Common Core State Standards
Kindergarten ELA Standards
All 41 Common Core English language arts standards for kindergarten, grouped into strands and written in plain English. The official wording is one click away. 6 have free practice you can print today.
41 standards
Reading: Literature RL
9 standardsKey Ideas and Details
RL.K.1
With help, ask and answer questions about the important parts of a story, like who is in it and what happens.
Official wording
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RL.K.2
With help, retell a familiar story, like The Three Little Pigs, keeping the important parts in.
Official wording
With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
RL.K.3
With help, say who is in a story, where it takes place and the big things that happen in it.
Official wording
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
Craft and Structure
RL.K.4
Notice a new word in a story and ask what it means, or answer when someone asks about one.
Official wording
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
RL.K.5
Tell a storybook from a poem and name other common kinds of books and texts.
Official wording
Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
RL.K.6
With help, name who wrote a story and who drew its pictures, and tell what each one does to help tell the story.
Official wording
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL.K.7
With help, look at a picture in a storybook and say which moment of the story it shows.
Official wording
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
RL.K.8
(RL.K.8 not applicable to literature)Not applicable
RL.K.9
With help, tell how what happens to the characters in two familiar stories is alike and how it is different.
Official wording
With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RL.K.10
Join in when the class reads a story together, listening, answering and following along.
Official wording
Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Reading: Informational Text RI
10 standardsKey Ideas and Details
RI.K.1
With help, ask and answer questions about the important facts in an informational book, like one about frogs.
Official wording
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RI.K.2
With help, say what an informational book is mostly about and retell some of the facts it gives.
Official wording
With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
RI.K.3
With help, tell how two people, events or facts in an informational book go together, like a seed and the plant it becomes.
Official wording
With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
Craft and Structure
RI.K.4
With help, ask what an unfamiliar word in an informational book means and answer questions about words in it.
Official wording
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
RI.K.5
Show where the front of a book is, where the back is, and find the page inside that gives the title.
Official wording
Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.
RI.K.6
Name the author and illustrator of an informational book and say that one writes the words and the other makes the pictures.
Official wording
Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RI.K.7
With help, say which person, place, thing or idea from an informational book a picture or photo shows.
Official wording
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).
RI.K.8
With help, find the reasons an author gives for a point, like why a book says dogs make good pets.
Official wording
With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
RI.K.9
With help, tell what is alike and what is different in two books about the same topic, like two books about bears.
Official wording
With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RI.K.10
Join in when the class reads an informational book together, paying attention and following what it says.
Official wording
Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Reading: Foundational Skills RF
4 standardsPrint Concepts
RF.K.1
Follow print left to right and top to bottom, know that letters in order make a word with spaces between words, and name every upper and lowercase letter.
Official wording
Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.aFollow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.bRecognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.cUnderstand that words are separated by spaces in print.dRecognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
Phonological Awareness
RF.K.2
Hear and make rhymes, clap syllables, say the first, middle and last sounds in a short word like cat, and swap a sound to make a new word, like cat to hat.
Official wording
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).aRecognize and produce rhyming words.bCount, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.cBlend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.dIsolate 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/.)eAdd or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
Phonics and Word Recognition
RF.K.3
Say the main sound of each consonant, know the long and short sounds of a, e, i, o and u, and read common sight words like the, of and you.
Official wording
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.aDemonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.bAssociate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.cRead common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).dDistinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
Fluency
RF.K.4
Read very simple beginner books with a purpose in mind and understand what they say.
Official wording
Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.
Writing W
7 standardsText Types and Purposes
W.K.1
Use drawing, telling and some writing to name a topic or book and give an opinion about it, like My favorite book is the one about dogs.
Official wording
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they 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.2
Use drawing, telling and some writing to name a topic and share a few facts about it, like what cats eat.
Official wording
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
W.K.3
Use drawing, telling and some writing to tell what happened, in the order it happened, and share a reaction to it.
Official wording
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
Production and Distribution of Writing
W.K.4
(W.K.4 begins in grade 3)Not applicable
W.K.5
With an adult's help, listen to classmates' questions and ideas about a piece of writing and add details to make it better.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
W.K.6
With an adult's help, try tools like a tablet or computer to make and share writing, sometimes together with classmates.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
W.K.7
Take part in a class project, like reading several books by one author together and sharing opinions about them.
Official wording
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.8
With an adult's help, answer a question by remembering something that happened or by looking in books the teacher provides.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
W.K.9
(W.K.9 begins in grade 4)Not applicable
Range of Writing
W.K.10
(W.K.10 begins in grade 3)Not applicable
Speaking and Listening SL
6 standardsComprehension and Collaboration
SL.K.1
Talk with classmates and adults about kindergarten topics and books, following the rules, taking turns and keeping the conversation going.
Official wording
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.aFollow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).bContinue a conversation through multiple exchanges.
SL.K.2
Show understanding of a read-aloud, a talk or a video by asking and answering questions about it and asking when something is confusing.
Official wording
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.3
Ask a question to get help, find something out or clear up something confusing, and answer questions from others.
Official wording
Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
SL.K.4
Describe a familiar person, place, thing or event, like a pet or a birthday, and add more detail when prompted.
Official wording
Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
SL.K.5
Add a drawing or other picture to a description when it helps show more detail.
Official wording
Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
SL.K.6
Speak loudly enough to be heard and say thoughts, feelings and ideas so that others understand.
Official wording
Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
Language L
5 standardsConventions of Standard English
L.K.1
Print many letters, use everyday nouns, verbs and little words like in and on, make plurals like dogs and wishes, ask with who and where, and speak in full sentences.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.aPrint many upper- and lowercase letters.bUse frequently occurring nouns and verbs.cForm regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).dUnderstand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).eUse the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with).fProduce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.
L.K.2
Capitalize the first word of a sentence and the word I, name the period and question mark, and spell simple words the way they sound, like kat for cat.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.aCapitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun IbRecognize and name end punctuation.cWrite a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).dSpell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.
Knowledge of Language
L.K.3
(L.K.3 begins in grade 2)Not applicable
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.K.4
Figure out what a new word means, like duck as a bird and duck as a move, and use endings and beginnings like -ed, -s and un- as clues.
Official wording
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.aIdentify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck).bUse the most frequently occurring inflections and affixes (e.g., -ed, -s, re-, un-, pre-, -ful, -less) as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word.
L.K.5
With an adult's help, sort objects into groups, pair words with their opposites, link words to real life, and act out the difference between walk, march and strut.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.aSort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.bDemonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms).cIdentify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful).dDistinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings.
L.K.6
Use new words picked up from conversations, from books and from being read to when talking and responding to stories.
Official wording
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.
Kindergarten Practice
Worksheet generators and printables already set up for this grade’s standards, free to use.
Kindergarten ELA Standards: Questions
Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio’s own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.