Kindergarten English Language Arts: how to help at home
What your child learns in Kindergarten english language arts in the Nunavut Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Uqausiliriniq: communication and language, creative and artistic expression, and reflective and critical thinking.
- Comprehension: listen, view and read to understand a range of texts.
- Production: speak, write and represent ideas clearly for different audiences and purposes.
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
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.
Listening & Talking
Practises what a good listener looks like, asking who, what and where questions, speaking in whole sentences, and choosing a voice and words that suit the listener. Take turns chatting with your child and ask them to say back what they heard.
Word Parts & Meanings
Practises how a small word part changes a word (-s for more than one, -ing for happening now, un- for not), grouping words by topic, opposites and same-meaning words, and naming picture parts with labels.
Think About a Book
Practises what readers do before, during and after a book: using the cover and what they already know to predict, making connections to their own lives, asking questions, seeing themselves in books, and noticing that people can respond differently to the same text.
Capitals, Periods & Planning
Practises capital letters for names, I and the start of a sentence, periods and exclamation marks, five- or six-word sentences, planning a piece of writing by drawing or talking, putting ideas in order, simple text forms such as lists, letters, stories and information, and changing a piece after feedback.
I Can Do It!
Practises noticing when something is confusing, asking for help, using a smiley or thumb to show understanding, talking about what went well, and setting small learning goals. It builds a kind, growing way of thinking about learning.
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.
- Approaching
- 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 Nunavut report card guide.
Common questions
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.
The Nunavut Curriculum Kindergarten english language arts units include letter partners, first sounds, rhyme time, clap the beat, blend a word, sight words.
Free printable Kindergarten english language arts practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.