Kindergarten English Language Arts: how to help at home
What your child learns in Kindergarten english language arts in the Nova Scotia Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- A1 Foundations of Language: Learners will apply listening, speaking, and non-verbal communication skills and strategies to understand and communicate meaning for various audiences, purposes, and contexts.
- A2 Foundations of Language: Learners will apply understanding of foundational language knowledge and skill when reading and writing.
- A3 Foundations of Language: Learners will apply knowledge of sentence structure, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation when reading and writing.
- B1 Comprehension: Learners will apply knowledge of text structures, features, and styles to comprehend texts in a variety of genres that represent diverse perspectives and experiences.
- B2 Comprehension: Learners will use reading, listening, and viewing strategies to comprehend a variety of texts that represent diverse perspectives and experiences.
- B3 Comprehension: Learners will apply critical thinking skills to deepen comprehension of texts and analyse how various perspectives and topics are communicated and addressed in a variety of texts.
- C1 Composition: Learners will apply pre-writing skills and strategies to develop various texts for a range of authentic audiences and purposes.
- C2 Composition: Learners will apply knowledge and understanding of text forms and genres to write a variety of texts.
- C3 Composition: Learners will use suitable and effective media, techniques, and tools to publish and present final texts in a range of genres.
Easy ways to practise english language arts at home
- Read aloud every day and let your child finish familiar phrases.
- Play with sounds: “What starts with /b/? What rhymes with cat?”
- Point out letters on signs, cereal boxes and the street.
- Ask your child to tell you a story about their drawing, and write down a sentence or two.
What each unit covers
Talk & Listen
Chat about the day, ask your child to answer in a whole sentence, and let them ask you questions. Poems and rhymes are great practice too.
Letter Partners
Matching capital (big) letters with their lowercase (small) partners, including look-alikes such as b, d, p and q.
First Sounds
Hearing the first sound in a word (b in bus) and linking it to its letter. Say the words out loud together and stretch out the first sound.
Rhyme Time
Hearing rhymes (cat, hat) and spotting a word that doesn't rhyme. Rhyming games build the listening skills behind reading.
Clap the Beat
Breaking words into syllables (ba-na-na) by clapping. Clap along out loud: one clap for each part you hear.
Blend a Word
Listening for the sounds in a word, blending them to read it, and counting the sounds in words.
Sight Words
Recognizing common words such as the, see, can and my, plus colour and number words, by looking closely at their letters.
Picture Clues
Using the picture and the first letter to read a word or a short sentence, a key early reading strategy.
Book Detectives
How print works: telling letters, numbers, words and sentences apart, reading left to right and top to bottom, counting words, and what authors and illustrators do.
Story Order
Putting events in order, and listening to short stories to tell what happened at the beginning, middle and end.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Developing
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Nova Scotia report card guide.
Common questions
How can I help my Kindergarten child with english language arts?
Read aloud every day and let your child finish familiar phrases. Play with sounds: “What starts with /b/? What rhymes with cat?” Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
What does my child learn in Kindergarten english language arts in Nova Scotia?
The Nova Scotia Curriculum Kindergarten english language arts units include talk & listen, letter partners, first sounds, rhyme time, clap the beat, blend a word.
Free printable Kindergarten english language arts practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.