Elementary School Reading Benchmarks for Parents
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Do you know what I can do?
Take this short pre-quiz to see if you know what your child should be able to do in the appropriate grade.
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Match the Description to the Correct Child |
| Kindergartner | |
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| 1st Grader | |
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| 2nd Grader | |
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| 3rd Grader | |
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What should my child know before he starts kindergarten?
When should my child recognize and name all the letters of the alphabet?
When should my child be able to sound out two-syllable words?
As parents, we want to know about the progress our children are making in reading. We want to know how our children are doing in comparison to others the same age. Are our children developing the specific reading skills they’ll need to succeed in school?
We think back to what school was like for us. It is hard to remember all that went into learning to read and how much time it took. Strong readers don't have to break reading down into separate skills or strategies—it seems to come easily.
Children must learn the alphabet and learn to put the letters in order. They need to learn how to print the letters neatly and correctly. They learn to sound out the letters. That alone is a huge task since some letters have more than one sound. They have to learn to understand the meaning behind the words. Putting all these things together takes years!
Your child has been learning about language since he was born. All of the experiences he has had in listening and speaking will be a help when he is learning to read.
It is important to have realistic expectations in mind. Not all children develop at the same rate and in the same way. What one child can do as a first grader, perhaps another child was able to do in kindergarten. Even within families, we know there will be differences in how quickly some things are learned. Do not be alarmed if one child is slower to do something than an older sibling. Each child is an individual. What we can look for is how our children are progressing along guidelines as they move from grade to grade.
Following are descriptions of what kind of learning is taking place in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade classrooms. These are guidelines for you to use in thinking about what your child is learning in his classroom and to talk with his teacher about his progress.
What are kindergartners doing as they learn to read?
- Recognizing names and shapes of letters, both upper and lower case
- Asking and answering questions
- Giving and following directions; left, right, top, bottom
- Relating sounds to letters (for example, the /b/ in spoken words is the written b in bat as well as cab)
- Blending the sounds of a word (for example, /r/ /a/ /t/ when blended together is spoken as rat)
- Separating the sounds of a word (for example, taking the spoken word rat and separating it into the three separate sounds /r/ /a/ /t/
- Identifying characters, settings, and events in simple stories
- Understanding the main ideas of a story (for example, What happened to the dog in this story?)
- Understanding how things could have happened differently in simple stories (for example, What would have happened to the dog if Sam had not seen it?)
- Writing their names
- Practicing their new writing skills
Click here to see "What Children Can Do at the End of Kindergarten."
What are first graders doing as they learn to read? They will do all that the kindergartner is doing plus the following:
- Using knowledge of letters when writing (for example, attempting to spell words independently)
- Practicing with letter sounds (for example, sounding out regular, one-syllable words like sit and one-syllable nonsense words like zot)
- Writing words, sentences, and stories
- Learning correct spellings of words
- Learning sight words (Sight words are words that do not follow the letter-sound relationships that are being studied in class or that appear frequently in written text such as the words have, said, where, and two.)
- Learning compound words like cowboy, backpack, baseball
- Understanding synonyms like large/big, bucket/pail and antonyms like hot/cold, wet/dry
- Recognizing if something doesn’t make sense when reading
- Summarizing or telling briefly the ideas from what was read
- Using punctuation as a guide when reading aloud (for example, pausing at the end of a sentence
Click here to see "What Children Can Do at the End of First Grade."
What are second graders doing as they learn to read? They will do all that the first grader is doing plus the following:
- Using knowledge of letter-sound relationships to sound out regular, multisyllable words (e.g., capital) and nonsense words (for example, rufty)
- Reading for specific purposes and finding answers to specific questions
- Interpreting information from charts, graphs, and diagrams
- Using knowledge of word parts and words in the sentence as well as information (clues) in the text to identify unfamiliar words
- Increasing vocabulary though synonyms and antonyms
- Increasing vocabulary through independent reading
- Reading in longer phrases (for example, to the toy store as a phrase, not just word by word)
- Reading familiar material aloud in a way that makes the meaning clear to listeners (that is, oral reading flows smoothly which allows the listener to follow what is happening)
Click here to see "What Children Can Do at the End of Second Grade."
What are third graders doing as they learn to read? They will do all that the second grader is doing plus the following:
- Summarizing fiction and nonfiction
- Identifying specific words and phrases interfering with comprehension, that is, recognizing which words they do not understand
- Distinguishing cause/effect (for example, The rain caused flooding.)
- Distinguishing fact/opinion (for example, Chocolate cake is the best dessert. This is an opinion, not a fact.)
- Reading graphs and charts
- Using figurative language (for example, hungry as a bear)
- Combining information from a variety of sources (for example, understanding more about Abe Lincoln after reading a book and a magazine article about him)
- Paraphrasing, that is, demonstrating an understanding of something by being able to tell about it in different words
- Using a dictionary or glossary to determine the meaning of unknown words
- Using text features and book parts (for example, headings, bold type, index, table of contents) to aid understanding
Click here to see "What Children Can Do at the End of Third Grade."
Do you know what I can do?
Now that you know what your child should be able to do in the appropriate grade. Try this post-quiz to test your knowledge.
Child |
Match the Description to the Correct Child |
| Kindergartner | |
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| 1st Grader | |
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| 2nd Grader | |
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| 3rd Grader | |
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Parents want their children to become successful readers. You have been your child's first and most important teacher. You are the best judge of your child's needs and abilities.
Now you are sharing this learning time and the responsibility of educating your child with the school. Stay in contact with your child's teachers about progress in reading. If you have concerns, talk to the teacher.
There are some things that can be done to ensure reading success no matter what the age of a child. One thing parents can do is model behavior. When parents read, children see the value in reading. They see the pleasures and rewards it offers.
Children need to have books, magazines, and other print materials available at home. Families can use the public library and the school library to make sure children have lots of opportunities to use and enjoy reading materials. Gift cards from the local bookstore make a great birthday gift!
Talk about new words. Words are fun! When adults are excited about words, children will be interested in them. New words can be related to life experiences. Your family may live near a zoo, park, or river. Someone in your family may be interested in fishing or collecting something as a hobby. The words you use and can talk about are different depending on community resources and the interests of family members. Looking through a picture book on travel may present opportunities to learn new words.
When you read aloud to your child you are modeling fluent reading. Fluent reading is reading that sounds like speech. You can read aloud to your child even after she has learned to read on her own. Many families enjoy reading aloud to and with their children through the middle school years. When you read to your child, a closeness develops that shows your child you care about spending time with her. You have the chance to talk with your child and help her understand things about the world. You can answer questions and exchange memories as you relate what is read to past experiences or to things you hope to do. Reading aloud to your child may build a desire to read. It also is one way that vocabulary grows.
Research has shown that listening to your child read is a good way to support emerging reading skills. As you listen to him read, you can correct errors he makes in pronouncing words which may help him build accurate and efficient word reading skills. Praising and reading along with your child may build his self-confidence and motivation. When you are listening to your child read, you may be able to help him figure out how to use information in the text to understand what an unfamiliar word means.
If you feel the information about your child’s grade does not describe her abilities or classroom activities, check a higher or lower grade. See if one of these is a better match for your child and what she is doing at school. The idea is not to hurry your child in learning, but to help her develop strong skills for success in reading.
Resources
Armbruster, B.B., Lehr, F., & Osborn, J. (2003). A child becomes a reader: Kindergarten through grade 3. Washington, DC: The Partnership for Reading: National Institute for Literacy, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Cook, A. (1999). How well does your child read, write, and do math?: Step-by-step methods for parents to assess and develop their child’s skills. New York: Galahad Books.
Cullinan, B. (2000). Read to me: Raising kids who love to read. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Fox Point-Bayside School District. Curriculum: Parent Guides—K5 - 3. What my child should know and be able to do (2006). Retrieved August 8, 2007, from www.foxbay.k12.wi.us/District/Curriculum/curriculum.asp
Hall, S. & Moats, L. (1999). Straight talk about reading: How parents can make a difference during the early years. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books.
Neuman, S., Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2000). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Sénéchal, M. (2006). The effect of family literacy interventions on children’s acquisition of reading from kindergarten to grade 3: A meta-analytic review. Washington, DC: The Partnership for Reading: National Institute for Literacy.
Snow, C., Burns, S., & Griffin, P. (1998). First-grade accomplishments. Retrieved August 10, 2007, from www.readingrockets.org/article/164
This information was produced by the National Center for Family Literacy for use on www.thinkfinity.org, a powerful educational platform supported by the Verizon Foundation. This information may be reproduced for noncommercial purposes without permission.
Copyright © 2007 by the National Center for Family Literacy. Produced by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) (325 W. Main Street, Suite 300, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-4237).
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