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Texas Standards

Kindergarten ELA TEKS

All 56 Texas English language arts standards for kindergarten, each explained in plain English. The official wording is one click away under each one.

56 standards

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking--oral language

5 standards
The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.
K.1(A)
Pay close attention to a speaker, ask questions to make sense of what is shared, and answer with more than one word, like My dog is brown.
Official wording
listen actively and ask questions to understand information and answer questions using multi-word responses;
K.1(B)
Repeat back and carry out spoken directions with a few connected steps, like hang up your coat and then sit on the rug.
Official wording
restate and follow oral directions that involve a short, related sequence of actions;
K.1(C)
Speak up loudly and clearly when telling ideas or facts, using correct everyday grammar.
Official wording
share information and ideas by speaking audibly and clearly using the conventions of language;
K.1(D)
Work with classmates in a group talk by keeping to the class rules for discussion, like waiting for a turn to speak.
Official wording
work collaboratively with others by following agreed-upon rules for discussion, including taking turns; and
K.1(E)
Practice everyday social talk, like saying your name to someone new, greeting people with hello, and asking for what you need or want.
Official wording
develop social communication such as introducing himself/herself, using common greetings, and expressing needs and wants.

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--beginning reading and writing

5 standards
The student develops word structure knowledge through phonological awareness, print concepts, phonics, and morphology to communicate, decode, and spell.
K.2(A)
Hear and make rhymes, notice words that start with the same sound, count spoken words and syllables, and blend, split or change syllables and sounds, like c-a-t into cat.
Official wording
demonstrate phonological awareness by:iidentifying and producing rhyming words;iirecognizing spoken alliteration or groups of words that begin with the same spoken onset or initial sound;iiiidentifying the individual words in a spoken sentence;ividentifying syllables in spoken words;vblending syllables to form multisyllabic words;visegmenting multisyllabic words into syllables;viiblending spoken onsets and rimes to form simple words;viiiblending spoken phonemes to form one-syllable words;ixmanipulating syllables within a multisyllabic word; andxsegmenting spoken one-syllable words into individual phonemes;
K.2(B)
Match letters to their sounds, sound out short words like at, cat, stop and milk, see how changing one letter makes a new word, and read at least 25 sight words.
Official wording
demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge by:iidentifying and matching the common sounds that letters represent;iiusing letter-sound relationships to decode, including VC, CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words;iiirecognizing that new words are created when letters are changed, added, or deleted such as it - pit - tip - tap; andividentifying and reading at least 25 high-frequency words from a research-based list;
K.2(C)
Spell short words by their sounds, like up, dog and frog, use common letter patterns for sounds, and spell often-used sight words from a set list.
Official wording
demonstrate and apply spelling knowledge by:ispelling words with VC, CVC, and CCVC;iispelling words using sound-spelling patterns; andiiispelling high-frequency words from a research-based list;
K.2(D)
Find a book's covers and title page, hold it upright, read left to right and top to bottom, tell a letter from a word, and name every capital and lowercase letter.
Official wording
demonstrate print awareness by:iidentifying the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book;iiholding a book right side up, turning pages correctly, and knowing that reading moves from top to bottom and left to right with return sweep;iiirecognizing that sentences are comprised of words separated by spaces and recognizing word boundaries;ivrecognizing the difference between a letter and a printed word; andvidentifying all uppercase and lowercase letters; and
K.2(E)
Print every capital and lowercase letter correctly, starting each stroke in the right place and moving in the right direction.
Official wording
develop handwriting by accurately forming all uppercase and lowercase letters using appropriate directionality.

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--vocabulary

3 standards
The student uses newly acquired vocabulary expressively.
K.3(A)
Look up words in a picture dictionary or an online word tool, like finding the picture and word for whale.
Official wording
use a resource such as a picture dictionary or digital resource to find words;
K.3(B)
Use the pictures and the words of books read aloud or read alone to figure out what a new word means.
Official wording
use illustrations and texts the student is able to read or hear to learn or clarify word meanings; and
K.3(C)
Name and use words for actions, directions, places and positions, order, and groups like colors, shapes and how things feel, like hop, under, first and bumpy.
Official wording
identify and use words that name actions; directions; positions; sequences; categories such as colors, shapes, and textures; and locations.

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--self-sustained reading

1 standard
The student reads grade-appropriate texts independently.
K.4
Choose books to look at and read alone, staying with them a little longer as the year goes on.
Official wording
self-select text and interact independently with text for increasing periods of time.

Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts

9 standards
The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.
K.5(A)
With an adult's help, name the reason for reading a chosen or assigned book, like to learn about bugs or to enjoy a funny story.
Official wording
establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected texts with adult assistance;
K.5(B)
With an adult's help, ask questions before, during and after a read-aloud, like wondering what the bear will do next, to understand it and learn more.
Official wording
generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information with adult assistance;
K.5(C)
With an adult's help, guess what will happen using the cover, pictures and how the book is set up, then check whether the guess was right.
Official wording
make and confirm predictions using text features and structures with adult assistance;
K.5(D)
With an adult's help, make pictures in the mind of what a story describes, like the snowy hill a sled races down, to understand it better.
Official wording
create mental images to deepen understanding with adult assistance;
K.5(E)
With an adult's help, link a book to own life, other books and the wider world, like a story about a new baby and a little sister at home.
Official wording
make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society with adult assistance;
K.5(F)
With an adult's help, figure out what a book does not say outright, like that a character is sad, and point to clues in the words or pictures.
Official wording
make inferences and use evidence to support understanding with adult assistance;
K.5(G)
With an adult's help, sort through the details in a book to decide which ones matter most.
Official wording
evaluate details to determine what is most important with adult assistance;
K.5(H)
With an adult's help, combine facts and ideas from a text to reach a new understanding, like realizing that many animals get ready for winter.
Official wording
synthesize information to create new understanding with adult assistance; and
K.5(I)
With an adult's help, notice when a book stops making sense and fix it by rereading, using what is already known, checking the pictures or asking a question.
Official wording
monitor comprehension and make adjustments such as re-reading, using background knowledge, checking for visual cues, and asking questions when understanding breaks down with adult assistance.

Response skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts

6 standards
The student responds to an increasingly challenging variety of sources that are read, heard, or viewed.
K.6(A)
Tell how a book, song or video connects to your own life, like a story about losing a tooth.
Official wording
describe personal connections to a variety of sources;
K.6(B)
Respond to a book by talking about it, drawing a picture or writing a few words.
Official wording
provide an oral, pictorial, or written response to a text;
K.6(C)
Back up an answer about a book by pointing to a picture or part of the text that shows it.
Official wording
use text evidence to support an appropriate response;
K.6(D)
Tell a story again in your own words so the meaning stays the same, like retelling Goldilocks from start to finish.
Official wording
retell texts in ways that maintain meaning;
K.6(E)
Engage with books and other sources by drawing pictures of them or writing about them.
Official wording
interact with sources in meaningful ways such as illustrating or writing; and
K.6(F)
Use new words picked up from books when talking about them, like saying enormous after hearing it in a story.
Official wording
respond using newly acquired vocabulary as appropriate.

Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--literary elements

4 standards
The student recognizes and analyzes literary elements within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary texts.
K.7(A)
With an adult's help, talk about what a story is about and its simple lesson, like be kind to others, using details from the story.
Official wording
discuss topics and determine the basic theme using text evidence with adult assistance;
K.7(B)
Name who a story is mostly about and tell what each main character is like, such as a brave little hen.
Official wording
identify and describe the main character(s);
K.7(C)
With an adult's help, tell the big events of a read-aloud story, the problem the characters face, and how it gets solved.
Official wording
describe the elements of plot development, including the main events, the problem, and the resolution for texts read aloud with adult assistance; and
K.7(D)
Tell where and when a story happens, like on a farm on a rainy night.
Official wording
describe the setting.

Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres

6 standards
The student recognizes and analyzes genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts.
K.8(A)
Know what sets familiar kinds of children's stories apart, like a fable that ends with a lesson or a fairy tale that opens with once upon a time.
Official wording
demonstrate knowledge of distinguishing characteristics of well-known children's literature such as folktales, fables, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes;
K.8(B)
Talk about the rhyming words and the beat in nursery rhymes and other poems, like Hickory Dickory Dock.
Official wording
discuss rhyme and rhythm in nursery rhymes and a variety of poems;
K.8(C)
Talk about the most important characters in a play or puppet show, like the troll in a Billy Goats Gruff skit.
Official wording
discuss main characters in drama;
K.8(D)
With help, find a fact book's main idea and the facts that support it, use titles and simple pictures to learn, and follow steps in order, like planting a seed.
Official wording
recognize characteristics and structures of informational text, including:ithe central idea and supporting evidence with adult assistance;iititles and simple graphics to gain information; andiiithe steps in a sequence with adult assistance;
K.8(E)
With an adult's help, spot writing that tries to convince, and say what the author wants readers to believe or do, like eat more vegetables.
Official wording
recognize characteristics of persuasive text with adult assistance and state what the author is trying to persuade the reader to think or do; and
K.8(F)
Recognize the features of texts that combine words, pictures and sound or appear on screens, like an animated e-book with buttons.
Official wording
recognize characteristics of multimodal and digital texts.

Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts

5 standards
The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors' choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances.
K.9(A)
With an adult's help, talk about why an author wrote a book, like to teach facts, to tell a story or to make readers laugh.
Official wording
discuss with adult assistance the author's purpose for writing text;
K.9(B)
With an adult's help, talk about how the way a book is organized helps the author's goal, like steps in order for a how-to book.
Official wording
discuss with adult assistance how the use of text structure contributes to the author's purpose;
K.9(C)
With an adult's help, talk about why an author uses things like big bold words, labels and pictures, such as a label naming each part of a bug.
Official wording
discuss with adult assistance the author's use of print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes;
K.9(D)
With an adult's help, talk about the words an author picks to help readers see a scene in their minds, like fluffy, sparkly or gigantic.
Official wording
discuss with adult assistance how the author uses words that help the reader visualize; and
K.9(E)
Listen to stories told by a character using I and stories told by an outside narrator using he, she or they.
Official wording
listen to and experience first- and third-person texts.

Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--writing process

5 standards
The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and uses appropriate conventions.
K.10(A)
Come up with ideas to write about by talking as a class and drawing pictures first.
Official wording
plan by generating ideas for writing through class discussions and drawings;
K.10(B)
Put ideas in order to make a first try at a piece, by telling it aloud, drawing it or writing it.
Official wording
develop drafts in oral, pictorial, or written form by organizing ideas;
K.10(C)
Improve a draft by adding details to the picture or the words, like giving the dog a red collar.
Official wording
revise drafts by adding details in pictures or words;
K.10(D)
With an adult's help, fix a draft's sentences, nouns, verbs, describing words and pronouns, capitalize first words and names, end with periods, and check spelling.
Official wording
edit drafts with adult assistance using standard English conventions, including:icomplete sentences;iiverbs;iiisingular and plural nouns;ivadjectives, including articles;vprepositions;vipronouns, including subjective, objective, and possessive cases;viicapitalization of the first letter in a sentence and name;viiipunctuation marks at the end of declarative sentences; andixcorrect spelling of words with grade-appropriate orthographic patterns and rules and high-frequency words; and
K.10(E)
Share finished writing with others, like reading it to the class or showing it to family.
Official wording
share writing.

Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres

2 standards
The student uses genre characteristics and craft to compose multiple texts that are meaningful.
K.11(A)
Write or tell an adult to write down stories, including true stories from the student's own life, like the day a first tooth came out.
Official wording
dictate or compose literary texts, including personal narratives; and
K.11(B)
Write or tell an adult to write down pieces that teach facts about a topic, like what pet fish need.
Official wording
dictate or compose informational texts.

Inquiry and research: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts

5 standards
The student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes.
K.12(A)
With an adult's help, think of questions to explore, from class projects to everyday wonders, like why leaves change color.
Official wording
generate questions for formal and informal inquiry with adult assistance;
K.12(B)
With an adult's help, make a simple plan for finding answers to a question and then follow it step by step.
Official wording
develop and follow a research plan with adult assistance;
K.12(C)
With an adult's help, collect facts from several places, like books, websites, videos and people who know the topic.
Official wording
gather information from a variety of sources with adult assistance;
K.12(D)
With an adult's help, show what was learned from the research, like telling three facts found about frogs.
Official wording
demonstrate understanding of information gathered with adult assistance; and
K.12(E)
Share research findings in a fitting way, like a short talk, a labeled drawing, or a poster with pictures and words.
Official wording
use an appropriate mode of delivery, whether written, oral, or multimodal, to present results.

The official Texas documents

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading, 19 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 110, adopted by the Texas State Board of Education.

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