer questions about the meanings of new words and phrases introduced through books, activities, and play.L.PK.4

      1. a

        With guidance and support, generate words that are similar in meaning (e.g., happy/glad, angry/mad).L.PK.4.a

    4. 4

      Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiplemeaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.L.K.4

      1. a

        Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck).L.K.4.a

    5. 5

      With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.L.PK.5

      1. a

        Demonstrate understanding of concepts by sorting common objects into categories (e.g., sort objects by color, shape, or texture).L.PK.5.a

      2. b

        (Begins in kindergarten.)L.PK.5.b

      3. c

        Apply words learned in classroom activities to real-life examples (e.g., name places in school that are fun, quiet, or noisy).L.PK.5.c

    6. 5

      With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.L.K.5

      1. a

        Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.L.K.5.a

      2. b

        Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms).L.K.5.b

      3. c

        Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful). L.K.5.c

      4. d

        Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings.L.K.5.d

    7. 6

      Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, listening to books read aloud, activities, and play.L.PK.6

    8. 6

      Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, activities in the kindergarten curriculum, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.L.K.6

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
PRE-K and Kindergarten

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More Massachusetts Guidelines for Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Experiences sets

Guidelines for Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Experiences