CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.1a
The Standard
Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
What This Standard Means
Students need to track print in the right direction when someone reads aloud or when they pretend-read a familiar book. They should know where to start on a page, move across the line from left to right, go down to the next line, and turn pages in order.
Mastery looks like a child pointing under words in order, not hopping around the page or starting on the right side. Common sticking points are tracking pictures instead of words, skipping to a favorite page, moving down before finishing a line, or not knowing where the next line starts.
Ways to Teach It
- Use a big book and a pointer, then let students take turns tracking each word as the class reads a repeated sentence.
- Ask, “Where should my finger start, where should it go next, and what do I do at the end of the page?”
- Hand each child a familiar book and say, “Show me how to read this page with your finger,” then note tracking accuracy.
- Look at a cereal box or classroom sign together and have students show where the print starts and which way it moves.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.1a
Generate a complete lesson plan aligned to this standard, with objectives, activities, and materials. Free, no account needed.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.4b
Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3c
Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.4b
Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3c
Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).