Virginia SOL K.RL.1.A
The Standard
With prompting and support, activate prior (experience) and background (content) knowledge and make connections to what is read
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Key Ideas and Plot Details
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students think about experiences they have had and facts they already know. With teacher help, they connect that knowledge to characters, settings, or events in a story.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students share a relevant experience or fact before or during reading. With a prompt, they explain how that connection helps them understand a character, setting, or event.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may name an unrelated memory instead of a connection that helps explain the story. They may also rely only on the pictures or repeat a classmate’s idea.
How to Assess It
- Read a short picture book page, then ask, “What does this remind you of, and how does that help you understand the story?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Before reading, students sort picture cards into “I know about this” and “new to me,” then explain one choice.
Pause after a story event and ask, “Has something like this happened to you, or have you learned about it before?”
Play Connection Match by pairing story picture cards with related experience or fact cards and explaining each match.
Read a story about visiting a doctor, then connect story events to familiar tools, routines, and experiences from a medical checkup.
Free download
Printable K.RL.1.A Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to K.RL.1.A, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- 2.RL.3.A
Set a purpose for reading by providing guiding questions, activating prior (experience) and background (content) knowledge.
- 3.RL.3.A
Set a purpose for reading by looking at the illustrations and activating prior (experience) and background (content) knowledge.
- 5.RL.3.A
Set a purpose for reading by activating prior (experience) and background (content) knowledge.
- 4.RL.3.A
Set a purpose for reading by activating prior (experience) and background (content) knowledge.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.