November+literacy+criteria

September 11, 2007

Dear Parents,

The first report card will be sent home in November. Kindergarten children will not receive marks at that time. I will be making anecdotal comments. The following areas are those that I will be assessing at that time. In March, they will receive a mark.

__Speaking and Listening__

· expresses feelings & opinions (I like, I don’t like)gives simple descriptions of experiences · beginning to ask questions seeking information (who, what, why, when, where) · provides simple responses to questions · beginning to participate in conversations and in small and large group discussions (sometimes needs to be encouraged to take part) · uses a variety of appropriate verbal and non-verbal behaviors to gain attention (examples: says “Excuse Me”, raises hand) · beginning to use gestures and tone to convey meaning · responds to and gives simple directions or instructions (may need some prompting) · engages in and responds to simple oral presentations (may need prompting) · developing an awareness of the social conventions in group and co-operative play · developing an awareness that some vocabulary choices can hurt the feelings of others

__Phonological Awareness__ (Oral): Awareness of Sentence, Word, syllable, and Rhyme, matching and isolating beginning sounds

__Reading__:

· reads some Level A and/or B books, matching oral language to words on the page (indicated by precise pointing) · moves through the text from front to back, turning pages, controlling left-to-right movement and return sweep · notices and interprets detail in pictures · responds personally to texts in a variety of ways: drawing, painting, sculpture, talking, and retelling (orally, as well as, through drawing, art, and writing) · recognizes some basic components of texts, such as; author, illustrator, and title · recognizes some high frequency words in context · pays close attention to print – notices some features of letters and words · locates familiar and new words · remembers and uses language patterns · uses knowledge of language syntax as a source of information · predicts what makes sense · self-monitors – checks own reading by using word-by-word matching, noticing known words in text, or noticing mismatches in meaning or language

· Participation in Shared Reading and Read Aloud experiences

__Writing__: Attempts to make meaning through drawings, symbols, words

__Comprehension__: Answers questions related to //who// and //what// after listening to a read aloud experience