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Kindergarten English (North Carolina SCOS)

Your Teacher Information Pack for Kindergarten English (North Carolina SCOS): the standards with their official codes, in our own short summaries, plus tests and official links.

State
North Carolina
Grade
Kindergarten
Source
North Carolina English Language Arts Standard Course of Study (2017)
Last checked
2026-10-20

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The standards (our summaries)

Official North Carolina codes with our own short summaries (not the official wording). Each code links to the official document.

Reading Standards for Foundational Skills (RF)

  • RF.K.1 Show understanding of how print is organized and its basic features.
  • RF.K.1a Follow print left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.
  • RF.K.1b Know that spoken words are written as specific sequences of letters.
  • RF.K.1c Recognize that spaces separate words in print.
  • RF.K.1d Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters.
  • RF.K.2 Write upper- and lowercase letters.
  • RF.K.3 Show understanding of spoken words, syllables, and individual sounds.
  • RF.K.3a Recognize and produce rhyming words.
  • RF.K.3b Count, say, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.
  • RF.K.3c Blend and segment onsets and rimes of one-syllable words.
  • RF.K.3d Isolate the first, middle, and last sounds in consonant-vowel-consonant words.
  • RF.K.3e Add or substitute sounds in one-syllable words to make new words.
  • RF.K.4 Apply basic phonics and word analysis to decode words.
  • RF.K.4a Produce the main sound for each consonant letter.
  • RF.K.4b Link long and short vowel sounds with common spellings of the five vowels.
  • RF.K.4c Read common high-frequency words by sight.
  • RF.K.4d Tell similarly spelled words apart by the sounds of the letters that differ.
  • RF.K.5 Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.

Reading Standards for Literature (RL)

  • RL.K.1 With support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • RL.K.2 With support, retell familiar stories with key details.
  • RL.K.3 With support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
  • RL.K.4 With support, ask and answer questions about words that express feelings or appeal to the senses.
  • RL.K.5 Recognize common types of texts.
  • RL.K.6 With support, explain the roles of author and illustrator in telling a story.
  • RL.K.7 With support, describe how illustrations and words work together in a story.
  • RL.K.9 With support, compare and contrast the experiences of characters in familiar stories.
  • RL.K.10 Take part in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

Reading Standards for Informational Text (RI)

  • RI.K.1 With support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • RI.K.2 With support, identify the main topic and retell key details.
  • RI.K.3 With support, describe the connection between two pieces of information in a text.
  • RI.K.4 With support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
  • RI.K.5 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.
  • RI.K.6 With support, explain the roles of author and illustrator in presenting information.
  • RI.K.7 With support, describe how illustrations and words work together to give information.
  • RI.K.8 Placeholder – begins in a later grade.
  • RI.K.9 With support, identify basic similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic.
  • RI.K.10 Take part in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

Writing Standards (W)

  • W.K.1 Use drawing, dictating, and writing to give an opinion about a topic.
  • W.K.1a With adult guidance, respond to suggestions and add details.
  • W.K.2 Use drawing, dictating, and writing to name a topic and give some information about it.
  • W.K.2a With adult guidance, respond to suggestions and add details.
  • W.K.3 Use drawing, dictating, and writing to tell about events in order and react to them.
  • W.K.3a With adult guidance, respond to suggestions and add details.
  • W.K.4 With adult guidance, explore digital tools to produce and publish writing.
  • W.K.5 Take part in shared research and writing projects.
  • W.K.6 With guidance, recall experiences or use provided sources to answer a question.

Speaking and Listening Standards (SL)

  • SL.K.1 Join conversations with a range of partners about kindergarten topics and texts.
  • SL.K.1a Follow agreed rules for discussions.
  • SL.K.1b Keep a conversation going through several exchanges.
  • SL.K.2 Show understanding of a read-aloud or media by asking and answering questions about key details.
  • SL.K.3 Ask and answer questions to get help, information, or clarification.
  • SL.K.4 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
  • SL.K.5 Add drawings or other visuals to descriptions to give more detail.

Language Standards (L)

  • L.K.1 Use basic grammar: nouns and verbs, pronouns, prepositions, and simple sentence types.
  • L.K.2 Use basic capitalisation, end punctuation, and phonetic spelling in writing.
  • L.K.3 Placeholder – begins in grade 2.
  • L.K.4 Work out unknown word meanings using context, word parts, and word relationships.
  • L.K.5 With support, explore word relationships and nuances.
  • L.K.5a Sort common objects into categories to understand the concepts they represent.
  • L.K.5b Relate common verbs and adjectives to their opposites.
  • L.K.5c Tell shades of meaning among similar verbs by acting them out.
  • L.K.6 Use words and phrases learned through conversation, reading, and being read to.
College and Career Readiness anchor standards (apply to every grade)

Reading (anchor standards) (R)

  • Read closely for explicit meaning and logical inferences, citing textual evidence.
  • Determine central ideas or themes, analyze their development, and summarize them.
  • Analyze how individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact across a text.
  • Interpret words and phrases and analyze how word choices shape meaning or tone.
  • Analyze how parts of a text relate to each other and to the whole.
  • Assess how point of view, perspective, or purpose shapes content and style.
  • Integrate and evaluate content presented in different media and formats.
  • Delineate and evaluate argument and claims (not applicable to literature).
  • Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics.
  • Read complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Writing Standards (W)

  • Write arguments using valid reasoning and relevant, sufficient evidence.
  • Write informative texts that convey complex ideas clearly through well-chosen content.
  • Write narratives using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured sequences.
  • Use digital tools to produce, publish, and collaborate on writing.
  • Conduct short and sustained research projects based on focused questions.
  • Gather information from several sources, assess credibility, and avoid plagiarism.

Speaking and Listening Standards (SL)

  • Take part effectively in collaborative conversations with a range of partners.
  • Integrate and evaluate information presented in different media and formats.
  • Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, use of evidence, and rhetoric.
  • Present information so listeners can follow the reasoning and organization.
  • Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays in presentations.

Language Standards (L)

  • Show command of standard English grammar and usage in writing and speaking.
  • Show command of standard English capitalisation, punctuation, and spelling in writing.
  • Apply knowledge of language to understand how it works in context and make effective choices.
  • Work out unknown and multiple-meaning words using context, word parts, relationships, and references.
  • Understand figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in meaning.
  • Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and subject-specific words.

Tests and key dates

Check the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for state tests and testing windows.

More packs

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Standards codes from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCDPI). Summaries are Classfern's own words, not the official text – see NCDPI for the official wording.

Codes are facts; the descriptions are our own summaries, not the official text (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction material is copyright and may not be copied commercially). Always check the official document.

Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.