Unit Plan 4 (Grade K ELA): Concepts of Print & Book Handling
Kindergarten foundational skills unit: students learn book parts, directionality, letters vs. words, and spacing through hands-on reading routines that build strong print awareness.
Focus: Directionality, letters vs. words, spaces; front/back/title page
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Foundational Skills • Informational Text • Speaking/Listening)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
This week builds print-awareness so students can navigate books with confidence. Children will handle books correctly (front/back/title page), follow print left-to-right, top-to-bottom, page-by-page, distinguish letters vs. words, and notice spaces. Partner talk routines keep it interactive and joyful.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Point to and name front cover, back cover, title page on familiar books (RI.K.5).
- Demonstrate directionality: track print left→right, top→bottom, page-by-page (RF.K.1a).
- Explain that spoken words are written with sequences of letters; sort letters vs. words (RF.K.1b).
- Identify that words are separated by spaces in print (RF.K.1c).
- Recognize and name a set of upper- and lowercase letters (review from classroom alphabet work) (RF.K.1d).
- Participate in whole-/small-group discussions using simple sentence frames (SL.K.1).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Kindergarten
- RF.K.1a–d Demonstrate understanding of print organization and features.
- RI.K.5 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.
- SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations (a–b).
Success Criteria — student language
- I can find the front, back, and title page.
- I can track words left→right and top→bottom.
- I can tell the difference between a letter and a word.
- I can point to the spaces between words.
- I can say a complete sentence to explain what I see.