English Language Arts Common Core State Standards For "Uncommon" K-1, 1-2, and 2-3 Combination Classrooms

English Language Arts
Common Core State Standards for

Uncommon K-1, 1-2, and 2-3
Combination Classrooms

Making your combination classroom all that AND a bag of chips!
Liz Lightner
English Language Arts Common Core State Standards for
K-3 Uncommon or Combination Classrooms

Introduction
Usually combinations are judged of as good things. When you combine the colors blue and yellow you get the color green and multiple shades in between. Combos
also denote a great deal, as in All that and a bag of chips! Furthermore, knowing the right combination opens the safe and gives you access to valuables. Wouldnt it be
wonderful if combination classes were perceived in the same light? The purpose of this document is to help you as a teacher with a combination class plan and implement CCSS
effectively while meeting the needs of all your students. You may also find that you will create some synergy along the way that is usually associated with combinations!
By combing through the CCSS for English Language Arts and sorting them by those relevant to 2 consecutive grades and those exclusive to a single grade, you can see
how inter-related the two are. Put aside any preconceived ideas of what curriculum and materials have been used traditionally to teach specific grade levels at your school and
focus on the shared standards. Try to envision that you have one multi-age group of students (dont you always anyway?) rather than two separate grades to teach within one
classroom. Now consider that you have a plethora of materials and curriculums available and you get to choose which best suits your students needs along with your
preferences. (This should be your All that and a bag of chips moment!) It wont be easy but remember that your colleagues in single grade classrooms are wrestling with
similar decisions as they transition in to CCSS.
Notes
When sorting the standards, I tried to keep the language as pure and intact as possible. The order and appearance are also visually alike. A few changes were made in the
following manners:
Sub-standard order: Some of the sub-standards were reordered so that common skills could be aligned. Bullets are used instead of lettering in order to avoid confusion.
Phrasing: In a few instances the word order was shifted to enable common standards to be more cohesive (i.e., RL 2.2 is changed from including folktales from diverse cultures, and
determine their central message, lesson, or moral to determine their central message, lesson, or moral, including folktales)
Placement of standards in shared column: Some standards were placed in the shared standards column that were not originally written for a grade level due to their prerequisite nature
for the concept or skill. (i.e., RL 2.6 does not state students are to Identify who is telling the story at various points in the text as in RL 1.6 but would be essential to do so in order to
Acknowledge differences in points of view of characters.)
Items underlined and bold: These are standards or details added by California to the CCSS.

Created by Liz Lightner 2013 Source: www.corestandards.org Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All Rights reserved.
K-1 Combination ELA Standards
READING STANDARDS FOR LITERATURE FOR A K-1 COMBINATION
K and 1 Students Exclusive to K Exclusive to Grade 1
Key Ideas and Details
1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text
1. with prompting and support. 1.
2. Retell familiar stories, including key details 2. with prompting and support 2. and demonstrate understanding of their central message
or lesson.
3. Identify characters, settings, and major events in a
story
3. with prompting and support 3. and describe characters, settings, and major events in a
story, using key details
Craft and Structure
4. (See grade level Language standards 4-6 for
additional expectations.)
4. Ask and answer questions about unknown words
in a text.
4. Identify words and phrases in stories of poems that
suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
5. Recognize common types of text (e.g. storybooks,
poems, fantasy, realistic text) drawing on a wide
reading of a range of text types.
5. 5. Explain major differences between books that tell stories
and books that give information.
6. 6. With prompting and support, name the author
and illustrator of a story and define the role of
each in telling the story.
6. Identify who is telling the story at various points in the
text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Identify what moment in a story an illustration
depicts.
7. Describe the relationship between illustrations
and the story in which they appear, with
prompting and support.
7. Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its
characters, setting, or events.
8. (Not applicable to literature) 8. 8.
9. Compare and contrast the adventures and
experiences of characters
9. in familiar stories, with prompting and support. 9.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10.

a. Activate prior knowledge related to the
information and events in a text.
b. Use illustrations and context to make
predictions about text.

10. Actively engage in group reading activities with
purpose and understanding.

10. With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of
appropriate complexity for grade 1.

b. Confirm predictions about what will happen next in
a text.

READING STANDARDS FOR INFORMATIONAL TEXT FOR A K-1 COMBINATION
1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text 1. with prompting and support 1.
2. Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text 2. with prompting and support 2.
3. Describe the connection between two individuals,
events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text
3. with prompting and support 3.
Craft and Structure
4. Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a
text (See grade level Language standards 4-6 for
4. with prompting and support 4. and phrases to help determine or clarify the meaning.
5. 5. Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a
book.
5. Know and use various text structures (e.g., sequence)
and text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents,
glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts
or information in a text.
6. 6. Name the author and illustrator of a text and define
the role of each in presenting the ideas or information
in a text.
6. Distinguish between information provided by pictures
or other illustrations and information provided by the
words in a text.
7. Use illustrations and details in a text 7. to describe the relationship between them in which
they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in
the text an illustration depicts) with prompting and
support.
7. to describe its key ideas.
8. Identify the reasons an author gives to support points
in a text
9. Identify basic similarities in and differences between
two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations,
descriptions, or procedures).
10.

b. Use illustrations and context to make
predictions about text.

10. Actively engage in group reading activities with
purpose and understanding.

10. With prompting and support, read prose and poetry
of appropriate complexity for grade 1.

b. Confirm predictions about what will
happen next in a text.

Created by Liz Lightner 2013 Source: www.corestandards.org Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All Rights reserved
READING STANDARDS: FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS FOR A K-1 COMBINATION
Print Concepts
1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic
features of print.

1.
Follow words 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
of the alphabet.
1.
Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence
(e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation.
Phonological Awareness
2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables,
and sounds (phonemes).
2. 2.

Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and
final sounds (phonemes) in
three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC
words.* (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/,
/r/, or /x/.)
spoken single-syllable words.
Blend phonemes into single-syllable words using two to three phonemes. including consonant blends.
Segment spoken words

by counting, pronouncing, and blending syllables.

into their complete sequence of individual sounds
(phonemes) within single-syllable words.
Blend and segment onset rimes of single-syllable
spoken words.
Recognize and produce rhyming words
Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in
simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken
single-syllable words.

Continued on next page

Foundational Skills, continued
Phonics and Word Recognition
3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis
skills in decoding words in both isolation and text.
3. 3.

Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to you, she, my, is, are, do, does) including grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
Letter-sound correspondence Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-
sound correspondences by producing the primary or
many of the most frequent sound for each
consonant.
Know the spelling-sound correspondences for
common consonant diagraphs.
Vowels

Associate the long and short sounds with common
spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels
(Identify which letters represent the five major vowels (Aa,
Ee, Ii, Oo, and Uu) and know the long and short sound of
each vowel.)
Know final-e and common vowel team conventions
for representing long vowel sounds.

Distinguish between similarly spelled words by
identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel
sound to determine the number of syllables in a
printed word.
Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns
by breaking the word into syllables.
Read words with inflectional endings.
Fluency
4. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.

4. (emergent-reader texts.) 4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support
comprehension.
Read orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and
expression on excessive readings.
Use context to confirm or self-correct word
recognition and understanding, rereading as
necessary.

WRITING STANDARDS FOR A K-1 COMBINATION CLASS
Text Types and Purposes
1. Compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader a
topic or the name of a book they are writing about and
state an opinion
1. or preference about the topic or book, using a
combination of drawing, dictating, and writing.
1. and supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some
sense of closure.
2. Compose informative/explanatory texts in which they
name the topic and supply some information about the
topic
2. using a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing. 2. and provide some sense of closure.
3. Compose a narrative 3. of a single event or several loosely linked events, tell
about the events in the order in which they occurred,
and provide a reaction to what happened, using a
combination of drawing, dictating, and writing.
3. in which they account two or more appropriately
sequenced events, include some details regarding what
happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and
provide some sense of closure.
Production and Distribution of Writing
4. (Begins in grade 2) 4. 4.
5. With guidance and support from adults, respond to
questions and suggestions from peers and add details to
strengthen writing as needed.
5. 5. Focus on a topic.
6. With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety
of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including
in collaboration with peers.
6. 6. Use a variety of digital tools.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. Participate in shared research and writing projects 7. (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and
express opinions about them).
7. (e.g., explore a number of how-to books on a given
topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).
8. With guidance and support from adults, recall
information from experiences or gather information from
provided sources to answer a question.
8. 8.
Range of Writing

SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS FOR A K-1 COMBINATION
K and 1 Students Exclusive to K Exclusive to 1
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse
peers about grade level topics and texts with peers and
adults in small and larger groups.
a. Follow agreed upon rules for discussions (e.g.,
listening to others and taking turns speaking about
topics and texts under discussion).
b. Build on others talk in conversations by responding
to the comments of others through multiple
exchanges.
1.

1.

c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the
topics and texts under discussion.
2. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read
aloud or information presented orally or through other
media.
2.

a. Understand and follow one-and-two-step oral
directions.
2.

a. Give, restate, and follow simple two-step
directions.
3. Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get
information, or clarify something that is not understood.
3. 3. Ask and answer questions about what a speaker stays in
order to gather additional information.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Describe people, places, things, and events 4. that are familiar, with additional details, with prompting
and support.
4. with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings
clearly.
a. Memorize and recite poems, rhymes, and songs
with expression.
5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions
when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
5. 5.
6. Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas
clearly.
6. 6. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task
and situation. (See grade level Language standards 1 and
3 for specific expectations.)

LANGUAGE STANDARDS FOR A K-1 COMBINATION CLASS
Conventions of Standard English
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard
English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
1.

1.

Print upper- and lowercase letters

(many)

(all)
Use nouns and verbs. (frequently occurring)
Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/
or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).
Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.
Use singular and plural nouns with matching
verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We
hop).
Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present,
and future ( e.g., Yesterday I walked home;
Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk
home).
Use frequently used propositions. (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with). (e.g., during, beyond, toward).
Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities. including compound, declarative, interrogative,
imperative, and exclamatory sentences in
response to prompts.
Understand and use question words
(interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when,
how, why).
Use personal (subject, object) possessive and
indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, they, them,
their, anyone, everything).
Use frequently occurring adjectives.
Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g.,
and, but, or, so, because).
Use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives)
English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when
writing.
2. 2.
Capitalization Capitalize the first word in the sentence and
the pronoun I.
Capitalize dates and names of people.
Punctuation Recognize and name end punctuation.

Use end punctuation for sentences.
Use commas in dates and to separate single
words in a series.
Spell untaught or unlearned words
phonetically, drawing on sound-letter
relationships, phonemic awareness, and
spelling conventions.
Write a letter or letters for most consonant and
short-vowel sounds (phonemes).

Use conventional spelling for words with
common spelling patterns and for frequently
occurring irregular words.
Knowledge of Language
Language Standards, continued
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and
multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-
level reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array
of strategies.
Use frequently occurring inflections and affixes as
clues to the meaning of a word.
4.

(e.g., -ed, -s, re-, un-, pre-, -ful, -less)
Identify new meanings for words and apply them
accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning
the verb to duck).
4.

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning
of a word or phrase.
Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look)
And their inflectional forms (e.g., (looks, looked,
looking.)
5. With guidance and support from adults, explore word
relationships and nuances in word meanings.
5. 5. and demonstrate understanding.
Sort into categories to gain a sense of concepts the
categories represent.

Sort common objects (e.g., food, shapes).

Sort words (e.g., colors, clothing).

Identify real-life connections between words and
their use.
(e.g., note places at school that are colorful). (e.g., note places at home that are cozy).
Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk,
march, strut, prance) by acting out the meaning.
differing in manner (e.g., look, peek, glance, stare,
glare, scowl) and adjectives differing in intensity
(e.g., large, gigantic) by defining or choosing them
or by acting out their meanings.
6. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations,
reading and being read to, and responding to texts
6. 6. including using frequently occurring conjunctions to
signal simple relationships (e.g., I named my hamster
Nibblet because she nibbles too much because she likes
that).

1-2 Combination ELA Standards
READING STANDARDS FOR LITERATURE FOR A 1-2 COMBINATION CLASS
Grade 1 and 2 Students: Exclusive to Grade 1 Students: Exclusive to Grade 2 Students:
1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. 1. 1. Demonstrate understanding of key details in a text
through who, what, where, when, why, and how
questions and answers.
2. Retell stories and 2. demonstrate understanding of their central message
or lesson using key details.
2. determine their central message, lesson, or moral,
including fables and folktales from diverse cultures.
3. Describe characters and 3. settings and major events in a story using key details. 3. how they respond to major events and challenges.
Craft and Structure
4. Identify words and phrases in stories and poems. (See
grade-level Language standards 4-6 for additional
expectations.)
4. that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. 4. and songs and describe how they supply rhythm and
meaning (e.g. regular beats, alliteration, rhymes,
repeated lines).
5. 5. Explain major differences between books that tell
stories and books that give information, drawing on a
wide reading of a range of text types.
5. Describe the overall structure of a story, including how
the beginning introduces the story and the ending
concludes the action.
6. Identify who is telling the story at various points in the
text.
6. 6. Acknowledge differences in the points of view of
characters, including speaking in a different voice for
each character when reading dialogue aloud.
7. Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its
characters, setting, or events
7. 7. and use words in print and digital text to demonstrate
understanding.
9. Compare and contrast 9. the adventures and experiences of characters. 9. two or more versions of the same story by different
authors or from different cultures.
Range of Reading and level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend poetry and stories of
appropriate complexity for the grade level
10. with prompting and support.
b. Confirm predictions about what will happen next
in a text.
10. in the 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with
scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

READING STANDARDS FOR INFORMATIONAL TEXT FOR A 1-2 COMBINATION CLASS
Grade 1 and 2 Students: Exclusive to Grade 1 Students: Exclusive to Grade 2 Students
1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text.
1. 1. Demonstrate understanding of key details in a text
through who, what, where, when, why, and how
questions and answers.
2. Retell key details. 2. Identify the main topic of a text. 2. Identify the focus of specific paragraphs as well as
the main topic of a multiparagraph text.
3. Describe connections between 3. two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of
information.
3. a series of historical events, scientific ideas or
concepts, or steps in technical procedures.
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a
text (See grade level Language standards 4-6 for
4. by asking and answering questions for help or to
clarify meaning.
4. relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
5. Know and use various text features to locate key
facts or information in a text such as glossaries,
electronic menus, icons
5. headings, table of contents, and text structures
(e.g., sequence).
5. captions, bold print, subheadings, and indexes.
6. 6. Distinguish between information provided by
pictures or other illustrations and information
provided by the words in a text.
6. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what
the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
7. Use illustrations and details in a text to 7. describe its key ideas. 7. explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing
how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a
text.
8. Identify the reasons an author gives to support
points in a text
8. 8. and describe how the reasons support specific
points the author makes.
9. Compare and contrast two texts on the same topic, 9. identifying basic similarities and differences in
illustrations, descriptions, or procedures.
9. with focus on the most important points.
10. Read informational text appropriately complex for
grade level
10. with prompting and support.
b. Confirm predictions about what will happen
next in a text.
10. including history/social studies, science, and
technical texts, in the grades 2-3 text complexity
band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the
high end of the range.

READING STANDARDS: FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS FOR A 1-2 COMBINATION CLASS
Grades 1 and 2 Students: Exclusive to Grade 1 Students: Exclusive to Grade 2 Students:
Print Concepts
1. 1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic
features of print.
1.
Phonological Awareness
2. 2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables,
and sounds (phonemes):
a. Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in
spoken single-syllable words.
b. Orally produce single-syllable words by
blending sounds (phonemes), including
consonant blends.
c. Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel,
and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-
syllable words.
d. Segment spoken single-syllable words into
their complete sequence of individual sounds
(phonemes).
2.
skills in decoding words in both in isolation and in text:
3. 3.
Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Distinguish long and short vowels when reading
regularly spelled one-syllable words.
Know common vowel team conventions for
representing long vowel sounds.
Know final e for representing long vowel sounds.

Know spelling-sound correspondence for additional
common vowel teams.
Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns
by breaking the words into syllables.
Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with
long vowels.
Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly
spelled words.

Know the spelling-sound correspondence for
common consonant digraphs.
Use knowledge that every syllable must have a
vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in
a printed word.
Read words with inflectional endings.

Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.
Identify words with inconsistent but common
spelling-sound correspondences.


Foundational Skills, continued
Fluency
4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support
comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and
understanding.
b. Read on-level text with accuracy and
appropriate rate and expression on successive
readings.
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word
necessary.
4. 4.


WRITING STANDARDS FOR A 1-2 COMBINATION CLASS
Grades 1 and 2 Students Exclusive to Grade 1: Exclusive to Grade 2:
1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the
topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion,
supply a reason for the opinion, and provide closure.
1. 1. Supply multiple reasons, use linking words (e.g.,
because, and, also) to connect opinions and reasons,
and provide a concluding statement or section.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they
name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and
provide closure.
2. 2. Use facts and definitions to develop points, and
provide a concluding statement or section.
3. Write narratives in which they recount events, include
details, use temporal words to signal event order, and
provide closure.
3. 3. Recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of
events and include details to describe actions,
thoughts, and feelings.
4. 4. (Begins in grade 2) 4. With guidance and support from adults, produce
writing in which the developmental and organization
are appropriate to task and purpose (Grade-specific
expectations for writing types are defined in
standards 1-3).
5. With guidance and support from adults, focus on a
topic, respond to questions and suggestions from
peers, and add details to strengthen writing as
needed.
5. 5. With guidance and support from adults and peers,
revise and edit.
6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety
of digital tools to produce and publish writing,
including in collaboration with peers.
6. 6.
7. Participate in shared research and writing projects. 7. (e.g., explore a number of how-to books on a given
topic and use them to write a sequence of
instructions.)
7. (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to
produce a report. Record science observations.)
8. Recall information from experiences or gather
information from provided sources to answer a
question.
8. 8.
Range of Writing
10. 10. (Begins in grade 2) 10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for
research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of
discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.


SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS FOR A 1-2 COMBINATION CLASS
Grades 1 and 2 students; Exclusive to Grade 1: Exclusive to Grade 2:
1. Participate in conversations with diverse partners
about grade level topics and texts with peers and
adults in small and larger groups.
a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions
(e.g., listening to others with care,
speaking one at a time about the topics
and texts under discussion).
b. Build on others talk in conversations by
responding to the comments of others
through multiple exchanges.
c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion
about topics and texts under discussion.
1. 1.

c. Ask for clarification and further
explanation as needed about the topics
and texts under discussion.

2. Speak about key details in a text read aloud or
information presented orally or through other
media.
2. Ask and answer questions about key details.
a. Give, restate, and follow simple two-step
directions.
2. Recount or describe key details.
a. Give and follow three-and four step oral
directions.
3. Ask and answer questions about what a speaker
says in order to gather additional information or
clarify something that is not understood
3. 3. And in order to gather additional information or
deepen understanding of a topic or issue.
4. Recount an experience using relevant details. 4. Describe people, places, things, and events
expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
a. Memorize and recite poems, rhymes, and
songs with expression.
4. Tell a story or recount an experience with
appropriate facts, descriptive details, speaking
audibly in coherent sentences.
a. Plan and deliver a narrative presentation that:
recounts a well-elaborated event, includes
details, reflects a logical sequence, and
provides a conclusion.
5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions
when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and
feelings.
5. 5. Create audio recordings of stories or poems.
6. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to
task and situation. (See Language standards 1 and 3
for specific expectations).
6. 6. Produce complete sentences in order to provide
requested details or clarification.

LANGUAGE STANDARDS FOR A 1-2 COMBINATION CLASS
Grades 1 and 2 Exclusive to Grade 1: Exclusive to Grade 2:
1. Demonstrates command of standard English grammar
and conventions when writing or speaking.
1. 1.
Printing Print all upper- and lowercase letters. Create readable documents with legible printing.
Nouns Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.
Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs
in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop.)
Use collective nouns (e.g., group).
Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural
nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice, fish).
Pronouns Use personal (subject, object) possessives, and
indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; them, they, their,
anyone, everything).
Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).

Verbs Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and
future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home;
Tomorrow I will walk home).
Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring
irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told).

Adjectives and adverbs Use frequently occurring adjectives. Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between
them depending on what is to be modified.
Sentences Produce and expand complete and compound
declarative, interrogative, imperative, and
exclamatory sentences in response to prompts.
Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple
and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the
movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie
was watched by the little boy.).
Use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives).
Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during,
beyond, toward).
Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but,
or, so, because).

writing.
2. 2.
Capitalization Capitalize dates and names of people.

Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic
names.
Commas Use commas in dates and to separate single words
in a series.
Use commas in greetings and closing letters.
Spelling patterns Use conventional spelling for words with common
spelling patterns and for frequently occurring
irregular words.
Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing
words (e.g., cage/badge; boy/boil).

Use end punctuation for sentences.
Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on
phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
Use an apostrophe to form contractions and
frequently occurring possessives.
Consult reference materials, including beginning
dictionaries, as needed to check and correct
spellings.

Language, continued
3. 3. (Begins in grade 2) 3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when
writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Compare formal and informal uses of language.
multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade
of strategies.
4. 4.
Use sentence level context as a clue to the
meaning of a word or phrase.

Use frequently occurring affixes as a clue to the
meaning of a word.
Determine the meaning of the new word formed
when a known prefix is added to a known word
(e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).
Use knowledge of root words. Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look)
and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks, looked,
looking).
Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of
an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition,
additional).

Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words
to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g.,
birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf,
notebook, bookmark).
Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print
and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of
words and phrases in all content areas.
5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and
nuances in word meanings
5. with guidance and support from adults. 5.
Sort words into categories (e.g., colors, clothing) to
gain sense of the concepts the categories represent.

Define words by category and by one or more key
attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird that swims, a tiger is
a large cat with stripes),

their use.
(e.g., note places at home that are cozy). (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).

Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs

and adjectives
differing in manner (e.g., look,, peek, glance, stare,
glare, scowl).
differing in intensity (e.g., large, gigantic) by
defining them or choosing them or by acting out
meanings.
that are closely related (e.g., toss, throw, hurl).

that are closely related (e.g., thin, slender, skinny,
scrawny).
reading, and being read to, and responding to texts
6. including using frequently occurring conjunctions to
signal simple relationships (e.g., I named my hamster Nibblet
because she nibbles too much because she likes that).
6. including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g.,
When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

2-3 Combination ELA Standards
READING STANDARDS FOR LITERATURE FOR A 2-3 COMBINATION CLASS
Grade 2 and3 Students: Exclusive to Grade 2 Students: Exclusive to Grade 3 Students:
1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of
a text
1. with a focus on key details, through who, what, where,
when, why, and how questions and answers.
1. referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the
answer.
2. Recount stories, including fables and folktales from
diverse cultures, and determine their central message,
lesson, or moral.
2. 2. Explain how it is conveyed through the key details in
the text. Include myths.
3. Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits,
motivations, or feelings) and how they respond to
major events and challenges.
3. 3. Explain how their actions contribute to the sequence
of events.
Craft and Structure
4. (See grade level Language standards 4-6 for
4. Describe how words and phrases (e.g. regular beats,
alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and
meaning in a story, poem, or song.
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they
are used in text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral
language.
5. Describe the overall structure of a story, including how
the beginning introduces the story and the ending
concludes the action
5. 5. and how each successive part builds on earlier
sections. Use terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza
to describe the parts of a text, including dramas and
poems, when speaking or writing about a text.
6. Acknowledge differences in the points of view of
characters,
6. including speaking in a different voice for each
character when reading dialogue aloud.
6. and distinguish between their own point of view from
that of the narrator or those of the characters.
7. Use information gained from the illustrations and
words in print or digital text to demonstrate
understanding of its characters, setting ,or plot,
7. 7. and how they contribute to what is conveyed in a story
(e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character
or setting).
9. Compare and contrast 9. two or more versions of the same story by different
authors or from different cultures.
9. themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the
same author about the same or similar characters
(e.g., in books from a series).
Range of Reading and level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend poetry and stories of
appropriate complexity in the 2-3 text complexity band
proficiently,
10. with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the
range.
10. with independence. Include dramas.


READING STANDARDS FOR INFORMATIONAL TEXT FOR A 2-3 COMBINATION CLASS
Grade 2 and 3 Students: Exclusive to Grade 2 Students: Exclusive to Grade 3 Students
1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding
of a text
1. with a focus on key details, through who, what, where,
when, why, and how questions and answers.
1. referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answer.
2. Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as
the focus of specific paragraphs within a text
2. 2. and explain how they support the main idea.
3. Describe connections between a series of historical
events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical
procedures
3. 3. using language that pertains to time, sequence, and
cause/effect.
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of general academic and
domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a
grade-level topic or subject area. (See grade level
Language standards 4-6 for additional expectations.)
4. 4.
5. Know and use various text features to locate key facts or
information in a text, such as
5. glossaries, electronic menus, icons, captions, bold print,
subheadings, and indexes.
5. key words, sidebars, and hyperlinks.
6. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the
author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
6. 6. Distinguish their own point of view from that of the
author of a text.
7. Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps,
photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate
understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and
how key events occur).
7. Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how
a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.
7.
8. Describe how reasons support specific points the author
makes in a text
8. 8. and the logical connection between particular sentences
and paragraphs (e.g., comparison, cause/effect,
first/second/third in a sequence).
9. Compare and contrast the most important points and key
details presented in two texts on the same topic.
9. 9.
10. Read informational text appropriately complex for grade
level including history/social studies, science, and
technical texts, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band
proficiently,
10. with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. 10. with independence.


READING STANDARDS: FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS FOR A 2-3 COMBINATION CLASS
(Standards 1 and 2 not applicable to 2 or 3)
Grades 2 and 3 Students: Exclusive to Grade 2 Students: Exclusive to Grade 3 Students:
skills in decoding words in both in isolation and in text.
3.
Decode multisyllable words with two syllables,
o regularly spelled with long vowels.
o following basic patterns by breaking the
words into syllables.

Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes

with common Latin suffixes.
Identify and know the meaning of most common
prefixes and derivational suffixes.
Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly
spelled words.

Identify words with inconsistent but common
spelling-sound correspondences.
Know common vowel team conventions for
representing long vowel sounds.

Fluency
4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support
comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and
understanding.
b. Read on-level text with accuracy and
appropriate rate and expression on successive
readings.
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word
necessary.
4. 4.

a. (including prose and poetry)

WRITING STANDARDS FOR A 2-3 COMBINATION CLASS
Grades 2 and 3 Students: Exclusive to Grade 2: Exclusive to Grade 3:
1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point
of view with reasons.
Introduce the topic or book they are writing about
and state an opinion.
Provide reasons that support the opinion.
Use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect
opinions and reasons.
Provide closure
1. 1.

(therefore, since, for example)

with a concluding statement or section.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic
and convey ideas and information clearly.
2. 2.

Introduce a topic and group related information together; include
illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order

and connect ideas within categories of information
(e.g., also, another, and, more, but).
Provide closure with a concluding statement or section.
3. Write narratives in which they use descriptive details and
sequence of events
3. 3. to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective techniques.
Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or
characters; organize a sequence that unfolds
naturally.
Include details to describe actions, thoughts, and
feelings.
Use dialogue and descriptions to develop experiences
and events or show the response of characters to
situations.
Use temporal words and phrases to signal event
order.

Provide a sense of closure
4. With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in
which the developmental and organization are appropriate
to task and purpose (Grade-specific expectations for
writing types are defined in standards 1-3).
4. 4.
5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop
and strengthen writing as needed by revising, editing
5. 5. and planning. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate
command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including
grade 3.)
6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of
digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in
collaboration with peers
6. 6. as well as to interact with others. Use keyboarding skills.

Writing Standards, continued
7. 7. Participate in shared research and writing projects. (e.g.,
read a number of books on a single topic to produce a
report; record science observations).
7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about
a topic.
8. Recall information from experiences or gather information 8. from provided sources to answer a question. 8. from print or digital sources; take brief notes on sources
and sort evidence into provided categories.
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for
research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames
(a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-
specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
10. 10.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS FOR A 2-3 COMBINATION CLASS
Grades 2 and 3 students: Exclusive to Grade 2: Exclusive to Grade 3:
1. Participate in a range of collaborative discussions (one-
on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on
grade level topics and texts, and expressing their own
clearly.
1. 1.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g.,
listening to others with care, speaking one at a time
about the topics and texts under discussion,
gaining the floor in respectful ways).
Build on others talk in conversation by linking their
comments to the remarks of others.

Ask for clarification and further explanation as
needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

Express own ideas and understandings clearly
Come to the discussion prepared having read or
studied required material; explicitly draw on that
preparation and other information known about the
topic to explore ideas under discussion.
2. Recount or describe key ideas or details in a text read
aloud or information presented orally or through other
media.
2. .

a. Give and follow three-and four step oral directions.
2. Determine the main ideas and supporting details of
information presented in diverse media and formats,
including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

3. Ask and answer questions about information from a
speaker in order to clarify comprehension, gather
additional information, or deepen understanding of a
topic or issue.
3. 3. Offer appropriate elaboration and detail.
4. Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate
facts, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent
sentences.

4.

a. Plan and deliver a narrative presentation that:
recounts a well-elaborated event, includes details,
reflects a logical sequence, and provides a
conclusion.
4. and/or report on a topic or text.

a. Plan and deliver an informative/explanatory
presentation on a topic that: organizes ideas
around major points of information, follows a
logical sequence, includes supporting details, uses
clear and specific vocabulary, and provides a strong
conclusion.
5. Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add
drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when
appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings
5. 5. or to enhance or emphasize certain facts or details.
6. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task
and situation in order to provide requested detail or
clarification. (See Language standards 1 and 3 for specific
expectations).
6. 6.
LANGUAGE STANDARDS FOR A 2-3 COMBINATION CLASS
Grades 2 and 3: Exclusive to Grade 2: Exclusive to Grade 3:
1. Demonstrates command of standard English grammar
and conventions when writing or speaking.
1. 1.
Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns (frequently occurring, e.g., feet, children, teeth,
mice, fish).
Use collective nouns (e.g., group).
Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).
Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will
walk) verb tenses.
Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring
irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told).
Form and use irregular verbs.
Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between
them depending on what is to be modified.
Form and use comparative and superlative adverbs
and adjectives.
Produce complete simple and compound sentences. Expand, and rearrange complete simple and
compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the
movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action
movie was watched by the little boy.).
Produce complex sentences.
Create readable documents with legible printing.

Write legibly in cursive or joined italics, allowing
margins and correct spacing between letters in a
word and words in a sentence.
Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves). Use reciprocal pronouns correctly .

Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs,
adjectives, and adverbs in general and their
functions in particular sentences.
Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent
agreement.
writing.
2. 2.
Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic
names.
Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
Use commas in greetings and closing letters. Use commas in addresses.
Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.
Use an apostrophe to form contractions and
frequently occurring possessives.
Form and use possessives.
Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing
words
(e.g., cage/badge; boy/boil). (e.g., word families, position based spellings,
syllable word patterns, ending rules, meaningful
word parts).
Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and
other studied words and for adding suffixes to base
words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).
Consult reference materials, including beginning
dictionaries, as needed to check and correct
spellings.

Language, continued
3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when
writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

3.

Compare formal and informal uses of language.
3.

Recognize and observe differences between the
conventions of spoken and written standard English.
Choose words and phrases for effect.
multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade
of strategies.
4. 4.
Use sentence level context as a clue to the
meaning of a word or phrase.

Determine the meaning of the new word formed
when a known affix is added to a known.
(e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell). (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable,
comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless,
heat/preheat).
Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of
an unknown word with the same root
(e.g., addition, additional). (e.g., company, companion)
Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print
and digital, to determine or clarify the precise
meaning of words and phrases in all content areas.

Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words
to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g.,
birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf,
notebook, bookmark).

5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and
nuances in word meanings.
5. 5.
their use.
(e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).

(e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful).

Distinguish shades of meaning among related words

such as verbs that are closely related (e.g., toss,
throw, hurl).
such as adjectives that are closely related (e.g., thin,
slender, skinny, scrawny).
That describe states of mind or degrees of certainty
(e.g., knew, believed, suspected, heard, wondered).
Distinguish the literal and non-literal meanings of
words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).
reading, and being read to, and responding to texts
6. including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g.,
When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

6. that are conversational, general academic, and domain-
specific words, including those that signal spatial and
temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we
went looking for them).


English Language Arts Common Core State Standards For "Uncommon" K-1, 1-2, and 2-3 Combination Classrooms

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