Reading at WHPS
Learning to Read. Then Reading to Think.
Strong reading begins with the foundations: hearing sounds, connecting letters and sounds, decoding words, building fluency, and making meaning from text. As those skills become increasingly automatic, children use reading to infer, question, analyze, interpret, and think more deeply.
At WHPS, the goal is not simply to move children through a grade-level reading curriculum. It is to understand the reader in front of us and keep building from there.
A Simplified Progression
What Can This Reader Do Now? What Comes Next?
This parent-friendly page is a simplified view of our much more detailed teacher progression. Teachers use the full progression to see what a child can already do, identify what they are ready to learn next, and help shape individual reading goals.
Those goals come to life through explicit teaching, modeling, small groups, practice, feedback, conferences, and reflection. Our complete Reading Progression extends into skills typically found through 12th-grade curriculum, so there is room to keep moving when a child is ready.
The progression helps us see what comes next. Great teaching helps children get there.
TK Through 8th Grade
See How Reading Skills Grow
The examples below show the typical progression from TK through 8th grade. Open a skill to see how it develops.
Phonological Awareness
TK
Notices sounds, syllables, and rhymes; plays with language
K
Segments and blends syllables and onset-rime; identifies beginning sounds
1st
Segments, blends, and manipulates phonemes in words
2nd
Applies phonemic skills automatically in reading and writing
3rd
Fully developed
4th
Fully developed
5th
Fully developed
6th
Fully developed
7th
Fully developed
8th
Fully developed
Phonics & Decoding
TK
Recognizes some letters and letter sounds
K
Knows letter-sound relationships and begins decoding CVC words
1st
Decodes short- and long-vowel words and common phonics patterns
2nd
Decodes words with vowel teams, suffixes, and increasingly complex patterns
3rd
Decodes multisyllabic and unfamiliar words using known patterns and word parts
4th
Applies decoding strategies flexibly to increasingly complex words
5th
Uses roots, affixes, syllables, and context to decode unfamiliar academic words
6th
Applies advanced decoding strategies across content areas
7th
Independently decodes complex academic and multisyllabic words
8th
Applies word-analysis strategies automatically across complex texts
High-Frequency Words
TK
Recognizes own name and familiar environmental print
K
Reads and writes basic high-frequency words
1st
Expands automatic recognition of high-frequency words
2nd
Reads a broad range of high-frequency words automatically
3rd
Reads grade-level high-frequency words automatically
4th
Fully automatic
5th
Fully automatic
6th
Fully automatic
7th
Fully automatic
8th
Fully automatic
Fluency & Expression
TK
Pretend reads and joins in with familiar books
K
Reads emergent text with support and growing confidence
1st
Reads at an appropriate pace with growing expression
2nd
Reads with increasing accuracy, phrasing, and expression
3rd
Reads smoothly and expressively with attention to punctuation and meaning
4th
Reads longer and more complex texts with accuracy, phrasing, and expression
5th
Adjusts pace and expression for purpose, genre, and meaning
6th
Maintains fluency and stamina across increasingly complex texts
7th
Adjusts pace strategically and reads with sensitivity to tone and meaning
8th
Reads highly complex texts fluently, adjusting pace, phrasing, and expression to support meaning
Literal Comprehension
TK
Listens to stories and answers who/what questions with support
K
Identifies characters, setting, and major events
1st
Retells key details in sequence and answers who/what/where questions
2nd
Summarizes important events and identifies problem and solution
3rd
Summarizes texts and identifies main ideas and important supporting details
4th
Summarizes increasingly complex texts and explains key ideas and plot development
5th
Synthesizes important information across chapters, sections, or texts
6th
Determines central ideas and supports understanding with relevant textual evidence
7th
Analyzes how key ideas develop and interact across a text
8th
Evaluates and synthesizes key ideas and evidence across multiple complex sources
Inferencing & Predicting
TK
Not yet introduced
K
Makes simple predictions and connections
1st
Makes inferences using pictures and simple text clues
2nd
Makes inferences and predictions using evidence from the text
3rd
Uses textual evidence to support inferences about characters, events, and ideas
4th
Analyzes character motivations and makes deeper inferences using specific evidence
5th
Draws complex inferences and supports conclusions with well-chosen textual evidence
6th
Analyzes implied meaning, perspective, tone, and author intent
7th
Develops nuanced interpretations and recognizes ambiguity or multiple possible meanings
8th
Integrates evidence from across texts to support sophisticated interpretations and conclusions
Theme & Author's Craft
TK
Not yet introduced
K
Not yet introduced
1st
Identifies a story's main idea or message
2nd
Discusses the author's message and notices how character actions support it
3rd
Identifies theme and recognizes literary devices such as simile and metaphor
4th
Explains how authors develop theme and uses literary techniques to shape meaning
5th
Analyzes perspective, word choice, figurative language, and author's purpose
6th
Analyzes narrative technique, tone, structure, and how craft shapes meaning
7th
Analyzes symbolism, irony, tone, perspective, and the development of multiple themes
8th
Evaluates how sophisticated choices in craft, structure, and perspective shape meaning and reader response
Text Structure & Features
TK
Not yet introduced
K
Begins to recognize captions, labels, and dialogue
1st
Recognizes bold print, headings, labels, and other informational text features
2nd
Uses tables of contents, glossaries, diagrams, and other features to locate information
3rd
Identifies common structures such as sequence, compare/contrast, and cause/effect
4th
Interprets charts, timelines, and multiple text structures to deepen understanding
5th
Uses text structure and features to locate, compare, and synthesize information
6th
Explains how an author's organization and structure support meaning
7th
Analyzes and compares structure across genres and texts
8th
Evaluates how structure contributes to meaning and supports synthesis across complex texts
Vocabulary & Word Solving
TK
Explores word meanings with support
K
Uses letter-sound knowledge, pictures, and meaning to solve unfamiliar words
1st
Uses meaning, sentence structure, and phonics patterns to solve unfamiliar words
2nd
Uses context clues and familiar word parts to determine meaning
3rd
Explores multiple meanings, synonyms, and figurative language; uses context to determine unfamiliar words
4th
Uses roots, affixes, context, and word relationships to understand increasingly complex vocabulary
5th
Interprets academic vocabulary, idioms, figurative language, and nuanced word meanings
6th
Uses Greek and Latin roots, affixes, context, and reference tools to analyze unfamiliar vocabulary
7th
Analyzes how word choice and nuanced vocabulary contribute to tone and meaning
8th
Applies sophisticated vocabulary strategies independently across academic disciplines and complex texts
Speaking & Listening
TK
Takes turns speaking in group discussions
K
Practices listening and responding during classroom routines
1st
Takes turns and responds to peer ideas in small groups
2nd
Participates in discussions; asks and answers relevant questions
3rd
Engages in structured discussions and shares ideas with supporting details
4th
Collaborates in discussions, builds on others' ideas, and begins formal presentations
5th
Presents ideas clearly, uses evidence, and responds thoughtfully to others
6th
Engages in discussion, debate, and oral analysis using relevant evidence
7th
Builds on and challenges ideas respectfully while presenting increasingly complex analysis
8th
Communicates sophisticated ideas clearly and responds thoughtfully to challenging or spontaneous questions
Elementary at WHPS
See Personalized Learning in Action
Visit WHPS and see how teachers use small groups, individual goals, conferences, and daily instruction to help each reader keep moving forward.