State Standards in Language Arts

• Students will read fluently, with understanding and appreciation.
• Students will speak purposefully and articulately.
• Students will listen and view attentively and critically.
• Students will understand, appreciate, interpret, and critically analyze classical and contemporary American and British literature as well as literary works translated into English.
• Students will use reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing to:

• gather and organize information;
• communicate effectively; and
• succeed in educational, occupational, civic, social, and everyday settings.

Reading

Students will be able to:

• Determine the pronunciation and meaning of words by using phonics (matching letters and combinations of letters with sounds), semantics (language sense and meaning), syntactics (sentence structure), graphics, pictures, and context as well as knowledge of roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
• Understand and use the format and conventions of written language to help them read texts (for example, left to right, top to bottom, typeface).
• Identify a specific purpose for their reading such as learning, locating information, or enjoyment.
• Form an initial understanding of stories and other materials they read by identifying major elements presented in the text including characters, setting, conflict and resolution, plot, theme, main idea, and supporting details.
• Reread to confirm their initial understanding of a text and to extend their initial impressions, developing a more complete understanding and interpretation of the text.
• Identify and understand the use of simple figurative language including similes, metaphors, and idioms.
• Recognize that their knowledge and experiences affect their understanding of materials they read.
• Make and confirm simple predictions to increase their level of understanding.
• Seek help to clarify and understand information gathered through reading.
• Employ techniques, such as previewing a text and skimming, to aid in the selection of books and articles to read.

In addition to the above, students will be able to:

• Independently set a purpose for their reading.
• Generate questions before, during, and after reading to enhance understanding and recall.
• Read fluently materials presented in a variety of print styles including manuscript (hand-printed letters), cursive (hand-written letters), and different fonts (typefaces).
• Provide accurate summaries of materials they read.
• Recognize that individual words and phrases may have multiple meanings.
• Understand that the standard meaning of words may be changed by the use of non-standard English, dialect, idioms, specialized vocabulary, homophones (words that are pronounced the same but differ in meaning, origin, and usually spelling), and homographs (words that have the same spelling but differ in meaning, origin, and sometimes pronunciation).
• Identify and use text structure and organization to enhance comprehension.
• Use illustrations, maps, charts, footnotes, diagrams, subheadings, and tables to determine the organization of texts and better understand the materials they read.
• Identify and understand the use of a variety of types of figurative language including analogies, personification, hyperbole, and alliteration.
• Determine literal meanings and develop informed, reasoned inferences, judgments, and interpretations from texts by identifying and considering main ideas, supporting details, main and supporting characters, mood, tone, internal and external conflicts, foreshadowing of events, turning point, suspense, subplots, and climax.
• Recognize and use direct meaning (denotation), implied meaning (connotation), and inferential meaning (reasoning from facts presented) to extend their level of understanding of materials they read.
• Make and confirm complex predictions to increase their level of understanding.

Students will be able to:

• Understand the characteristic sounds and rhythms of the English language including letter-sound relationships, rhythm, rhyme, word order, patterns, and alliteration.
• Speak clearly and expressively, using appropriate articulation, pronunciation, volume, rate, and intonation.
• Use non-verbal cues, including body language, tone, volume, gestures, and eye contact, to emphasize meaning.
• Listen effectively to spoken and audio-visual messages including stories, factual presentations, and directions.
• Recognize and interpret non-verbal cues.
• Listen and respond thoughtfully and respectfully to others.

In addition to the above, students will be able to:

• Use and understand spoken language appropriate to the topic, purpose, and/or audience.
• Contribute to verbal discussions and interactions, using evidence to present, support, and defend their ideas and points of view.
• Maintain discussion and conversation by entering in, taking turns, responding to others' remarks, summarizing, and closing.
• Understand and evaluate spoken and audio-visual messages by listening, following the sequence of ideas, and making informed, reasoned inferences, judgments, and interpretations.

Students will be able to:

• Recognize and understand story elements including character, setting, conflict, plot, and theme.
• Relate the literary texts they read, hear, or view to their prior knowledge and experiences.
• Identify author's purpose or intent in written, spoken, and audio-visual texts.
• Appreciate and respond to written, spoken, and audio-visual texts.
• Understand the characteristics of a variety of simple genres including fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, fairy tales, poetry, plays, fables, and folktales.
• Make connections among the texts they read, hear, and view.
• Demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of a variety of literary and narrative works representing classical and contemporary literature such as Caldecott books and worthy examples of writing by local and regional authors.

In addition to the above, students will be able to:

• Understand that a single text, including poetry, novels, essays, spoken and audio-visual presentations, and accounts of events from real life, may elicit a variety of responses and informed, reasoned interpretations.
• Explain that literature can be used to better understand themselves and others, as well as develop an understanding of American culture and the world in which they live.
• Understand the characteristics of a wide variety of genres including short stories, mysteries, poetry, drama, legends, biographies, autobiographies, historical fiction, science fiction, adventure stories, informational articles, and factual presentations.
• Demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of a wide variety of literary works such as Newbery books and worthy examples of writing by American and British authors.

Students will demonstrate competence in using the interactive language processes of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing, to gather and organize information in a variety of subject areas.

Students will be able to:

• Understand the function of organizational features, such as a table of contents, index, and glossary, and use them to locate information.
• Use context clues to determine the meaning of words.
• Demonstrate the ability to read, listen to, view, and understand a variety of materials including literary/narrative (stories and poems), content/informational (factual articles and presentations), and practical works (directions and how-to-do-it books).
• Identify the main idea and supporting details in written, spoken, audio-visual, and graphic materials.
• Understand that creating mental pictures increases comprehension and recall.
• Ask appropriate questions to obtain information and clarify meaning.
• Employ simple organizational structures such as sequence patterns; alphabetical order and guide words; lists, tables, and charts; problem and solution patterns; beginning, middle, and end; and who, what, when, and where.

In addition to the above, students will be able to:

• Compare and use information presented in written, spoken, audio-visual, and graphic forms.
• Distinguish facts from opinions in materials presented in various forms.
• Summarize messages.
• Use graphic features, such as captions, graphs, headings, and drawings, as a means of locating information and checking understanding.
• Use a variety of organizational structures such as cause and effect patterns, summaries, time lines, note taking, outlining, highlighting, paraphrasing, flow charts, and Venn diagrams (graphs that use circles to represent connections and interactions).

Students will be able to:

• Present ideas in an orderly way so that others can understand them.
• Offer and respond to information.
• Use appropriate forms of language to formulate and articulate effective oral and written responses to questions and messages.

In addition to the above, students will be able to:

• Express ideas clearly and concisely.
• Use new vocabulary acquired through reading and listening.
• Identify when formal and informal English is being used.
• Understand that language, both written and spoken, reflects a point of view.
• Understand and employ the conventions of English grammar including subject-verb agreement, pronoun usage, modifiers, sentence structure, and tense.

Students will demonstrate competence in applying the interactive language processes of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing to succeed in educational, occupational, civic, social, and everyday settings.

Students will be able to:

• Use language for a variety of purposes such as sharing information, presenting ideas, persuading, entertaining, and questioning.
• Use oral and written language creatively.
• Use language to interact constructively with classmates and adults.

In addition to the above, students will be able to:

• Communicate and work effectively with others as active participants and responsive listeners.