Head of the Class

The National Research Council’s new book, “Starting Out Right,” lists the skills that successful young readers are likely to exhibit. Children should strive to achieve many of the following benchmarks from birth to third grade:

Birth to Age 3

* Listens to stories.

* Pretends to read books.

* Recognizes specific books by cover.

* Names objects in books.

* Looks at pictures in books and realizes they represent real objects.

* Comments on characters in books.

* Occasionally seems to distinguish between drawing and writing.

Age 3-4

* Can identify about 10 letters, especially those from own name.

* Writes or scribbles messages as part of playful activities.

* Shows an interest in books and reading.

* Understands and follows oral directions.

* Is sensitive to some sequences of events in stories.

Kindergarten

* Recognizes and can name all upper-case and lower-case letters.

* Retells, reenacts or dramatizes stories or parts of stories.

* Correctly answers questions about stories read aloud.

* Knows the parts of a book and their functions.

* Understands that sequences of letters in a written word represent the sequences of sounds in a spoken word.

* Can write most letters and some words when they are dictated.

* Writes own first and last name, and the first names of some classmates.

First Grade

* Can connect letters to sounds when reading unknown words.

* Has a vocabulary of 300 to 500 memorized “sight words” and words that are easily sounded out.

* Creates own written text for others to read.

* Reads and understands simple written instructions.

* Predicts and justifies what will happen next in stories.

* Can count the number of syllables in a word.

* Can answer simple written questions based on material that has been read.

Second Grade

* Reads and comprehends fiction and nonfiction that is appropriately designed for grade level.

* Can sound out unknown words.

* Rereads sentences when meaning is not clear.

* Reads voluntarily for interest and own purposes.

* Recalls facts and details of texts.

* Correctly spells previously studied words.

Third Grade

* Reads longer fictional selections and chapter books independently.

* Can point out or clearly identify specific words or wordings that are hard to understand.

* Summarizes major points from fiction and nonfiction texts.

* Asks how, why and what-if questions when interpreting nonfiction texts.

* Combines information from multiple sources in writing reports.

BOOK EVENTS

* Tuesday in Little Tokyo: Preschool stories with origami and a Japanese picture card show (kamishibai). 10:30 a.m. at the Little Tokyo Branch, 244 S. Alameda St. (213) 612-0525.

* Wednesday in Hollywood: Make a book with artist David Orozco. 3:30 p.m. at the John C. Fremont Branch, 6121 Melrose Ave. (323) 962-3521.

* Wednesday in Ventura: Reading of “Happy Birthday, Biscuit!” by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, and birthday crafts. 9:30 a.m. at the Barnes & Noble bookstore, 4360 E. Main St. (805) 339-9170.

* Saturday in City of Industry: Reading of Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are,” with a special appearance by a Wild Thing. 1 p.m. at Borders Bookstore at 1600 S. Azusa Ave. (626) 913-9344.