1 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
1. With guidance and support,
ask and/or answer questions with
details related to a variety of
print materials (e.g., ask, “What is
the duck doing?” or respond to
“Tell me about the duck.”)
2. With guidance and support,
3-year-olds
4-year-olds
retell familiar stories following the
pictures in a book or through
conversations, art, creative
movement, or dramatic play.
3. With guidance and support,
identify common objects in the
pictures in a book.
LITERATURE (LI)
Key ideas and Details
1. With prompting and support, With prompting and support, ask
ask and/or answer questions with and answer questions about key
details related to a variety of details in a text.
print materials (e.g., ask, “What is
the duck doing?” or respond to
“Tell me about the duck.”)
2. With prompting and support, With prompting and support,
kindergarten
retell familiar stories (from books, retell familiar stories, including
oral presentations, songs, plays) key details.
using diverse media
(conversations, drama, props
throughout the classroom,
creative movement, art, and
creative writing).
3. With prompting and support, With prompting and support,
identify some characters, identify characters, settings, and
settings, and/or major events in major events in a story.
a story.
Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
2 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
4. With guidance and support,
exhibit curiosity and interest that
print conveys meaning.
a. Increase vocabulary through
conversations with adults and
peers.
b. Identify real world print (e.g.,
labels in the classroom, signs in
3-year-olds
4-year-olds
the community).
5. With guidance and support,
experience common types of
books (e.g., fantasy; factual;
animals; books about people
demonstrating racial, cultural,
age, gender, and ability
diversity).
6. With guidance and support,
identify the terms “author” and
“illustrator”.
LITERATURE (LI)
Craft and Structure
4. Exhibit curiosity and interest in Ask and answer questions about
learning words in print. unknown words in a text.
a. Develop new vocabulary
from stories.
b. Identify environmental print
(e.g., word wall, class dictation).
kindergarten
5. With prompting and support, Recognize common types of
interact with common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
texts (e.g., fantasy; factual;
animals; books about people
demonstrating racial, cultural,
age, gender, and ability
diversity).
6. With prompting and support, With prompting and support,
identify the role of the author name the author and illustrator
and illustrator. in a story and identify the role of
each in telling the story.
Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
3 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
LITERATURE (LI)
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. With guidance and support,
make connections between self
and real experiences as they
relate to classroom books.
3-year-olds
4-year-olds
8. (Not applicable to literature)
9. With guidance and support,
recall a sequence of events in
familiar stories.
Range of Reading and Level of Complexity
10. With guidance and support,
actively engage in a variety of
shared reading experiences
(e.g., small group, whole group,
with a peer or teacher) within
individual learning centers (e.g.,
dramatic play, art, writing, math,
blocks, science, music, and/or
manipulatives.
7. With prompting and support,
make connections among self,
illustrations, and the story (e.g.,
picture walk, small group
questions and answers, props in
kindergarten
drama).
8. (Not applicable to literature)
9. With prompting and support,
compare and contrast
adventures and experiences of
characters in familiar stories
(e.g., how two stories are similar
and/or different).
10. Actively engage in a variety
of shared reading experiences
(e.g., small group, whole group,
with a peer or teacher) with
purpose and understanding
through extension activities (e.g.,
art activities, dramatic play,
creative writing, movement).
Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards
With prompting and support,
describe the relationship
between illustrations and the
story in which they appear (e.g.,
what moment in a story an
illustration depicts).
(Not applicable to literature)
With prompting and support,
compare and contrast the
adventures and experiences of
characters in familiar stories.
Actively engage in group
reading activities with purpose
and understanding.
 
4 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
1. With guidance and support,
answer questions related to a
variety of print materials.
2. With prompting and support,
identify the mail topic/idea and
3-year-olds
4-year-olds
express some details through
play (e.g., dramatic play, art,
writing, math, blocks, science,
music, and/or manipulatives).
3. With guidance and support,
identify the connections
between self and events in
printed materials (e.g.,
comparing hats from different
cultures with hats people wear in
child’s life).
INFORMATIONAL TEXT (IT)
Key Ideas and Details
1. With prompting and support, With prompting and support, ask
ask and/or answer questions with and/or answer questions about
details related to a variety of key details in a text.
informational print materials
(e.g., charts, graphs, maps, lists,
and other reference materials).
2. With prompting and support, With prompting and support,
kindergarten
identify the main topic/idea and identify the main topic and tell
retell some details using diverse key details of a text.
media (e.g., drama, creative
writing, art, conversation).
3. With prompting and support, With prompting and support,
demonstrate the connections describe the connection
among individuals, events, ideas, between two individuals, events,
or pieces of information in a text ideas, or pieces of information in
(e.g., art, dramatic play, a text.
creative writing, conversation).
Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
5 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
4. With guidance and support,
exhibit curiosity about words in a
variety of texts (e.g., magazines,
word wall, classroom labels).
3-year-olds
4-year-olds
5. With guidance and support,
recognize how books are read and
identify the front cover, back cover,
and title page of a book.
6. With guidance and support,
identify the terms “author” and
“illustrator”.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. With guidance and support, make
connections between self and real
life experiences as they relate to
classroom books.
3-year-olds
4-year-olds
8. No developmentally appropriate
standard.
9. No developmentally appropriate
standard.
INFORMATIONAL TEXT (IT)
Craft and Structure
4. Exhibit curiosity and interest With prompting and support,
about words in a variety of ask and answer questions
informational texts. about unknown words in a text.
kindergarten
5. With prompting and support, Identify the front cover, back
identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a
cover, and title page of a book.
book.
6. With prompting and support, Name the author and illustrator
identify the role of the author of a text and define the role of
and illustrator in informational each in presenting the ideas of
text. information in a text.
7. With prompting and support, With prompting and support,
make connections between describe the relationship
self and text and/or information between illustrations and the
and text. text in which they appear (e.g.,
what person, place, thing, or
idea in the text an illustration
kindergarten
depicts).
8. With prompting and support, With prompting and support,
explore the purpose of the identify the reasons an author
informational text as it relates to gives to support points in a text.
self.
9. With prompting and support, With prompting and support,
identify similarities and differences identify basic similarities and
in illustrations between two texts on differences between two texts
the same topic. on the same topic.
Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
6 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

INFORMATIONAL TEXT (IT)

Range of Reading and Level of Complexity
10. With guidance and support, 10. With prompting and Actively engage in group
actively engage in a variety of support, actively engage in a reading activities with purpose
reading experiences (e.g., small variety of shared reading and understanding.

kindergarten
group with peers or teachers, experiences (e.g., small group,
3-year-olds

4-year-olds
one-on-one with teachers) whole group, with a peer or
within individual learning teacher) with purpose and
centers (e.g., dramatic play, understanding through
art, writing, math, blocks, extension activities (e.g.,
science, music, and experiments, observations,
manipulatives). topic studies, conversations,
illustrated journals).
 

   

Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
 
7 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
1. With guidance and support,
demonstrate basic features of
print.
a. Recognize that spoken words
can be written and convey
meaning.
b. Recognize and name some
letters in their first name.
c. Recognize some numbers.
d. Recognize that print moves
from left to right, top to bottom,
3-year-olds
4-year-olds
and page to page.
FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS (FS)
Print Concepts
1. With prompting and support, Demonstrate understanding of
demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic
conventions of print. features of print.
a. Recognize an association a. Follow words from left to
between spoken and written right, top to bottom, and page
words. by page.
b. Recognize that the letters of b. Recognize that spoken words
the alphabet are a special are represented in written
category of visual graphics that language by specific
can be individually named. sequences of letters.
c. Recognize and name some c. Understand that words are
kindergarten
upper- and lower-case letters of separated by spaces in print.
the alphabet, especially those d. Recognize and name all
in own name. upper- and lower-case letters of
d. Differentiate letters from the alphabet.
numbers.
e. Recognize words as a unit of
print and understand that
letters are grouped to form
words.
f. Understand that print moves
from left to right, top to bottom,
and page by page.
g. Understand that words are
separated by spaces in print.
Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
8 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS (FS)

2. With guidance and support,
demonstrate an emerging
understanding of spoken words
and sounds.
a. Engage in language/verbal
play (e.g., sound patterns,
rhyming patterns, songs).
b. Explore and recognize
rhyming words (e.g., using
songs, fingerplays, nursery
Phonological Awareness
2. With prompting and support,
demonstrate an emerging
understanding of spoken words,
syllables, and sounds.
a. Engage in language play
(e.g., sound patterns, rhyming
patterns, songs).
b. Explore and recognize
rhyming words (e.g., using
songs, fingerplays, nursery
Demonstrate understanding of
spoken words, syllables, and
sounds (phonemes).
a. Recognize and produce
rhyming words.
b. Count, pronounce, blend,
and segment syllables in
spoken words.
c. Blend and segment onsets
and rimes of single-syllable

kindergarten
rhymes, imitation, poetry, and rhymes, imitation, poetry, and spoken words.
3-year-olds

4-year-olds
conversations). conversations). d. Isolate and pronounce the
c. Recognize environmental c. Demonstrate awareness of initial, medial vowel, and final
sounds (e.g., trains, cars, police the relationship between sounds (phonemes) in three-
sirens, clocks ticking, dogs sounds and letters. phoneme (consonant-vowel-
barking). d. Demonstrate an consonant, or CVC) words.
d. Recognize sound patterns understanding of syllables in
and repeat them (e.g., words (units of sound) by
clapping, stomping, patting). clapping, stomping, and finger
tapping.
e. With prompting and support,
isolate and pronounce the
initial sounds in words.
f. Demonstrate an awareness of
ending sounds in words.
 

   

Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
 
9 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS (FS)

3. With guidance and support,
demonstrate emergent
phonological awareness skills
(recognize first name in
environmental print).
Phonological Awareness
3. With prompting and support,
demonstrate emergent phonics
and word analysis skills.
a. Demonstrate one-to-one
letter correspondence by
producing the primary sound of
some consonants.
b. Recognize own name,
Know and apply grade-level
phonics and word analysis skills in
decoding words.
a. Demonstrate basic
knowledge of one-to-one letter
sound correspondences by
producing the primary or many
of the most frequent sounds for

kindergarten
3-year-olds

4-year-olds
environmental print, and some each consonant.
common high-frequency sight b. Associate the long and short
words. sounds with common spellings
(graphemes) for the five major
vowels.
c. Read common high-
frequency words by sight (e.g.,
the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are,
do, does).
d. Distinguish between similarly
spelled words by identifying the
sounds of the letters that differ.
Fluency
4. With guidance and support, 4. Display emergent reading Read emergent-reader texts
display emergent reading behavior with purpose and with purpose and
3s

4s

K
behavior through pretend understanding (e.g., pretend understanding.
reading and picture reading. reading, picture reading).
 

   

Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
 
10 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

1. With guidance and support,
explore and experiment with a
combination of written
representations (e.g., scribbling
or drawing) to represent stories,
experiences, or ideas.
WRITING (WR)
Text Type and Purposes
1. With prompting and support, Use a combination of drawing,
recognize that writing is a way of dictating, and writing to
communicating for a variety of compose opinion pieces in
purposes. which they tell a reader the
a. Explore and experiment with a
topic or the name of the book
combination of written
representations (e.g., scribbles,
they are writing about and state
drawings, letters, and dictations) to an opinion or preference about
express an opinion. the topic or book (e.g., My
b. Explore and experiment with a favorite book is…).
combination of written
representations (e.g., scribbles,
drawings, letters, and dictations)
and describe writing.

kindergarten
3-year-olds

4-year-olds
c. Explore and experiment with a
combination of written
representations (e.g., scribbles,
drawings, letters, and dictations) to
tell about events or stories.
2. No developmentally 2. No developmentally Use a combination of drawing,
appropriate standard. appropriate standard. dictating, and writing to compose
informative/explanatory tests in
which they name what they are
writing about and supply some
information about the topic.
3. No developmentally 3. No developmentally Use a combination of drawing,
appropriate standard. appropriate standard. dictating, and writing to narrate a
single event or several loosely linked
events, tell about the events in the
order in which they occur, and
provide a reaction to what
happened.

Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
 
11 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Production and Distribution of Writing
4. No developmentally
appropriate standard.
5. No developmentally
appropriate standard.
3-year-olds
4-year-olds
6. With guidance and support,
begin to experiment with a wide
variety of fine motor materials
and to hold age appropriate
writing instruments (e.g., paint
brushes, markers, large crayons,
large pencils) to develop eye-
hand coordination.
WRITING (WR)
4. No developmentally (Begins in grade 3).
appropriate standard.
5. With guidance and support, With guidance and support from
respond to adults, respond to questions and
questions/suggestions and add suggestions from peers and
details to strengthen illustrations details to strengthen writing as
kindergarten
and/or creative writing as needed.
needed.
6. With prompting and support, With prompting and support
explore a variety of tools (e.g., from adults, explore a variety of
digital media, art materials) to digital tools to produce and
collaboratively produce and publish writing, including
publish creative writing. collaboration with peers.
Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
12 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

WRITING (WR)
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. No developmentally 7. With prompting and support,
appropriate standard. participate in shared research
and projects through emergent
written representation (e.g.,
explore a number of books by a
favorite author on the same
Participate in shared research
and writing projects (e.g.,
explore a number of books by a
favorite author and express
opinions about them).

kindergarten
3-year-olds

4-year-olds
8. No developmentally
appropriate standard.
9. No developmentally
appropriate standard.
10. No developmentally
3s
topic) and express opinions
about them.
8. With prompting and support, With prompting and support
recall information from from adults, recall information
experiences to answer questions. from experiences or gather
information from provided
sources to answer a question.
9. No developmentally (Begins in grade 4)
appropriate standard.
Range of Writing
10. No developmentally (Begins in grade 3)

4s

k
appropriate standard. appropriate standard.
 

   

Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
 
13 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
SPEAKING AND LISTENING (SL)
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. With guidance and support,
participate in social
conversations (e.g., turn-taking,
exchanging information,
listening attentively, awareness
of others’ feelings) in a variety of
settings (e.g., with peers and
adults in small group, large
group, and one-on-one
interactions.
3-year-olds
4-year-olds
2. With guidance and support,
demonstrate understanding of
information by asking and
answering questions and
responding to directions.
3. With guidance and support,
ask and answer questions in
order to seek help, get
information, or clarify something
that is not understood.
1. With guidance and support, Participate in collaborative
participate in small and large conversations with diverse
group collaborative partners about kindergarten
conversations about topics and texts with peers and
prekindergarten topics and texts adults in small and large groups.
with peers and adults. a. Follow agreed-upon rules for
a. Engage in prosocial discussions (e.g., listening to
conversations (e.g., turn-taking, others and taking turns before
exchanging information, speaking about the topics and
listening attentively, awareness texts under discussion).
of others’ feelings). b. Continue a conversation
kindergarten
b. Engage in extended through multiple exchanges.
conversations.
2. With prompting and support, Confirm understanding of a text
confirm understanding of read-aloud or information
information presented orally, presented orally or through other
from read-alouds, or through media by asking and answering
other media by asking and questions about key details and
answering questions about requesting clarification if
details. something is not understood.
3. With prompting and support, Ask and answer questions in
ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get
order to seek help, get information, or clarify something
information, or clarify something that is not understood.
that is not understood.
Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
14 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

SPEAKING AND LISTENING (SL)

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. With guidance and support, 4. With prompting and support, Describe familiar people, places,
describe familiar people, places, describe familiar people, places, things, and events, and with
things, and events. things, and events. prompting and support, provide
additional detail.

kindergarten
3-year-olds

4-year-olds
5. No developmentally 5. With prompting and support, Add drawings or other visual
appropriate standard. add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as
displays to descriptions. desired to provide additional
detail.
6. With guidance and support, 6. With prompting and support, Speak audibly and express
demonstrate an emergent ability demonstrate emergent ability to thoughts, feelings, and ideas
to express thoughts, feelings, express thoughts, feelings, and clearly.
and needs clearly. ideas clearly.
 

   

Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
 
15 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Conventions of Standard English
1. With guidance and support,
demonstrate age appropriate
standard English.
a. Ask and answer questions.
b. Use simple prepositions (e.g.,
in, out, on, off).
c. Use proper words instead of
slang or “motherese” (e.g., baby
talk).
LANGUAGE (LA)
1. With prompting and support,
demonstrate awareness of the
conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when
speaking.
a. Use frequently occurring nouns
and verbs.
b. Form regular plural nouns by
adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs;
wish, wishes).
c. Understand and use question
words (interrogatives) (e.g., who,
what, where, when, why, how).
d. Use the most frequently occurring
Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
a. Print many upper- and lower-
case letters.
b. Use frequently occurring nouns
and verbs.
c. Form regular plural nouns orally
by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog,
dogs; wish, wishes).
d. Understand and use question
words (interrogatives) (e.g., who,
what, where, when, why, how).

kindergarten
prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, e. Use the most frequently occurring
3-year-olds

4-year-olds on, off, of, by, with). prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out,
e. Produce and expand complete on, off, of, by, with).
sentences in shared language f. Produce and expand complete
activities. sentences in shared language
activities.
2. No developmentally 2. With prompting and support, Demonstrate command of the
appropriate standard. demonstrate awareness of the conventions of standard English
conventions of standard English. capitalization, punctuation, and
a. Write first name, capitalizing the spelling when writing.
first letter. a. Capitalize the first words in a
b. Attempt to write a letter or letters sentence and the pronoun I.
to represent a word. b. Recognize and name end
c. Experiment with written punctuation.
representations of words, using c. Write a letter or letters for most
emergent knowledge of sound- consonant and short-vowel sounds.
letter relationships. d. Spell simple words phonetically,
drawing on knowledge of sound-
letter relationships.

Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
 
16 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

LANGUAGE (LA)
Knowledge of Language
3. No developmentally 3. No developmentally (Begins in grade 2).
3s

4s

k
appropriate standard. appropriate standard.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4. With guidance and support, 4. With prompting and support, Determine of clarify the
demonstrate vocabulary with explore unknown and multiple- meaning of unknown and
the majority of words spoken meaning words based on preK multiple-meaning words and
being understood by adults and reading and content. phrases based on kindergarten
peers. a. Apply new meaning for reading and content.

kindergarten
familiar words accurately (e.g., a. Identify new meanings for
3-year-olds

4-year-olds
recognizing that a car is also a familiar words and apply them
vehicle). accurately (e.g., knowing duck is
a bird and learning the verb to
duck).
b. Use the most frequently
occurring inflections and affixes
(e.g., -ed, -s, re-, un-, pre-, -ful, -
less) as a clue to the meaning of
an unknown word.
 

   

Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards 
 
17 
  ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
5. With guidance and support,
explore word relationships and
word meanings by sorting
common objects into categories
(e.g., shapes, food) to gain a
sense of the concepts the
categories represent.
3-year-olds
4-year-olds
6. With guidance and support,
use words and phrases acquired
(e.g., conversations,
experiences, shared reading,
being read to).
LANGUAGE (LA)
5. With guidance and support,
explore word relationships and
word meanings.
a. Sort common objects into
categories (e.g., shapes, foods)
to gain a sense of the concepts
the categories represent.
b. Experiment with frequently
occurring verbs and adjectives
by relating them to their
opposites (antonyms) (e.g., run,
kindergarten
walk; fast, slow; soft, hard).
6. With prompting and support,
use words and phrases acquired
through conversations,
experiences, shared reading,
being read to, and responding
to texts.
Mississippi Prekindergarten Early Learning Standards
With guidance and support from
adults, explore word relationships
and nuances in word meanings.
a. Sort common objects into
categories (e.g., shapes, foods)
to gain a sense of the concepts
the categories represent.
b. Demonstrate understanding
of frequently occurring verbs
and adjectives by relating them
to their opposites (antonyms).
c. Identify real-life connections
between words and their use
(e.g., note places at school that
are colorful).
d. Distinguish shades of meaning
among verbs describing the
same general action (e.g., walk,
march, strut, prance) by acting
out the meanings.
Use words and phrases acquired
through conversations, reading,
and being read to, and respond
to texts.