Standard 2: Reading Foundations

Students will develop foundational skills for future reading success by working with sounds, letters, and text.

PRINT CONCEPTS: Students will demonstrate their understanding of the organization and basic features of print, including book handling skills and the understanding that printed materials provide information and tell stories. 

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students will correctly:

• Hold book right-side up

• Identify book title

• Identify title page

• Identify front and back covers of books.

• Teachers state and discuss correct book orientation, identifying the front and back covers, title, and title page of a book.

• Teachers model correct book orientations, point out title and title page while reading texts aloud.

• Teachers provide opportunities for students to demonstrate correct book orientation and locate front and back covers, title page, and title.

• Teachers monitor and provide feedback as students are asked to identify the title, title page, and the front and back covers of a book.

• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback ensuring correct book orientation.

Supporting Resources 

Teacher Insights 

Mini-Writing Lessons (PDF)

Balanced Literacy Diet:  Concepts of Print (webpage) 

Reading Rockets:  Print Awareness Guidelines for Instruction (webpage)

• Pointing out and discussing concepts of print during daily reading activities help students learn concepts of print.

• As students become more aware of the features on the cover, they need opportunities to point to the title on the front cover and the title page.

• Encouraging students to make front and back covers for the books they create reinforces features of books.

• Educators may believe that students will innately learn the features of a book without direct instruction, but they do not. It is important that students receive intentional instruction during class, small group, and individual dialogue when discussing and sharing literature and other forms of print.

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.