Entry-level literacy for ages 4-5: uppercase and lowercase letter recognition, early phonemic awareness, and first sight words.
✏️ Can hold a pencil or crayon📖 Enjoys being read to👀 Recognizes own first name in print🎨 Knows basic colors by name⏱️ Can sit with a task for 5-10 minutes
- ✓Recognizes all 26 uppercase letters by name
- ✓Names at least 16 lowercase letters
- ✓Knows the sounds of 10 or more letters
- ✓Reads 5-10 high-frequency sight words (e.g. the, is, I, a, and)
- ✓Holds a book right-side up and turns pages front to back
- ✓Points to words while being read to (print awareness)
- ✓Attempts to write own first name from memory
Sight word progression and simple sentence work for ages 4-5: Dolch Primer and First word lists, CVC decoding, sentence reading, and early writing.
🔤 Recognizes all 26 upper and lowercase letters🔊 Knows the sounds of most letters👁️ Reads 5-10 basic sight words✏️ Can write own first name⏱️ Can focus on an activity for 10-15 minutes
- ✓Reads 30-50 Dolch Primer and First level sight words on sight
- ✓Decodes simple CVC words (e.g. cat, dog, sit, hop)
- ✓Reads simple 3-5 word sentences with familiar words
- ✓Copies and completes sentence frames (e.g. I see a ___)
- ✓Finger-tracks through a short decodable reader independently
- ✓Identifies the beginning and ending sounds in spoken words
- ✓Attempts to write original simple sentences using known words
Independent reading and multi-sentence writing for ages 4-5: 100+ sight words, leveled readers at Fountas and Pinnell Level D-F, consonant blends and digraphs, CVCe patterns, and story writing.
📖 Reads 30+ sight words on sight🔡 Decodes CVC words independently📝 Reads simple 3-5 word sentences✍️ Copies and completes sentence frames⏱️ Can focus on structured literacy activities for 15+ minutes
- ✓Reads 100+ Dolch sight words (Primer and First complete, partial Second list) on sight
- ✓Independently reads Fountas and Pinnell Level D-F books with self-correction
- ✓Decodes words with consonant blends (bl, cr, st) and digraphs (sh, ch, th)
- ✓Reads and understands CVCe (silent-e) words (e.g. cake, bike, home)
- ✓Writes 3-5 sentence stories with a beginning, middle, and end
- ✓Segments and manipulates phonemes in spoken words (e.g. say cat without /k/)
- ✓Uses invented spelling that reflects phonetic awareness (most sounds represented)
- ✓Retells a story with key details: characters, setting, problem, and solution
Featured Articles
View all →65 Essential Picture Books, Sorted by Age
The Atlantic's definitive list of children's picture books, organized by the age when your child will get the most out of each one.
Understanding Children's Reading Levels
A practical guide to F&P, Lexile, DRA, and AR reading level systems — what they measure, how they compare, and how we assign age bands.