Kindergarten Family Guide to Iowa Academic Standards

This guide helps families understand the Iowa Academic Standards and shows what students will learn by the end of kindergarten. Published by the Iowa Department of Education, December 2025.

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English/Language Arts

Students in kindergarten explore language through listening, speaking, shared reading and shared writing. By the end of kindergarten, students know the letters and sounds for the alphabet and can write some letters independently. Students learn to speak on a specific topic and listen to their peers.

What Will My Student Learn?

In connection to the standards:

• Students will participate in many experiences with books, both fiction and nonfiction.
• Students will participate in writing experiences by drawing pictures and writing some words.
• Students will spell the words according to their sounds.
• Students will discuss the characters and settings of books. They will use details from books when they answer questions.
• Students will expand their listening and speaking vocabularies by listening to texts read aloud, participating in conversations, and learning to collaborate effectively with others.

In the classroom:

• Your student will learn the parts of a book and how it has pictures and sentences.
• Your student will practice rhyming, matching words with similar sounds, and blending sounds into words.
• Your student will name upper and lower case letters, connecting them to their sounds, and writing them.
• Your student will be immersed in books and stories.
• Your student will be encouraged to ask questions and use books and experiences to find the answers.

How Can I Help at Home?

• Use letters at home to practice naming and saying the sounds of the letters.
• Engage your student in listening to stories as you read to them.
• Provide opportunities for your student to write using different types of writing tools.
• Support your student by expanding their ideas when speaking by asking questions.
• Visit the library with your student every week. Have your student sign up for a library card.

Questions for My Student

• What letter makes that sound?
• What characters were in the book we read?
• Where were the characters in the story?
• Can you tell me what happened during the story?
• Did you like this story? Why or why not?

Questions for the Teacher

• May I see some of my student's work?
• Is this piece of work satisfactory? How could it be better?
• Is my student on track?
• How can I help my student?
• Are there resources to help my student's learning outside the classroom?

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Mathematics

Kindergarten is a time when students begin to explore foundational math concepts, such as counting, shapes and patterns. These early experiences help spark curiosity and build confidence as they develop important problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Your encouragement and involvement at home will play a key role in helping your student enjoy learning and succeed in mathematics.

What Will My Student Learn?

In connection to the standards:

• Counting and Cardinality: Counting to 100 by ones and tens; understanding the relationship between numbers and quantities.
• Numbers and Operations: Recognizing, writing and comparing numbers 0–20.
• Addition and Subtraction: Understanding the basics of adding and subtracting using objects, drawings, or numbers.
• Measurement and Data: Comparing objects by size, length and weight; describing simple data using graphs or charts.
• Geometry: Identifying and describing shapes (e.g., circles, squares, triangles); understanding positional words like "above," "below," or "next to."

In the classroom:

• Counting objects and practicing number recognition.
• Learning to sort and categorize objects based on size, color, or shape.
• Exploring addition and subtraction through hands-on activities, like counting blocks or fingers.
• Identifying and describing 2D and 3D shapes in their environment.
• Comparing objects and understanding simple measurements (e.g., longer/shorter, heavier/lighter).

How Can I Help at Home?

• Practice counting with your student during daily activities, like counting steps, toys, or groceries.
• Use games and puzzles to teach numbers, shapes and patterns in a fun way.
• Explore mathematics through play, like building with blocks or measuring ingredients in recipes.
• Encourage your student to talk about what they notice, like "This toy is heavier than that one!"
• Read books with counting or math themes to reinforce key concepts.

Questions for My Student

• Can you show me how to count to 20 (or 100)?
• What shapes do you see in the room?
• How are these two objects the same or different?
• Can you show me how to add or subtract using your toys or fingers?
• What math game or activity did you do in school today?

Questions for the Teacher

• What are the main mathematics skills my student is working on this month?
• How can I help them practice counting and number recognition at home?
• Are there specific games or activities you recommend for learning shapes or patterns?
• How can I support their understanding of addition and subtraction?
• What should I focus on to help them build confidence in mathematics?

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Science

The Iowa Academic Standards for Science empower teachers to provide all students in kindergarten with engaging science instruction that emphasizes data analysis and interpretation, critical thinking, problem solving and interdisciplinary connections — all while maintaining high expectations for academic achievement.

The science standards work in harmony with English/Language Arts and mathematics standards, allowing classroom instruction to better reflect real-world problem-solving, which often draws on multiple disciplines.

What Will My Student Learn?

• Motion of objects
• Sunlight, temperature and weather
• Relationships between animals and plants

How Can I Help at Home?

• Encourage your student to begin to make sense of the world around them by asking questions and making observations. Ask them what they notice and what they wonder about the world around them.
• Extend classroom experiences at home by encouraging your student to explore, using their own language to describe lived experiences.
• Use the information in this guide to ask your student's teacher meaningful, informed questions.

Questions for My Student

• What can I do to make things move? What can I do to change how they move? How could I build something that moves?
• Where do animals live and why do they live there? How do plants and animals survive if we aren't there to grow and feed them?
• How does the weather change what we do? What patterns can we find in the kinds of weather we have?

Questions for the Teacher

• What kinds of phenomena is my student going to be making sense of this year?
• How is my student going to be engaging with the practices of science?