NEARStar - About NEARStar

NEARStar is aligned with state Language Arts standards for developmental test sites in Hawaii, California, and Rhode Island. The following is a sampling of NEARStar's Level 1 (of three levels) alignment to these standards. As subsequent Levels of NEARStar are created and lessons completed, and as additional developmental sites from other states are selected, individual state standards will continue to be addressed and linked with skills taught in NEARStar.

As each state's standards are categorized differently, the organization and presentation of standards below are based in part on the 1998 Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA) Report #3-001, Standards for Primary-Grade Reading: An Analysis of State Frameworks [www.ciera.org/library/
reports/inquiry-3/index.htm].

Foundations of Literacy: Print Awareness
Foundations of Literacy: Phonological Awareness
Foundations of Literacy: Word Analysis
Comprehension: Vocabulary/Concept Development
Oral Language Development: Listening/Aural

FOUNDATIONS OF LITERACY
Print Awareness

NEARStar
CHANTS

Hear the rhyme and rhythm of language through chants and songs
Develop concept of words in sentences

TEXTMAKER

Create take-home books
Match text to pictures

STORYTIME
Concepts of print

Directionality
Word concept
Book concepts

California English Language Arts
Kindergarten
Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development
Students know about letters, words, and sounds. They apply this knowledge to read simple sentences.
Concepts About Print

Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.
Follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on the printed page.
Understand that printed materials provide information.
Recognize that sentences in print are made up of separate words.
Distinguish letters from one another.

First Grade
Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development
Students understand the basic features of reading. They select letter patterns and know how to translate them into spoken language by using phonics, syllabication, and word parts. They apply this knowledge to achieve fluent oral and silent reading.

Concepts About Print

Match oral words to printed words.
Identify the title and author of a reading selection.
Identify letters, words, and sentences.

California English Language Development
Phonemic Awareness, Concepts About Print, and Decoding/Word Recognition
English Language Acquisition standards serve as anchor points that can be used to determine if English language learners (ELLs) are making appropriate progress toward becoming proficient English readers.

Rhode Island Standards NEW LITERACY STANDARDS
Kindergarten
Reading Standard 3: Reading Habits
Reading Behaviors

Hold a book right side up and turn pages in the correct direction.
Be able to follow text with a finger, pointing to each word as it is read.
Pay attention to what the words they read are saying.

Hawaii Content and Performance Standards

CONVENTIONS AND SKILLS
K-1

Apply knowledge of the conventions of language and texts to construct meaning.
Show knowledge of the foundations of literacy – concepts about print, phonemic awareness, experience with text – when reading text.

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FOUNDATIONS OF LITERACY
Phonological Awareness

NEARStar

CHANTS

Develop concept of word in sentences
Syllabication
Onset consonant phoneme introduction

CONCEPTUAL CLUSTER ACTIVITIES

Blending and segmenting skills using key phonograms
Onset consonant phoneme identification

STORYTIME and TEXTMAKER

Develop concept of word in sentences

California English Language Arts
Kindergarten
Phonemic Awareness

Blend vowel consonant sounds orally to make words or syllables.
Track auditorily each word in a sentence and each syllable in a word.
Count the number of sounds in syllables and syllables in words.

First Grade
Phonemic Awareness

Add, delete, or change target sounds to change words (e.g., change cow to how; pan to an).
Segment single syllable words into their components (e.g., /c/a/t/ = cat).

California English Language Development
Beginning (Grades K-2)
Phonemic Awareness, Decoding and Word Recognition

Recognize English phonemes that correspond to phonemes students already hear and produce.

Early Intermediate (Grades K-2)
Phonemic Awareness, Decoding and Word Recognition

Recognize and produce English phonemes that are like phonemes students hear and produce in their primary language.
Recognize and produce English phonemes that are not like phonemes students hear and produce in their primary language.

Rhode Island Standards NEW LITERACY STANDARDS
Kindergarten
Reading Standard 1: Print-Sound Code
Phonemic Awareness

Isolate initial consonants in single-syllable words (e.g., /t/ is the first sound in top).
When a single-syllable word is pronounced (e.g., cat), identify the onset (/c/) and rime (-at) and begin to fully separate the sounds (/c/-/a/-/t/) by saying each sound aloud.
Blend onsets (/c/) and rimes (-at) to form words (cat) and begin to blend separately spoken phonemes to make a meaningful one-syllable word.

First Grade
Reading Standard 1: Print-Sound Code
Phonemic Awareness

Separate the sounds by saying each sound aloud (e.g., /c/-/a/-/t/).
Blend separately spoken phonemes to make a meaningful word.

Hawaii Content and Performance Standards

CONVENTIONS AND SKILLS
K-1

Apply knowledge of the conventions of language and texts to construct meaning.
Show knowledge of the foundations of literacy – concepts about print, phonemic awareness, experience with text – when reading text.

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FOUNDATIONS OF LITERACY Word Analysis
NEARStar	CHANTS and CONCEPTUAL CLUSTER ACTIVITIES Letter Sound Knowledge Targeted letters and sounds Sight Words Repeated exposure to high-meaning words STORYTIME, TEXTMAKER, and CONCEPTUAL CLUSTER VOCABULARY WORDS Spelling-Sound Word Recognition Strategies Selected phonograms Inflectional forms of words High-Frequency Words Repeated exposure in meaningful context
California English Language Arts	DECODING AND WORD RECOGNITION Kindergarten Match all consonant and short-vowel sounds to appropriate letters. Read simple one-syllable and high-frequency words (i.e., sight words). Understand that as letters of words change, so do the sounds (i.e., the alphabetic principle). First Grade Generate the sounds from all the letters and letter patterns (i.e., phonograms), and blend those sounds into recognizable words. Read common irregular sight words (e.g., the, have, said, come, give, of). Read inflectional forms (e.g., -s, -ed, -ing) and root words (e.g., look, looked, looking). Read common word families (e.g., -ite, -ate).
California English Language Development	Phonemic Awareness, Decoding and Word Recognition, Concepts about Print Grades K-2 Beginning Language Fluency Level Produce most English phonemes while beginning to read aloud.
Rhode Island Standards	NEW LITERACY STANDARDS Kindergarten Reading Standard 1: Print-Sound Code Reading Words Use their knowledge of letter sounds to figure out a few simple, regularly spelled, single-syllable words (consonant-vowel-consonant). Read simple texts containing familiar letter-sound correspondences and high-frequency words. Read some words on their own, including a small number (about 20) of simple, high-frequency words. Read some words on their own, including a small number (about 20) of simple, high-frequency words that are recognized by “sight” – that is, when children encounter the words in a story, they do not need to sound the words out.
Hawaii Content and Performance Standards	CONVENTIONS AND SKILLS K-1 Apply knowledge of the conventions of language and texts to construct meaning. Apply letter knowledge, spelling-sound word recognition strategies, and meaning-based word recognition strategies to decode unknown words in text. Demonstrate increasing fluency, including the ability to read frequently occurring words by sight.

COMPREHENSION Vocabulary/Concept Development
NEARStar	CHANTS, TEXTMAKER, STORYTIME, and CONCEPTUAL CLUSTER ACTIVITIES Vocabulary Development Concrete, high-meaning focus words Low rate of new word introduction in text Meaningful context Conceptual topics Syntax Simple sentences Conjunctions/clauses Pronouns Prepositional phrases Verb forms Nouns (plurals/possessive with �s�) Respond to simple questions (intonations and inversions) Respond to commands �
California English Language Arts	VOCABULARY AND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT Kindergarten Identify and sort common words in basic categories (e.g., colors, shapes, foods). First Grade Classify grade-appropriate categories of words (e.g., concrete collection of animals, foods, toys)
California English Language Development	Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development Grades K-2 Beginning Language Fluency Level Read aloud simple words in stories or games (e.g., nouns and adjectives). Early Intermediate Language Fluency Level Read simple vocabulary, phrases, and sentences independently. Read aloud an increasing number of English words. Reading Comprehension Grades K-2 Beginning Language Fluency Level Respond orally to stories read to them, using physical actions and other means of non-verbal communication (e.g., matching objects, pointing to an answer, drawing pictures). Understand and follow simple one-step directions for classroom or work-related activities. Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary and Concept Development Grades K-2 Beginning Language Fluency Level Respond appropriately to some social and academic interactions (e.g., simple question/answer, negotiate play). Demonstrate comprehension of simple vocabulary with an appropriate action. Produce simple vocabulary (e.g., single words or very short phrases) to communicate basic needs in social and academic settings (e.g., locations, greetings, classroom objects).
Rhode Island Standards	NEW LITERACY STANDARDS Kindergarten First Grade Reading Standard 3: Reading Habits Vocabulary Learn new words every day from talk and books read aloud. ESL Beginner Level Indicators: By End of Beginner 1 Recognize content of ESL lessons when there are sufficient props and demonstrations. Recognize vocabulary in English based on previous experience. By End of Beginner 2 Match vocabulary to common objects, people, experiences, and emotions.
Hawaii Content and Performance Standards	COMPREHENSION PROCESSES K-1 Draw on personal experiences and prior knowledge to comprehend text.

ORAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT (Listening/Aural)
NEARStar	CHANTS, TEXTMAKER, and STORYTIME Vocabulary Development Repeated exposure to concrete, high-meaning words Repeated exposure to collocational (e.g., mom/dad) and oppositional sets of words Syntax Exposure to �chunks� of language as in simple sentences, commands, and questions CONCEPTUAL CLUSTER ACTIVITIES Vocabulary Development Hear and identify concrete, high-meaning words Syntax Respond to simple questions (intonations and inversions) Respond to simple commands
California English Language Arts	Kindergarten Listening and Speaking Strategies Students listen and respond to oral communication. They speak in clear and coherent sentences. Comprehension Understand and follow one- and two-step oral directions. First Grade Written and Oral English Language Conventions Students write and speak with a command of standard English conventions appropriate to this grade level. Grammar Identify and correctly use singular and plural nouns. Identify and correctly use contractions and singular possessive pronouns in writing and speaking.
California English Language Development	Listening and Speaking Beginning (Grades K-2) Answer simple questions with one- to two-word responses. Respond to simple directions and questions using physical actions and other means of non-verbal communication (e.g., matching objects, pointing to an answer, drawing pictures). Begin to speak with a few words or sentences, using some English phonemes and rudimentary English grammatical forms (e.g., single words or phrases). Independently use common social greetings and simple repetitive phrases (e.g., “Thank You,” “You're Welcome”). Ask and answer questions using phrases or simple sentences. Retell stories by using appropriate gestures, expressions and illustrative objects.
Rhode Island Standards	NEW LITERACY STANDARDS ESL Beginner Level Indicators: By End of Beginner 1 Follow simple directions with demonstration. By End of Beginner 2 Use basic survival responses (e.g., name, age) and give one-word answers to simple questions. Give evidence of emergent receptive language through participation in social and learning activities. Respond to simple commands or questions provided with demonstration.
Hawaii Content and Performance Standards	ORAL COMMUNICATION K-1 Make greetings, introductions, and maintain a conversation using social conventions. Demonstrate and take in communication and respond appropriately to what is said. Adjust language (e.g., pronunciation and grammar) to be understood.