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Florida Standards

Florida Kindergarten ELA B.E.S.T. Standards

All 25 Florida English language arts standards for kindergarten, each explained in plain English. The official wording is one click away under each one.

25 standards

Foundational Skills

4 standards
Learning and Applying Foundational Reading Skills
ELA.K.F.1.1
Learn how print works, like finding the cover and title page, naming every letter, telling letters from words and reading left to right.
Official wording
Demonstrate knowledge of the basic concepts of print.aLocate a printed word on a page.bDistinguish letters from words within sentences.cMatch print to speech to demonstrate that language is represented by print.dIdentify parts of a book (front cover, back cover, title page).eMove top to bottom and left to right on the printed page, returning to the beginning of the next line.fIdentify all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.gRecognize that print conveys specific meaning and pictures may support meaning.
ELA.K.F.1.2
Play with the sounds in spoken words, like clapping syllables, making rhymes, naming first, middle and last sounds and blending c-a-t into cat.
Official wording
Demonstrate phonological awareness.aBlend and segment syllables in spoken words.bIdentify and produce alliterative and rhyming words.cBlend and segment onset and rimes of single-syllable words.dIdentify the initial, medial, and final sound of spoken words.eAdd or delete phonemes at the beginning or end of a spoken word and say the resulting word.fSegment and blend phonemes in single-syllable spoken words.
ELA.K.F.1.3
Match each consonant and the five vowels to their sounds, short and long, then read and spell three-letter words like sit, map and hop.
Official wording
Use knowledge of grade-appropriate phonics and word-analysis skills to decode words accurately.aDemonstrate knowledge of the most frequent sound for each consonant.bDemonstrate knowledge of the short and long sounds for the five major vowels.cDecode consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words.dEncode consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words.
ELA.K.F.1.4
Read common kindergarten sight words like the, and, is and you quickly, without stopping to sound them out.
Official wording
Recognize and read with automaticity grade-level high frequency words.

Reading

9 standards
Reading Prose and Poetry
ELA.K.R.1.1
Tell who the main characters are, where the story takes place and the big things that happen in it.
Official wording
Describe the main character(s), setting, and important events in a story.
ELA.K.R.1.3
Tell what the author of a story does and what the illustrator does, like who wrote the words and who drew the pictures.
Official wording
Explain the roles of author and illustrator of a story.
ELA.K.R.1.4
Find the words that rhyme in a poem, like cat and hat or star and far.
Official wording
Identify rhyme in a poem.
Reading Informational Text
ELA.K.R.2.1
Look at the title, headings and pictures to guess what a text will be about, then check the guess while reading.
Official wording
Use titles, headings, and illustrations to predict and confirm the topic of texts.
ELA.K.R.2.2
Name what a text is mostly about and point out several facts or details it gives about that subject.
Official wording
Identify the topic of and multiple details in a text.
ELA.K.R.2.4
Tell the difference between a fact and an opinion about a subject, like dogs have four legs versus dogs are the best pets.
Official wording
Explain the difference between opinions and facts about a topic.
Reading Across Genres
ELA.K.R.3.1
Find words in a text that describe things, like fluffy or loud, and tell what they add to the picture in your head.
Official wording
Identify and explain descriptive words in text(s).
ELA.K.R.3.2
Retell a story out loud using its characters, setting and big events, and retell a nonfiction text by its topic and details.
Official wording
Retell a text orally to enhance comprehension:aUse main character(s), setting, and important events for a story.bUse topic and details for an informational text.
ELA.K.R.3.3
Tell how characters in different stories go through similar and different things, like two characters who each lose something.
Official wording
Compare and contrast characters’ experiences in stories.

Communication

9 standards
Communicating Through Writing
ELA.K.C.1.1
Write many capital and small letters by hand, forming each one so it can be read.
Official wording
Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
ELA.K.C.1.2
Tell a story through drawing, telling an adult or writing, putting the events in the order they happened.
Official wording
Using a combination of drawing, dictating, and/or writing, create narratives with the events in chronological order.
ELA.K.C.1.3
Draw, tell or write an opinion about a topic or book and give at least one reason for it, like liking frogs because they jump.
Official wording
Using a combination of drawing, dictating, and/or writing, express opinions about a topic or text with at least one supporting reason.
ELA.K.C.1.4
Share facts about a topic by drawing, telling an adult who writes it down, or writing, like what bees do.
Official wording
Using a combination of drawing, dictating, and/or writing, provide factual information about a topic.
ELA.K.C.1.5
Plan, fix and polish drawings and writing with help from an adult, like adding details to a picture or a missing letter to a word.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, improve drawing and writing, as needed, by planning, revising, and editing.
Communicating Orally
ELA.K.C.2.1
Share information out loud by speaking in full sentences, like telling the class about a pet.
Official wording
Present information orally using complete sentences.
Following Conventions
ELA.K.C.3.1
Use kindergarten grammar, spelling, capital letters and end marks correctly, like starting a sentence with a capital and ending it with a period.
Official wording
Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.
Researching
ELA.K.C.4.1
Remember and share what you know or learned to answer a question about one topic, like what a caterpillar eats.
Official wording
Recall information to answer a question about a single topic.
Creating and Collaborating
ELA.K.C.5.1
Add a picture, sound or video to make a spoken or written piece stronger, like holding up a photo while talking.
Official wording
Use a multimedia element to enhance oral or written tasks.

Vocabulary

3 standards
Finding Meaning
ELA.K.V.1.1
Use the learning words taught in kindergarten, like name, sort and match, correctly when talking and writing.
Official wording
Use grade-level academic vocabulary appropriately in speaking and writing.
ELA.K.V.1.2
Ask questions about new words met in class texts, and answer questions about what they mean.
Official wording
Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words in grade-level content.
ELA.K.V.1.3
Sort everyday words into simple groups, like colors, animals or foods, and connect them to what you already know.
Official wording
Identify and sort common words into basic categories, relating vocabulary to background knowledge.

The official Florida documents

Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards for English Language Arts, Florida Department of Education.

The plain-English lines are EMStudio's own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standards.