To be an effective communicator, one must be able to participate in the active interchange of ideas, information or opinions. Reading, writing, speaking and presenting skills are the prerequisite tools. In fact, the contemporary proliferation of electronic information systems has actually increased the importance of language arts instruction.
To function in an increasingly complex world, students need to engage themselves in a wide variety of stimulating and challenging reading activities and to develop strategies which will enhance their understanding of those texts. Those same strategies applied to viewing or listening can enable them to be more discriminating and perceptive viewers and listeners.
Writing, either by conventional methods or by word processing, is an universal expectation. To articulate ideas clearly and accurately, one needs to draw on extensive reading and writing experience and on the learned ability to manipulate the language effectively. However, writing is more than transcribing ideas; it is a recursive activity that prompts the writer to reflect on his/her ideas as he/she writes. For example, research projects provide authentic practice in communication since their effective completion requires the merging of many language arts skills.
As researchers, students must read, evaluate, and comprehend a wide variety of sources, establish a focus or purpose for the project, integrate researched material appropriately with his/her own observations, and determine how to communicate that position to the reader.
Grades K - 4
Students will:
| use strategies such as brainstorming, graphic organizers, prior knowledge and personal experiences to produce and organize text |
| revise oral, written, and visual text to improve details and sequence in response to instruction |
| consider audience and purpose prior to writing, speaking or presenting |
| deliver oral presentations effectively |
| use appropriate writing conventions for communicating ideas |
| edit text for basic mechanics, usage, sentence structure and spelling |
| publish, display and present original text for peers and parents |
| recognize genre |
| apply conventions of narrative text to composing text |
| use imagery, rhythm and rhyme |
| understand and carry out assigned role in the cooperative learning environment |
| reason and reach agreement within specified discussion format by listening to others' ideas |
| recognize commonly-used words borrowed from other languages and be able to use them appropriately |
| understand how ideas are expressed differently in various languages |
| use electronic media for research and select information to support ideas |
| recognize conventions of media messages and understand their purposes |
| create age-appropriate media products to communicate ideas |
Grades 5 - 8
Students will:
| select and use appropriate planning strategies to generate and organize ideas for presentation |
| apply a study process to extract pertinent information and use it to effectively communicate |
| consider, evaluate and respond to peer suggestions in order to improve presentations |
| make appropriate genre choices in constructing meaning |
| edit works for mechanics, usage, sentence structure and spelling |
| publish or present original work or create adaptations |
| understand how conventions vary among genres |
| use the conventions of various genres |
| understand and use conventions of narrative text |
| understand and use the conventions of informational text |
| select and use appropriate planning strategies to generate and organize ideas for presentation |
| use language to effectively communicate with all groups of society |
| begin to analyze character |
| build understanding through appropriate discussion and interview techniques |
| understand how new words enter languages from other languages and how their meanings evolve over time |
| understand the validity of regional language patterns |
| understand the relationship of language to culture |
| understand and use a variety of electronic media for research and communication |
| select appropriate media for effective communication |
Grades 9 - 12
Students will:
| apply effective planning strategies to convey meaning |
| use writing as a tool to build and express understanding |
| recognize need to revise to clarify and improve expression |
| consider audience and purpose in selecting approach and style to the composing of text |
| carefully edit writing for mechanics to avoid ambiguity in expression |
| publish/present original work |
| understand conventions of genre and apply that understanding to personal communication efforts |
| use and apply understanding of increasingly complex practical and informational material |
| recognize the purposefully manipulative influence of certain conventions of informational text |
| understand and use literary devices effectively in constructing or conveying meaning |
| understand the impact of literary technique on textual meaning and apply that understanding |
| recognize and apply the connections between literary themes and both personal experience and societal issues |
| recognize and apply the thematic connections between various texts |
| construct and convey understanding through productive and orderly discussions |
| use understanding of diversity of languages and regional language differences |
| select appropriate electronic resource to convey or construct meaning |
| use appropriate medium to expand and demonstrate understanding |