Kindergarten
School Leader’s Literacy Walkthrough
Foundational Reading Skills ............................................................................................................... 2
Reading Comprehension .................................................................................................................... 3
Writing .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Language .............................................................................................................................................. 5
Speaking and Listening ....................................................................................................................... 6
Marcia Kosanovich
Kevin Smith
Trudy Hensley
La’Tara Osborne-Lampkin
Barbara Foorman
This School Leader’s Literacy Walkthrough was developed by REL Southeast supported in whole or in part by contract ED-IES-12-C-0011 from the U.S. Department of Education,
Institute of Education Sciences. The content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of IES or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial
products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government.
Kindergarten Literacy Walkthrough: Foundational Reading Skills
Teacher:
Skills/Concepts
Print Concepts

Identify parts of a book

Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, & page by page

Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by
specific sequences of letters

Recognize that print matches speech and written words are
separated by spaces in print

Recognize simple punctuation rules

Recognize upper and lower case letters
Phonological Awareness

Count words in spoken sentence

Recognize and produce rhyming words

Pronounce & count syllables in spoken words

Blend syllables into spoken words

Segment syllables in spoken words

Blend onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words

Isolate & pronounce initial, medial & final phonemes in threephoneme (CVC) words

Add or substitute individual phonemes in simple, one-syllable words
to make new words
Phonics and Word Recognition

Identify one-to-one letter-sound correspondences for each
consonant

Recognize long & short sounds with common spellings for the five
major vowels

Read common high-frequency words by sight

Use an explicit decoding strategy to segment and blend simple
words

Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying differing
sounds of letters
Fluency

Listen to the teacher read with speed, accuracy, and prosody during
read-aloud

Engage in shared reading activities

Read emergent texts with purpose & understanding
Date/Time:
Evidence
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Classroom Environment
Evidence
Literacy rich environment
Classroom arrangement
Classroom management
2
Kindergarten Literacy Walkthrough: Reading Comprehension
Teacher:
Skills/Concepts
Literature and Informational Text

Ask and answer questions about key details and
unknown words in a text

Name the author and illustrator of a text and define
the role of each

Describe the relationship between illustrations and
the text in which they appear

Engage in group reading activities with purpose and
understanding
Literary Texts

Retell familiar stories, including key details

Identify characters, settings, and major events in a
story

Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks,
poems)

Recognize simple story grammar (e.g., setting,
characters, problem, solution)

Compare and contrast the adventures and
experiences of characters in familiar stories
Informational Text

Identify the main topic and retell key details

Describe the connection between two individuals,
events, ideas, or pieces of information

Identify reasons an author gives to support points

Identify basic similarities and differences between two
informational texts on the same topic (e.g.,
illustrations, descriptions, or procedures)

Recognize different types of informational text
structures
Date/Time:
Evidence
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Classroom Environment
Evidence
Literacy rich environment
Classroom arrangement
Classroom management
3
Kindergarten Literacy Walkthrough: Writing
Teacher:
Skills/Concepts
Mechanics

Print upper and lower case letters

Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the
pronoun I

Recognize and name end punctuation

Write the letter or letters for most consonant and
short-vowel sounds

Spell simple words (e.g., am, cut, sit) phonetically,
drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships


Process
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing
to compose opinion pieces by naming the topic or title
of the book and stating an opinion about the topic or
book
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing
to compose informative/explanatory texts: name the
topic and some information about the topic

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

Respond to questions and suggestions and add
details to strengthen writing with guidance and
support from adults

Explore a variety of digital tools to produce and
publish writing and to collaborate with peers with
guidance and support from adults

Participate in shared research and writing projects
Date/Time:
Evidence
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Classroom Environment
Evidence
Literacy rich environment
Classroom arrangement
Classroom management
4
Kindergarten Literacy Walkthrough: Language
Teacher:
Skills/Concepts
Conventions of Standard English

Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs

Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/
(e.g., cat, cats; dish, dishes)

Use question words (e.g., who, what, where, when,
why, how)

Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from,
in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with)

Elaborate on oral responses and speak in complete
sentences
Vocabulary

Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply
them accurately

Use 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

Sort common objects into categories (e.g., animals,
colors, shapes) to gain a sense of the concepts the
categories represent

Use frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by
relating them to their opposites (antonyms)

Make real-life connections between words and their use

Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs
describing the same general action (e.g., nibble, eat,
gobble) by acting out the meanings

Use words and phrases acquired through
conversations, reading and being read to, and
responding to text

Engage in shared reading activities

Read emergent texts with purpose & understanding
Date/Time:
Evidence
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Teacher Instruction
Student Learning
Instructional Materials
Classroom Environment
Evidence
Literacy rich environment
Classroom arrangement
Classroom management
5
Kindergarten Literacy Walkthrough: Speaking and Listening
Teacher:
Skills/Concepts
Speaking and Listening

Participate in collaborative conversations about
kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in
small and large groups

Describe familiar people, places, things, and events
and, with prompting and support, provide additional
details

Follow agreed-upon rules for group discussions

Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges

Confirm understanding of a text read
aloud/information presented orally/other media by
asking and answering questions about key details
and requesting clarification if something is not
understood

Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and
ideas clearly provide additional detail

Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions
Date/Time:
Evidence
Teacher Instruction
Classroom Environment
Student Learning
Evidence
Literacy rich environment
Classroom arrangement
Classroom management
6
Instructional Materials