½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Awareness and Exploration of Reading Stage (typically pre-K)

• Children can understand that print carries meaning
• Support identifying labels, participate in rhyming games (can be easily done in the car), identify some letters and letter matching, attempt reading and writing activities, listen to stories 

Emergent Reading Stage (typically pre-K to early Kindergarten)

• Students recognize some of the alphabet, may read a few sight words, does not yet understand letter sounds
• Focus is that a student understands concepts of print (reading left to right, top to bottom, front to back), that letters are made up of sounds, sounds produce words

Early Reading Stage (typically Kindergarten to early Grade 1)

• Students know most sounds for letters in the alphabet, can read several sight words, able to identify initial sounds in words
• Goals at this stage would be for students to know all letter sounds, be able to identify initial and final sounds in words, gain recognition of 50 or more sight words

Transitional Reading Stage (typically late Grade 1 to Grade 2)

• Working toward independent reading, know at least 100 sight words with automaticity, able to decode many words independently
• Continue to develop reading fluency and comprehension skills

Fluent Reading Stage (typically Grade 3 and higher)

• Can read and write a variety of genres independently, is a fluent reader (70-100 words per minute)
• Continuing to develop and independently apply a diverse number of comprehension strategies, use complex word patterns, develop fluency in a variety of texts, respond to text in a variety of ways