Kindergarten through Fifth Grade
Reading, writing, listening, speaking, spelling and handwriting are all important components of language arts. Skills and strategies in each area are modeled, taught and practiced, taking into account the unique needs of each learner. Knowledge and skills are acquired through connected experiences between home, school and community. Students read from a variety of texts, including fiction (short stories and whole books), poetry and nonfiction (textbooks, newspapers and magazines). Students read (or are read to) and write daily.
Resources
Invitations to Literacy, Houghton Mifflin
Literacy 2000, Rigby
Handwriting - K-5, Zaner-Bloser
Topics
Reading
* Predicting before, during and after reading
* Summarizing information
* Relevant facts and details
* Main characters - plot and setting
* Similarities and differences in letters and words
* Letter/sound relationships (phonemic awareness)
* Rhyming words
Writing
* Using writing skills to plan, compare and write
* Print concepts, including upper and lower case letters, proper spacing, and writing left to right and top to bottom of the page
Speaking
* Complete sentences
* Responding to questions
* Relevant contributions to discussions
Spelling
* Spelling frequently used words correctly
Handwriting
* Legible printing of letters and numbers
First through Fifth Grade
Resources
Invitations to Literacy, Houghton Mifflin
Literacy 2000, Rigby
Handwriting - K-5, Zaner-Bloser
Spell-It Write!, Zaner-Bloser
Topics (first grade)
Reading
* Predicting before, during and after reading
* Compare/contrast
* Character, plot, setting (fiction)
* Beginning, middle and end of a story
* Topic, main idea and details (nonfiction)
* Letter-sound relationships (phonemic awareness)
* Picture cues
* Reading with fluency by using expression, phrasing and punctuation
* Use graphophonic (sounds), syntactic (language) and semantic (meaning) strategies to understand text
Writing
* Planning, composing, writing and editing
Speaking
* Discussing information from first-hand experiences
* Correct grammar
* Relevant contributions to discussions
Spelling
* Finding the correct spelling of an unknown word
* Patterns of spelling
* Spelling frequently used words correctly
Handwriting
* Legible printing of numbers and letters using uniform shape, size, placement and spacing
* Applying technology to writing activities
Topics (second grade)
Reading
* Main ideas and supporting details
* Main events or ideas in sequence
* New word pronunciation
* Reading aloud fluently with appropriate expression
* Appropriate techniques for learning new vocabulary
* Character traits, plot and setting
* Distinguishing between fact and opinion
* Using graphophonic (sounds), syntactic (language) and semantic (meaning) strategies to understand text
Writing
* Planning, composing and editing pieces of writing
* Editing to correct grammar, sentence construction, capitalization, punctuation and spelling
* Writing personal narratives, reports, instructions and a friendly letter
Speaking and Listening
* Correct grammar in speaking
* Oral presentation
* Identifying purpose and summarizing ideas of an oral presentation
Spelling
* Finding the correct spelling of an unknown word
* Spelling patterns
* Spelling frequently used words correctly in everyday writing
Handwriting
* Legible printing of numbers and letters
* Applying technology to writing activities
Topics (third grade)
Reading
* Fiction and nonfiction materials
* Using context clues to determine meaning of unknown words
* Understanding ideas not explicitly stated
* Making predictions and drawing conclusions based on information in the selection
* Distinguishing between fact and opinion
* Determining the author's purpose
* Identifying figurative language
* Using graphophonic (sounds), syntactic (language) and semantic (meaning) strategies to understand text
Writing
* Planning, composing and revising pieces of writing
* Editing written work for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling and sentence structure
* Writing narratives, persuasive and expository essays
* Writing letters and reports
Speaking and Listening
* Summarizing ideas and identifying tone
* Teaching someone how to perform an action or create a product
* Giving an informal presentation
* Listening to understand a presentation
Spelling
* Finding the correct spelling of an unknown word
* Recognizing misspelled words
* Patterns within words
* Spelling frequently used words correctly in everyday writing
Handwriting
* Using cursive writing to form upper and lower case letters
* Applying technology to appropriate writing activities
Topics (fourth grade)
Reading
* Fiction and nonfiction materials
* Main ideas and supporting details
* Main events or ideas in sequence
* Author's purpose
* Point of view
* Distinguishing between fact and opinion
* Making inferences
* Drawing conclusions
* Improving and expanding vocabulary
* Using graphophonic (sounds), syntactic (language) and semantic (meaning) strategies to understand text
Writing
* Planning, composing and revising pieces of writing
* Editing for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling and sentence structure
* Narratives, persuasive, descriptive and expository essays
* Business letter
* Poetry
Speaking and Listening
* Listening and discussing informational, firsthand experiences
* Preparing and giving a demonstration to an audience
* The use of persuasive language
* Predicting, comparing and analyzing what has been heard
Spelling
* Finding the correct spelling of an unknown word
* Patterns within words
* Spelling frequently used words correctly in everyday writing
Handwriting
* Cursive writing
* Applying technology to writing activities
Topics (fifth grade)
Reading
* Fiction and nonfiction materials
* Improving and expanding vocabulary
* Distinguishing between fact and opinion
* Understanding ideas not explicitly stated
* Interpreting figurative language
* Using graphophonic (sounds), syntactic (language) and semantic (meaning) strategies to understand text
Writing
* Planning, composing and revising pieces of writing
* Editing for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling and sentence structure
* Narrative, persuasive, descriptive and expository essays
* A business letter to request an action
Speaking and Listening
* Summarizing ideas and information from visual presentations
* Planning and carrying out an event in a small group
* Listening to and discussing firsthand experiences
* Predicting, comparing and analyzing what has been heard
Spelling
* Finding the correct spelling of an unknown word
* Patterns within words
* Spelling frequently used words correctly in everyday writing
Handwriting
* Cursive writing
* Applying technology to writing activities