Accelerated High School

Standardized Curriculum of English Language Arts-III

The curriculum framework is not meant to be an entire curriculum, but rather to provide additional guidance to teachers/coaches as they develop their program of studies appropriate for their students. It assists teachers in their lesson planning by identifying essential understandings, defining essential content knowledge, and describing the intellectual skills students need to apply.

Teachers should note that each grade level builds skills that carry to the following grades. Each grade level within the English Curriculum Framework builds from Kindergarten through grade 12 creating a comprehensive instructional tool that prepares students for success in postsecondary education and the workplace.

Teachers need to review the Curriculum Framework for the scope of learning in each of the strands in previous grades and the grades to follow. The format of the Curriculum Framework facilitates teacher planning by identifying the key concepts, knowledge, and skills that should be the focus of instruction for each standard.

The Curriculum Framework is divided into two columns:

·         Essential Understandings; and

·         Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes.

The purpose of each section is explained below:

Teacher Notes

This section includes background information for the teacher. It contains content that may extend the teachers’ knowledge of the standard beyond the current grade level. This section may also contain best practices, instructional strategies, and suggestions that will help teachers plan lessons focusing on integrating the standard(s). The Teacher Notes are found at the beginning of each strand in the English Curriculum Framework.

Essential Understandings

This section delineates the key concepts and ideas that all students should grasp to demonstrate an understanding of the Standards of Learning. These essential understandings are presented to facilitate teacher planning.

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes

Standards are expanded in the Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes column. What each student should know and be able to do in each standard is outlined. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list nor is a list that limits what taught in the classroom. It is meant to identify the key knowledge, skills, and processes that define the standard. The Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Processes is not a one-to-one match of the Standards. If the standard is self-explanatory, there will be no additional explanation in this column. For example, the nonfiction reading strand requires students to identify the main idea; there is not a corresponding entry in the EKSP column explaining how to identify a main idea.

The Curriculum Framework serves as a guide for Standards of Learning assessment development. Assessment items may not and should not be a verbatim reflection of the information presented in the Curriculum Framework. Students are expected to continue to apply knowledge, skills, and processes from Standards of Learning presented in previous grades as they build expertise in English.

Strand 1: Communication and Multimodal Literacies

1.1 The student will develop oral communication skills.

a) Listen actively and speak using agreed-upon rules for discussion.

b) Initiate conversation with peers and adults.

c) Adapt or change the oral language to fit the situation.

d) Use appropriate voice level, phrasing, and intonation.

e) Participate in collaborative and partner discussions about various texts and topics.

f) Follow rules for conversation using the appropriate voice level in small-group settings.

g) Ask and respond to questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information.

h) Restate and follow simple two-step oral directions.

i) Give simple two-step oral directions.

j) Express ideas orally in complete sentences.

k) Work respectfully with others.

l) Increase listening and speaking vocabularies.

Teacher Notes:

·     Teachers should provide daily opportunities for student communication and participation in oral language activities in a variety of settings

•    Multimodal is the strategic use of two or more interdependent modes of communication where both modes are essential to convey the intended message. For example: graphics, written language, moving images, music, audio, presentation technologies, movement, etc.

 

 

 

1.2 The student will demonstrate growth in oral early literacy skills.

Teacher Notes:

a) Listen and respond to a variety of print and media materials.

b) Tell and retell stories and events in sequential order.

c) Participate in a variety of oral language activities, including speaking and recitation.

d) Participate in creative activities including physical, motor skills, and intellectual abilities.

Strand 2: Reading

The student will be immersed in a text-rich environment to develop phonological awareness, phonetic skills, vocabulary, and comprehension and to use reading materials as sources of information and enjoyment. Having developed a concept of word and letter-sound correspondence, students will now concentrate on learning and integrating basic phonetic principles, decoding words in isolation and context, using meaning clues, and employing language and sentence structure to read and substantially increase their sight-word vocabulary.

The student will use a variety of strategies to read new words and will read familiar selections with fluency, accuracy, and expression. The student will continue to develop an understanding of fiction and nonfiction texts and respond to readings through group discussions and writing. The student will increase vocabulary and comprehension strategies through cross-content reading. Teachers will encourage the development of reading skills that are foundational to effective comprehension and critical thinking. These skills are essential for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

1.3 The student will orally identify, produce, and manipulate various phonemes within words to develop phonological and phonemic awareness.

a) Create rhyming words.

b) Count phonemes (sounds) in one-syllable words.

c) Blend sounds to make one-syllable words.

d) Segment one-syllable words into individual phonemes.

e) Add or delete phonemes to make new words.

f) Blend and segment multisyllabic words at the syllable level.

Teacher Notes:

o   These concepts and skills should be taught through systematic explicit direct instruction, individual and small-group activities, and time spent reading books and other print material.

o   Teachers should provide opportunities for independent reading with options for student choice.

o   Teachers need to read texts aloud to model language and expose students to new words, expand working vocabularies, and improve comprehension.

o   Teachers should provide opportunities for students to apply strategies as they read and reread a variety of texts.

o   Teachers should teach the theme with fiction texts and the main idea with nonfiction texts. Please note these terms are not interchangeable.

o  Please note although the strands are developed separately, teachers should seamlessly integrate all strands.

·         Thematic units are one approach.

·         Teachers should have students write about what they have read.

1.4 The student will apply knowledge of how print is organized and read.

a) Read from left to right and from top to bottom.

B) Match spoken words with print.

C) Identify letters, words, sentences, and ending punctuation.

 

 

 

1.5 The student will apply phonetic principles to read and spell.

a)    Use initial and final consonants to decode and spell one-syllable words.

b)   Use two-letter consonant blends to decode and spell one-syllable words.

c)    Use consonant digraphs to decode and spell one-syllable words.

d)   Use short vowel sounds to decode and spell one-syllable words.

e)   Blend initial, medial, and final sounds to recognize and read words.

f)    Use word patterns to decode unfamiliar words.

g)    Read and spell simple two-syllable compound words.

h)   Read and spell commonly used sight words.

 

 

1.6 The student will use semantic clues and syntax for support when reading.

a)    Use words, phrases, and sentences.

b)   Use titles and pictures.

c)    Use information in the story to read words.

d)   Use knowledge of sentence structure.

e)   Reread and self-correct.

 

 

 

1.7 The student will expand vocabulary and use of word meanings.

a)    Discuss meanings of words in context.

b)   Develop vocabulary by listening to and reading a variety of texts.

c)    Ask for the meaning of unknown words and make connections to familiar words.

d)   Use text clues such as words or pictures to discern meanings of unknown words.

e)   Use vocabulary from other content areas.

f)    Use singular and plural nouns.

g)    Use adjectives to describe nouns.

h)   Use verbs to identify actions.

 

 

1.8 The student will use simple reference materials.

a)    Use knowledge of alphabetical order by first letter.

b)   Use a picture dictionary to find the meanings of unfamiliar words.

 

 

1.9 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts.

a)    Preview the selection.

b)   Set a purpose for reading.

c)    Related previous experiences to what is read.

d)   Make and confirm predictions.

e)   Ask and answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about what is read.

f)    Identify characters, setting, and important events.

g)    Retell stories and events, using beginning, middle, and end in a sequential order.

h)   Identify the theme.

i)     Read and reread familiar stories and poems with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expression.

 

 

 

1.10 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of nonfiction texts.

a)    Preview the selection.

b)   Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.

c)    Set a purpose for reading.

d)   Identify text features such as pictures, headings, charts, and captions.

e)   Make and confirm predictions.

f)    Ask and answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions about what is read.

g)    Identify the main idea.

h)   Read and reread familiar texts with fluency, accuracy, and meaningful expression.

 

Strand 3: Writing

At the first-grade level, reading and writing will develop together. Students will be given daily opportunities to write and read their writing. The student will write in a variety of forms to communicate ideas. As their knowledge of letter-sound correspondence and their sight-word vocabulary increases, they will be able to use these skills to put their ideas and thoughts on paper. With teacher guidance and support, they will also begin to revise and edit selected pieces of their writing for a specific audience. Teachers will encourage the development of writing skills that are foundational to effective written communication and critical thinking. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and the workplace.

Teacher Notes:

• Teachers should model the writing process for students.

• Teachers should refer to examples of writing in mentor texts.

• The focus of writing in first grade is narrative, descriptive, and opinion.

• Teachers should provide opportunities for students to express opinions with a reason both orally and in writing.

1.11 The student will print legibly in the manuscript.

a)    Form letters accurately.

b)   Space words within sentences

 

 

 

1.12 The student will write in a variety of forms including narrative, descriptive, and opinion.

a)    Identify the audience and purpose.

b)   Use prewriting activities to generate ideas.

c)    Focus on one topic.

d)   Organize writing to suit purpose.

e)   Revise by adding descriptive words when writing about people, places, things, and events.

f)    Write to express an opinion and give a reason.

g)    Use letters to phonetically spell words.

h)   Share writing with others.

 

 

1.13 The student will edit writing for capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

a)    Use complete sentences.

b)   Begin each sentence with a capital letter and use ending punctuation.

c)    Use correct spelling for commonly used sight words and phonetically regular words.

 

 

Strand 4: Research

The student will continue to research to answer questions and solve problems by using available resources. Teachers will encourage the development of research skills that are foundational to effective critical thinking and responsible use of information. These skills are necessary for success in future postsecondary education and workplace environments.

Teacher Notes:

·         Teachers should have students collaborate in whole or small groups to generate topics, ask questions, and find and record information.

·         NOTE: Please note that first-grade students are not expected to complete research projects.

1.14 The student will conduct research to answer questions or solve problems using available resources.

a)    Generate topics of interest.

b)   Generate questions to gather information.

c)    Identify pictures, texts, or people as sources of information.

d)   Find information from provided sources.

e)   Record information.