What does a student learn in StateCalifornia,GradePre-Kindergarten,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students learn the words for everyday things they touch, do, and see, like naming a ball, describing a dog as fluffy, or saying "running" while playing outside.

Students learn and use new words picked up from play, conversation, and books. They name what they see, describe how things look or feel, and talk about what is happening around them.

Students learn words that sort familiar things into groups, like knowing a dog and a cat are both animals, or an apple and a banana are both fruit.

Students sort familiar things into groups and name what those groups have in common. A dog and a cat are both animals; a chair and a table are both furniture. They start using more precise words to explain why things belong together.

Students learn words that describe where something is and how big it is, like "on top," "under," "tiny," or "bigger." They use those words in conversation to describe and compare everyday objects around them.

Students learn words like "longer" and "between" to describe where something is and how big it is, then use those words in real conversation.

Students string words together into simple sentences to share what they think or want, using everyday words they already know.

Students use everyday words alongside less familiar ones to build longer, more detailed sentences when sharing ideas or telling stories.

Students ask questions when they want to know something or when they don't understand what someone said. It's one of the first ways children learn to keep a conversation going and make sense of the world around them.

Students ask a question to find out something, then ask another question if the answer is unclear. They keep the conversation going until they understand.

Students use words to tell a short story, either something that really happened or something made up. This is the beginning of storytelling out loud.

Students tell a story out loud, real or made up, with enough detail that it has a clear beginning and something happening in the middle.

Students describe what they see, say what they like or don't like, and explain simple ideas out loud to others.

Students describe things they notice, share what they think, and explain why. This builds the habit of putting thoughts into words before kindergarten.

Students take turns talking with a teacher or classmate, listening to what the other person says and responding to the same topic. Think of it as a short, real back-and-forth exchange, not just talking at someone.

Students hold a back-and-forth conversation for several turns, staying on the same topic instead of jumping to something new.

Students listen to two words and notice when they start with the same sound, like "ball" and "bear" both beginning with a "b." A grown-up or a picture helps them make the connection.

Students pick out the very first sound in a spoken word. A teacher or picture helps them notice, for example, that "dog" starts with a "d" sound.

Students hear two short words spoken aloud and push them together into one word, like "sand" and "box" becoming "sandbox." A teacher or picture helps them along.

Students listen to separate syllables or sounds spoken aloud and push them together to say a whole word, like hearing "rain" and "bow" and saying "rainbow."

Students join in on nursery rhymes and simple songs they know, noticing when words sound alike at the end.

Students say words that end in the same sound, like "cat" and "hat." The rhymes don't have to be real words, so "cat" and "zat" count too.

Students start recognizing a few letters on the page, usually the ones in their own name, and can say what those letters are called.

Students look at printed letters and say their names. By the end of pre-K, most children can match the shape of a letter to what it's called.

Letters aren't just shapes. Students begin to notice that each letter makes a sound, the first step toward reading words.

With a little help from a grown-up, students name the sound each letter makes and can say a word or sound that matches it.

Print carries meaning, just like spoken words do. Students begin to notice that the marks on a page, a book cover, or a cereal box are words that can be read aloud.

Students recognize a handful of everyday words they see in the world around them, like a stop sign or a cereal box, and understand what those words mean.

Holding a book right-side up, turning pages one at a time, and pointing to the cover. Students are learning that books have a front, a back, and a title.

Students hold books right-side up, turn pages one at a time, and begin to notice that words run left to right across the page.

Students show curiosity about books, stories, and words. They look at pictures, listen to reading, and want to join in when someone reads aloud or tells a story.

Students sit with books, stories, and drawing on their own for a little longer each week, needing less prompting to get started or stay with it.

After hearing a story a few times, students can talk about who the story is about and what happens in it.

Students listen to a story and answer questions about who is in it and what happens. They can also guess what might come next before the page is turned.

After hearing a nonfiction book read aloud a few times, students can answer simple questions about what it taught them.

Students connect a book's facts to things they already know, guess at details the author didn't spell out, and ask questions about what they heard. This builds the habit of thinking while listening, not just following along.

Students try out different ways to hold crayons, markers, and pencils while drawing and making marks on paper.

Students practice holding a pencil and sitting up straight so their drawings and letters come out more controlled and even.

With some help from an adult, students write a few real letters to stand for the sounds they hear in words. This is one of the first steps toward spelling.

When an adult offers to write for them, students share their thoughts out loud. This is an early step toward putting ideas on paper.

Students start sharing longer ideas out loud so an adult can write them down, like telling a short story or explaining something they care about.

Students make marks on paper that look like letters or writing, separate from any drawings on the page. This is an early step in learning that writing and pictures are two different things.

Students put a few real letters on paper to stand for a word or idea they want to share, like writing the first letter of their name to mean themselves.

Students make marks on paper that stand for their own name. This is an early step toward writing real letters.

Students practice writing their own first name, getting most letters in the right shape and order. A few wobbly letters or small mistakes are expected at this stage.