Kitchen Table Reading Benchmark Tracker

Verify foundational skill mastery step-by-step before advancing.

Kindergarten Benchmarks Level K
Benchmark Skill Target Examples Type Practicing Mastered
Identifying Letter Sounds Go To Benchmark ➔
Identifies all uppercase/lowercase letters & produces 26 sounds Phonics
Alphabet Writing Go To Benchmark
Writes uppercase and lowercase letters legibly with proper grip Writing
Rhyming Words Go To Benchmark
Identifies and generates simple rhymes (cat/hat, big/pig) Phonemic Awareness
Beginning & Ending Sounds Go To Benchmark
Isolates first and last sounds in spoken words (/m/ in mat, /t/ in cat) Phonemic Awareness
Medial Vowel Sounds Go To Benchmark
Identifies middle short vowel sound in spoken CVC words (/a/ in map, /i/ in sit) Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic Awareness (Blending & Segmenting) Go To Benchmark
Blends sounds to form words (/c/-/a/-/t/ → "cat") & breaks words into individual sounds Phonemic Awareness
Word Families Go To Benchmark
Reads and builds CVC word families (-at, -an, -ig, -op, -ug) Phonics
Sight Words Go To Benchmark
Recognizes within 3 sec: the, a, is, to, you, said, was, look, they, have, are Sight Word
Reading Independently Go To Benchmark
Reads simple decodable books independently for 5–10 minutes Fluency
Comprehension Go To Benchmark
Answers who, what, where, and key detail questions about a read passage Comprehension
First Grade Benchmarks Level 1
Benchmark Skill Target Examples Type Practicing Mastered
Identifying Letter Sounds Go To Benchmark
Produces complex sounds including digraphs & letter combinations (sh, ch, th, wh) Phonics
Long & Short Vowels Go To Benchmark
Differentiates short vowels (cat, hop) vs. long vowel patterns (cake, hope) Phonics
First Grade Rhyming Go To Benchmark
Identifies and produces complex rhymes with blends & long vowels (train/brain, float/boat) Phonemic Awareness
Word Blends Go To Benchmark
Reads 4–5 sound words with initial and final consonant blends (stop, drop, fast, plant) Phonics
Read & Write Word Families Go To Benchmark
Decodes and spells extended 1st grade word families (-ight, -ake, -ing, -ank) Phonics & Writing
Phonemic Awareness (Blending Phonemes) Go To Benchmark
Orally blends 4–5 spoken sounds into complete words (/s/-/t/-/r/-/e/-/m/ → "stream") Phonemic Awareness
First Grade Sight Words Go To Benchmark
Recognizes 75–100 extended high-frequency words automatically Sight Word
Reading Fluency & Comprehension Go To Benchmark
Reads grade-level passages smoothly (40–60 WPM) and retells main ideas & key details Fluency & Comp