Colorado Academic Standards Online
Use the options below to create customized views of the Colorado Academic Standards. For all standards resources, see the Office of Standards and Instructional Support.
Current selections are shown below (maximum of five)
clear Content Area: Reading, Writing and Communicating - 2019 // Grade Level: Preschool // Standard Category: 1. Oral Expression and Listening
clear Content Area: Reading, Writing and Communicating - 2019 // Grade Level: Kindergarten // Standard Category: 1. Oral Expression and Listening
clear Content Area: Reading, Writing and Communicating - 2019 // Grade Level: First Grade // Standard Category: 1. Oral Expression and Listening
clear Content Area: Reading, Writing and Communicating - 2019 // Grade Level: Second Grade // Standard Category: 1. Oral Expression and Listening
clear Content Area: Reading, Writing and Communicating - 2019 // Grade Level: Third Grade // Standard Category: 1. Oral Expression and Listening
Reading, Writing and Communicating - 2019
Preschool, Standard 1. Oral Expression and Listening
keyboard_arrow_down keyboard_arrow_up
Prepared Graduates:
- 1. Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully; pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others; and contribute ideas to further the group’s attainment of an objective.
Preschool Learning and Development Expectation:
1. Children comprehend and understand the English language (Receptive Language).
Indicators of Progress:
By the end of the preschool experience (approximately 60 months/5 years old) students may:
- Attend to language during conversations, songs, stories or other learning experiences.
- Comprehend increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.
- Follow two- to three-step directions.
Examples of High-Quality Teaching and Learning Experiences:
Supportive Teaching Practices/Adults May:
- Create opportunities for children to learn to use and recognize precise vocabulary that relates to math, science, art, and social experiences.
- Frequently read books with rich descriptive vocabulary, exploring and extending children's understanding of the meaning of new words.
- Talk with individual children often, encouraging them to express their ideas, needs and feelings, and ask them questions.
- Provide a rich variety of frequently repeated songs, poems, finger plays, and storytelling, which encourage children's participation and exposes them to many cultures.
- Provide a daily routine wherein simple directions are given for children to follow on a regular basis.
Examples of Learning/Children May:
- At the sensory table, children use various tools and instruments, such as tubes, scoops, funnels, and eggbeaters, to explore and describe the manipulation of water with the support of the paraprofessional who uses parallel talk to model (e.g., “Billy, you’re using the eggbeater to whip the water.”)
- On a trip to a pumpkin farm, the farmer talks to the children about planting, using words like tractor, hoe, growing season, and fertilizer. Later that week, Mark uses the toy garden hoe in the sand and tells another child to "Get the fertilizer.”
- When asked whether she wants a snack before playing, Angela uses her communication board to indicate her choice of the snack first.
- Every day, Marius enters the classroom and hangs up his backpack and jacket. Sometimes he needs a reminder to wash his hands before choosing an activity.
keyboard_arrow_down keyboard_arrow_up
Prepared Graduates:
- 1. Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully; pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others; and contribute ideas to further the group’s attainment of an objective.
Preschool Learning and Development Expectation:
2. Children use language to convey thoughts and feelings (Expressive Language).
Indicators of Progress:
By the end of the preschool experience (approximately 60 months/5 years old) students may:
- Participate in conversations of more than three exchanges with peers and adults.
- Use language to express ideas and needs.
- Use increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.
- Understand the difference between a question and a statement.
- Practice asking questions and making statements.
- Speak in sentences of five or six words.
Examples of High-Quality Teaching and Learning Experiences:
Supportive Teaching Practices/Adults May:
- The classroom environment provides a variety of play centers that encourage children to interact and communicate with one another.
- Child-initiated play time occurs at least 1/3 of the day to provide ample opportunity to practice using vocabulary and conversational skills.
- Talk with children frequently, encouraging them to share their experiences and ideas and listening attentively to their contributions.
- For children with limited expressive capabilities, use the language stimulation technique of expansion (e.g., Child: “That a dog,” Teacher: “That’s a brown dog with a long tail.”)
- Facilitate the use of words between children to express ideas, desires, feelings, and to resolve conflicts.
- Ask children questions, explaining how questions are different from statements, and allow children to practice asking questions to classroom visitors, on field trips, during read alouds, etc.
Examples of Learning/Children May:
- To create a graph, children are asked “What kind of pet do you have?” and they place a sticky note with their name beside the animal(s).
- Aaliyah approaches a group of children in the dramatic play center and asks, "What're you playing?" When they answer "Spaceship," she asks, "Can I play too?" She then offers her ideas, "I'm the princess." The play continues for over 10 minutes.
- When Max’s dad visits the class to show how to make pots on a pottery wheel, the children have an opportunity to ask questions. The teaching staff reminds what a question is to help children along (“a question helps you find out things”).
Reading, Writing and Communicating - 2019
Kindergarten, Standard 1. Oral Expression and Listening
keyboard_arrow_down keyboard_arrow_up
Prepared Graduates:
- 1. Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully; pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others; and contribute ideas to further the group’s attainment of an objective.
Grade Level Expectation:
1. Communicate using verbal and nonverbal language.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (CCSS: SL.K.1)*
- Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (for example: listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion). (CCSS: SL.K.1a)
- Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges. (CCSS: SL.K.1b)
- Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood. (CCSS: SL.K.2) *
- Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood. (CCSS: SL.K.3) *
- Listen with comprehension to follow two-step directions. *
- Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts. (CCSS: L.K.6) *
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills:
- Accurately recognize one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior. (Personal Skills, Self-Awareness)
- Demonstrate an understanding of cause and effect related to personal decisions. (Civic/Interpersonal Skills, Character)
- Appropriately express a range of emotions to communicate personal ideas/needs. (Professional Skills, Self-Advocacy)
Essential Questions:
- How do we have conversations?
- Why is it important for people to wait their turn before speaking?
- What does it mean to be a good listener?
Essential Reasoning Skills:
- Questions are where learning begins.
- Thoughtful speakers and listeners establish agreed upon rules for communicating in their environment.
Minimum Skills Competencies:
- Evidence Outcomes marked with an asterisk (*) are the minimum competencies identified in the READ Act.
keyboard_arrow_down keyboard_arrow_up
Prepared Graduates:
- 2. Deliver effective oral presentations for varied audiences and varied purposes.
Grade Level Expectation:
2. Develop oral communication skills through a language-rich environment.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail. (CCSS: SL.K.4)
- Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. (CCSS: SL.K.5)
- Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly. (CCSS: SL.K.6)
- Sort common objects into categories (for example: shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. (CCSS: L.K.5a)
- Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms). (CCSS: L.K.5b)
- Identify real-life connections between words and their use (for example: note places at school that are colorful). (CCSS: L.K.5c)
- Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (for example: walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings. (CCSS: L.K.5d)
- Use new vocabulary that is directly taught through reading, speaking, and listening. *
- Relate new vocabulary to prior knowledge. *
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills:
- Articulate personal strengths and challenges using different forms of communication to express themselves. (Information and Communications Technologies)
- Ask questions and learn more about careers and other life pursuits. (Professional Skills, Career Awareness)
- Appropriately express a range of emotions to communicate personal ideas/needs. (Professional Skills, Self-Advocacy)
Essential Questions:
- Why is it important to learn new words and build speaking vocabularies?
- Why is it important to speak clearly and use words the person understands?
- How do we describe how objects belong together?
Essential Reasoning Skills:
- Effective communicators expand their vocabulary.
Minimum Skills Competencies:
- Evidence Outcomes marked with an asterisk (*) are the minimum competencies identified in the READ Act.
Reading, Writing and Communicating - 2019
First Grade, Standard 1. Oral Expression and Listening
keyboard_arrow_down keyboard_arrow_up
Prepared Graduates:
- 1. Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully; pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others; and contribute ideas to further the group’s attainment of an objective.
Grade Level Expectation:
1. Communicate using verbal and nonverbal language to express and receive information.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (CCSS: SL.1.1)
- Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (for example: listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). (CCSS: SL.1.1a)
- Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. (CCSS: SL.1.1b)
- Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion. (CCSS: SL.1.1c)
- Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. (CCSS: SL.1.2)
- Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood. (CCSS: SL.1.3)
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills:
- Articulate personal strengths and challenges using different forms of communication to express themselves. (Information and Communication Technologies)
- Find information through the use of technologies. (Professional Skills, Use Information and Communication Technologies)
- Appropriately express a range of emotions to communicate personal ideas/needs. (Professional Skills, Self-Advocacy)
Essential Questions:
- What does it mean to communicate courteously in conversations?
- How do we effectively communicate in conversations?
Essential Reasoning Skills:
- Thoughtful speakers and listeners are curious and seek to understand answers to their questions and others.
keyboard_arrow_down keyboard_arrow_up
Prepared Graduates:
- 2. Deliver effective oral presentations for varied audiences and varied purposes.
Grade Level Expectation:
2. Use multiple strategies to develop and expand oral communication.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. (CCSS: SL.1.4)
- Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. (CCSS: SL.1.)
- Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation. (CCSS: SL.1.6) *
- Give and follow simple two-step directions.
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills:
- Demonstrate curiosity, imagination, and eagerness to learn more. (Entrepreneurial Skills, Creativity/Innovation)
- Find information through the use of technologies. (Professional Skills, Use Information and Communication Technologies)
- Appropriately express a range of emotions to communicate personal ideas/needs. (Professional Skills, Self-Advocacy)
Essential Questions:
- Why is it important to learn new words?
- How do presenters decide which words to use when they speak?
- How do we give and follow directions?
Essential Reasoning Skills:
- Effective communicators can express ideas and feelings clearly.
Minimum Skills Competencies:
- Evidence Outcomes marked with an asterisk (*) are the minimum competencies identified in the READ Act.
Reading, Writing and Communicating - 2019
Second Grade, Standard 1. Oral Expression and Listening
keyboard_arrow_down keyboard_arrow_up
Prepared Graduates:
- 1. Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully; pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others; and contribute ideas to further the group’s attainment of an objective.
Grade Level Expectation:
1. Engage in dialogue and learn new information through active listening.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (CCSS: SL.2.1)
- Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (for example: gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). (CCSS: SL.2.1a)
- Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others. (CCSS: SL.2.1b)
- Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion. (CCSS: SL.2.1c)
- Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. (CCSS: SL.2.2) *
- Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue. (CCSS: SL.2.3)
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills:
- Handle impulses and behavior with minimal direction. (Personal Skills, Personal Responsibility)
- Recognize emotional response to ideas that differ from own. (Personal Skills, Adaptability/Flexibility)
- Ask questions and learn more about careers and other life pursuits. (Professional Skills, Career Awareness)
Essential Questions:
- Why is it important to use precise vocabulary in communication?
- How do we work with others to present information?
- How do we participate in collaborative conversations?
Essential Reasoning Skills:
- Thoughtful speakers and listeners share and expand on each other's ideas.
Minimum Skills Competencies:
- Evidence Outcomes marked with an asterisk (*) are the minimum competencies identified in the READ Act.
keyboard_arrow_down keyboard_arrow_up
Prepared Graduates:
- 2. Deliver effective oral presentations for varied audiences and varied purposes.
Grade Level Expectation:
2. Deliver presentations while maintaining focus on topic and be prepared to discuss.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. (CCSS: SL.2.4)
- Contribute knowledge to a small group or class discussion to develop a topic.
- Maintain focus on the topic.
- Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. (CCSS: SL.2.5)
- Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (CCSS: SL.2.6)
- Use content-specific vocabulary to ask questions and provide information. *
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills:
- Accurately recognize one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior. (Personal Skills, Self-Awareness)
- Recognize personal characteristics, preferences, thoughts, and feelings. (Personal Skills, Initiative/Self-Direction)
- Compare attitudes and beliefs as an individual to others. (Civic/Interpersonal Skills, Global/Cultural Awareness)
Essential Questions:
- Why is it important to use precise vocabulary in communication?
- How can we present information in different ways?
Essential Reasoning Skills:
- Effective communicators maintain focus on a topic.
- Effective communicators are able to ask and answer clarifying questions.
Minimum Skills Competencies:
- Evidence Outcomes marked with an asterisk (*) are the minimum competencies identified in the READ Act.
Reading, Writing and Communicating - 2019
Third Grade, Standard 1. Oral Expression and Listening
keyboard_arrow_down keyboard_arrow_up
Prepared Graduates:
- 1. Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully; pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others; and contribute ideas to further the group’s attainment of an objective.
Grade Level Expectation:
1. Participate cooperatively in group activities.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. (CCSS: SL 3.1)
- Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. (CCSS: SL.3.1a)
- Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (for example: gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). (CCSS: SL.3.1b)
- Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others. (CCSS: SL.3.1c)
- Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. (CCSS: SL.3.1d)
- Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. (CCSS: SL 3.2)
- Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail. (CCSS: SL 3.3)
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills:
- Discern differences of effective and ineffective processes, communication and tasks. (Personal Skills, Personal Responsibility)
- Consider purpose, formality of context and audience, and distinct cultural norms when planning content, mode, delivery, and expression. (Civic/Interpersonal Skills, Communication (using information and communications technologies))
- State a position and reflect on possible objections to, assumptions and implications of the position. (Civic/Interpersonal Skills, Character)
Essential Questions:
- What are the different kinds of roles people have when working in a group?
- What characteristics do effective group members have?
- How do we have a collaborative conversation?
Essential Reasoning Skills:
- Thoughtful speakers and listeners share, expand, and reflect on each other's ideas.
keyboard_arrow_down keyboard_arrow_up
Prepared Graduates:
- 2. Deliver effective oral presentations for varied audiences and varied purposes.
Grade Level Expectation:
2. Communicate using appropriate language in informal and formal situations.
Evidence Outcomes:
Students Can:
- Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. (CCSS: SL.3.4)
- Distinguish different levels of formality.
- Speak clearly, using appropriate volume and pitch for the purpose and audience.
- Select and organize ideas sequentially or around major points of information that relate to the formality of the audience.
- Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details. (CCSS: SL.3.5)
- Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (CCSS: SL.3.6)
Academic Contexts and Connections:
Colorado Essential Skills:
- Discern differences of effective and ineffective processes, communication and tasks. (Personal Skills, Personal Responsibility)
- Consider purpose, formality of context and audience, and distinct cultural norms when planning content, mode, delivery, and expression. (Civic/Interpersonal Skills, Communication (using information and communications technologies))
- State a position and reflect on possible objections to, assumptions and implications of the position. (Civic/Interpersonal Skills, Character)
Essential Questions:
- Why is it important to speak clearly with appropriate volume and pitch?
- What information is important to consider when giving a presentation?
Essential Reasoning Skills:
- Effective communicators can present to diverse audiences.
Need Help? Submit questions or requests for assistance to bruno_j@cde.state.co.us