Here's what he is able to do for Language Arts.
Reading: Well, P first started reading at 4-1/2 years old, when he read "Ten Apples Up On Top". So, that covers much of this sub-category. He's known his alphabet since about 2 years old, and sung the A-B-C song since at least 3 years old. There were only two of the line-items we aren't confident that he knows:
- develops vocabulary by discussing characters and events from a story.
- supports oral and written responses with details from the informative text.
Writing: P has never been terribly interested in writing, and so this one has many more items to work on:
- generates ideas through brainstorming, listening to text read by teacher, discussing.
- uses basic writing formats (for example, labels, lists, notes, captions, stories, messages).
- demonstrates ability to sequence events during shared writing exercises.
- revises by adding details to pictures, dictation, or letters.
- uses spelling approximations in written work.
- uses directionality of print in writing (including but not limited to left-to-right, top-to-bottom, spacing between words).
- identifies and attempts to use end punctuation (for example, the period, question mark, exclamation point).
- dictates or writes with pictures or words a narrative about a familiar experience.
- contributes ideas during a shared writing activity.
- dictates and writes with pictures or words to record ideas and reflections.
- dictates or writes simple informational texts (for example, descriptions, labels, lists).
Listening, Speaking, Viewing: this one confuses me. It seems to be more, "is your child able to give and receive social cues, as well as express their likes and dislikes." P most definitely does all of that.
Language: most of these are pretty standard ones, I think, in terms of sound patterns, language functions, formality, word choice, repetition, rhyme and rhythm. And then there is the one that we're not even sure we understand:
- understands the use of alliteration.
Literature: in this, we are simply not introducing books basic enough, though with an almost-3 year old in the house, I'm sure we'll see more and more of this missing genre:
- knows rhymes, rhythms, and patterned structures in children’s text (for example, repetitive text, pattern books, nursery rhymes).
