School Administrative District #4
Unity of purpose
CORE CURRICULUM:
PRIORITIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION, 1998-99
Department: English Language Arts
To implement the newly written curriculum in language arts will take three to five years. During this time teachers at all grade levels must carefully assess what in-coming students know and can do and plan lessons that move those students as far as possible along the learning continuum. Deciding which performance indicators to emphasize at given levels (K-4, 5-8, 9-12) at various stages of implementation (1998-99, 1999-2000, etc.) requires teachers to establish priorities. Although every student is expected to know and do more than what is indicated below, the following priorities should focus discussion as teachers at all grades and levels meet to plan and review lessons during the 1998-99 academic year. For the complete list of performance indicators for a given grade or level, teachers should consult the scope-and-sequence guide.
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Grades K- 4 |
Performance Indicators: The learner will·
á Know the parts of speech and use them with increasing sophistication
á Capitalize the first word in a sentence, the pronoun I, and proper names
á Provide end punctuation
á Speak before groups in multiple and varied ways (at least once per ranking period)
CONTENT STANDARD: WRITING
á Write and read cursive writing
á Write paragraphs with clear topic sentences, supporting sentences, and clincher sentences
á Pre-write and draft with ever-increasing ease
á Apply grade-level MLA rules for manuscript form to written work
á Know what plagiarism is and make every effort to avoid it
CONTENT STANDARD: READING
á Demonstrate an understanding that reading is a gradual process of constructing meaning and revising initial understanding, i.e., understand and use the reading process
á Read age-appropriate texts with fluency and comprehension
á Use appropriate strategies for figuring out unknown words
á Locate information in the library and extract information from a variety of secondary sources
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Grades 5-8 |
Performance Indicators: The learner will·
á Identify the properties and functions of the eight parts of speech
á Capitalize correctly
á Use end marks correctly
á Avoid fragments and run-ons
á Speak before groups in multiple and varied ways (at least once per ranking period)
á Understand the elements of visual appeal and create a variety of visually appealing presentations
CONTENT STANDARD: WRITING
á Draft and revise with ever-increasing ease
á Write MLA-documented reports with proper manuscript form
CONTENT STANDARD: READING
á Read age-appropriate texts with fluency and comprehension
á Use diverse strategies to understand different types of text
á Access information independently, using an appropriate search strategy
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Grades 9-12 |
Performance Indicators: The learner will·
á Punctuate correctly
á Effectively apply his/her knowledge of grammar, usage, and mechanics to writing and speaking situations
CONTENT STANDARD: WRITING
á Edit with ever-increasing ease
á Write effectively in a variety of expository modes
á Write an MLA-style documented research paper of length
CONTENT STANDARD: READING
á Read competently on a variety of levels for diverse purposes
á Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information pulled from a variety of fictional and non-fictional texts
á Read to learn