Maryland ELA RF.K.1
The Standard
Demonstrate understanding of the organization of print and knowledge of letters. Demonstrate knowledge that words are read from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page. Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters. Understand that words are separated by spaces in print. Recognize and name all upper and lowercase letters.
Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for English Language Arts (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students follow print from left to right, down the page, and onto the next page. They point to spaces, find a spoken word in print, and name uppercase and lowercase letters.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a short book, a student points to words in order and turns the page to continue. They find the same printed word twice, point to spaces, and name letters in both forms.
Common Misconceptions
- Some students point to a whole line when asked for one word, or count spaces as letters. Others start a new line at the right edge or think uppercase and lowercase forms are different letters.
How to Assess It
- Make a two-page booklet with 'I see a cat.' on page one and 'I see a dog.' on page two. Read it aloud, then ask each student to track the words, turn the page, find 'see' twice, point to a space, and name A, a, B, and b on cards.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give children word cards for 'I see a dog.' and craft sticks; have them build the sentence left to right with sticks marking spaces.
Show 'I see a cat.' and 'I see a dog.' Ask, 'Which printed word says see in both sentences? How do you know?'
Spread uppercase and lowercase letter cards face up; call a letter name and have children find both forms.
Show a grocery list with 'red apples' and 'green grapes'; children point to spaces, track each line left to right, and name letters.
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Printable RF.K.1 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to RF.K.1, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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