The Common Core in Iowa

$Iowa flag$

Skills available for Iowa kindergarten language arts standards

Standards are in black and IXL language arts skills are in dark green. Hold your mouse over the name of a skill to view a sample question. Click on the name of a skill to practice that skill.

Show alignments for:

Iowa Academic Standards for ELA and Literacy (adopted in 2024): Kindergarten Iowa Academic Standards for ELA and Literacy (adopted in 2024): Kindergarten
Iowa Core: Language Iowa Core: Language
Iowa Core: Reading: Foundational Skills Iowa Core: Reading: Foundational Skills
Iowa Core: Reading: Informational Text Iowa Core: Reading: Informational Text
Iowa Core: Reading: Literature Iowa Core: Reading: Literature

Actions

Print standards

RL.K Reading Standards for Literature

Key Ideas and Details
- RL.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- RL.K.2 With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
  - Order images in a story (K-FF.1)
  - Identify the problem and solution in a story (K-FF.2)
- RL.K.3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
Craft and Structure
- RL.K.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
  - Read along with fantasy (K-II.1)
  - Read along with realistic fiction (K-II.2)
- RL.K.5 Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
- RL.K.6 With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
- RL.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
- RL.K.9 With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
- RL.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

RI.K Reading Standards for Informational Text

Key Ideas and Details
- RI.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- RI.K.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
- RI.K.3 With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
  - What will happen next? (K-CC.2)
Craft and Structure
- RI.K.4 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words and phrases in a text.
- RI.K.5 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.
  - Identify book parts and features (K-Z.1)
- RI.K.6 Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
- RI.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
- RI.K.8 With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
- RI.K.9 With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
- RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

RF.K Reading Standards: Foundational Skills

Print Concepts
- RF.K.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
  - RF.K.1.a Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.
    - Find a word in a sentence (K-F.3)
    - Identify book parts and features (K-Z.1)
  - RF.K.1.b Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.
    - Choose the two words that are the same (K-F.1)
  - RF.K.1.c Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.
    - Choose the sentence that is spaced correctly (K-F.2)
    - Find a word in a sentence (K-F.3)
  - RF.K.1.d Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Awareness
- RF.K.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and phonemes (sounds).
  - RF.K.2.a Count, produce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.
  - RF.K.2.b Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.
    - Blend onset and rime together to make a word (K-J.1)
  - RF.K.2.c Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final phonemes (sounds) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words. (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)
  - RF.K.2.d Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
  - RF.K.2.e Recognize and produce rhyming words.
Phonics and Word Recognition
- RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics, which includes word analysis skills to support decoding and encoding words.
  - RF.K.3.a Demonstrate basic knowledge of phoneme-grapheme (one-to-one, letter-sound) correspondences by producing the primary and most frequent sounds for each consonant.
  - RF.K.3.b Associate the long and short sounds with common graphemes (spellings) for the five major vowels.
  - RF.K.3.c Read common high-frequency words with accuracy and automaticity (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).
  - RF.K.3.d Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
Fluency
- RF.K.4 Orally read grade-appropriate text with purpose and understanding.

WF.K Writing Standards: Foundational Skills

Writing Foundations
- WF.K.1 Print with scaffolding and support for a variety of tasks and purposes.
  - WF.K.1.a Form many upper and lowercase manuscript letters and numerals correctly with proportion, line awareness, and spacing (between words and letters).
  - WF.K.1.b Begin to produce manuscript writing.

W.K Writing Standards

Text Types and Purposes
- W.K.1 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is…).
  - Complete the fact and opinion sentences (K)
- W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
  - Complete the fact and opinion sentences (K)
- W.K.3 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.
  - Put the sentences in order (K)
  - Identify time-order words (K)
Production and Distribution of Writing
- W.K.5 With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
- W.K.6 With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
- W.K.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).
- W.K.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

L.K Language Standards

Conventions of Standard English
- L.K.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  - L.K.1.a Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.
  - L.K.1.b Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).
    - Choose the singular or plural noun that matches the picture (K-VV.2)
  - L.K.1.c Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).
    - Who, what, when, where, or why? (K-PP.1)
  - L.K.1.d Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with).
    - Inside and outside, above and below, next to and beside (K-OO.1)
    - Choose the best location word to match the picture (K-OO.2)
  - L.K.1.e Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.
    - Find the complete sentence (K-TT.3)
    - Unscramble the words to make a complete sentence (K-TT.4)
- L.K.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
  - L.K.2.a Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I.
    - Capitalize the first letter of a sentence (K-UU.1)
    - Capitalize the pronoun "I" (K-UU.2)
  - L.K.2.b Recognize and name end punctuation.
    - Identify and use end marks (K-TT.2)
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
- L.K.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.
  - L.K.4.a Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck).
    - Multiple-meaning words with pictures (K-SS.1)
  - L.K.4.b 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.
- L.K.5 With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
  - L.K.5.a Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.
    - Sort objects into categories (K-RR.1)
    - Which one is not like the others? (K-RR.2)
  - L.K.5.b Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms).
    - Match antonyms to pictures (K-QQ.1)
  - L.K.5.c Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful).
  - L.K.5.d Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings.
- L.K.6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.

The Common Core in Iowa

Show alignments for:

Actions

RL.K Reading Standards for Literature

Key Ideas and Details

RL.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

RL.K.2 With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.

RL.K.3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

Craft and Structure

RL.K.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

RL.K.5 Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).

RL.K.6 With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RL.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

RL.K.9 With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

RL.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

RI.K Reading Standards for Informational Text

Key Ideas and Details

RI.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

RI.K.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

RI.K.3 With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

Craft and Structure

RI.K.4 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words and phrases in a text.

RI.K.5 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

RI.K.6 Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RI.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).

RI.K.8 With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.

RI.K.9 With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

RF.K Reading Standards: Foundational Skills

Print Concepts

RF.K.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

RF.K.1.a Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

RF.K.1.b Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.

RF.K.1.c Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.

RF.K.1.d Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Awareness

RF.K.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and phonemes (sounds).

RF.K.2.a Count, produce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.

RF.K.2.b Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.

RF.K.2.c Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final phonemes (sounds) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words. (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)

RF.K.2.d Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.

RF.K.2.e Recognize and produce rhyming words.

Phonics and Word Recognition

RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics, which includes word analysis skills to support decoding and encoding words.

RF.K.3.a Demonstrate basic knowledge of phoneme-grapheme (one-to-one, letter-sound) correspondences by producing the primary and most frequent sounds for each consonant.

RF.K.3.b Associate the long and short sounds with common graphemes (spellings) for the five major vowels.

RF.K.3.c Read common high-frequency words with accuracy and automaticity (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).

RF.K.3.d Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Fluency

RF.K.4 Orally read grade-appropriate text with purpose and understanding.

WF.K Writing Standards: Foundational Skills

Writing Foundations

WF.K.1 Print with scaffolding and support for a variety of tasks and purposes.

WF.K.1.a Form many upper and lowercase manuscript letters and numerals correctly with proportion, line awareness, and spacing (between words and letters).

WF.K.1.b Begin to produce manuscript writing.

W.K Writing Standards

Text Types and Purposes

W.K.1 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is…).

W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

W.K.3 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.

Production and Distribution of Writing

W.K.5 With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.

W.K.6 With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

W.K.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).

W.K.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

L.K Language Standards

Conventions of Standard English

L.K.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

L.K.1.a Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.

L.K.1.b Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).

L.K.1.c Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).

L.K.1.d Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with).

L.K.1.e Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.

L.K.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

L.K.2.a Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I.