School Administrative District #4

Unity of purpose

CORE CURRICULUM: SCOPE AND SEQUENCE

Department: English Language Arts

CONTENT STANDARD: LANGUAGE STUDY

Language study is understood to include grammar, usage, and the mechanics of writing; as well as the history and sociology of language itself. All students are expected to use the conventions of standard written and spoken English to write and to speak correctly.

 

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

Kindergarten

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Spell one-syllable words phonetically

3.        Demonstrate an initial understanding of nouns as words that name; and begin to write and recognize his/her own name and the names of a few other people, places, and things

4.        Demonstrate an initial understanding of verbs as words that tell what someone or something is doing

5.        Investigate the languages of other cultures and compare/contrast them to English

6.        Demonstrate an initial understanding of the rules governing pagination and MLA manuscript form for written work.

CONTENT STANDARD: ORAL AND VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS

Oral communication includes skills traditionally referred to as speaking and listening. All students are expected to demonstrate the ability to speak and to listen in order to explore ideas; to present lines of thought; to represent and reflect upon human experience; and to communicate feelings, knowledge, and opinions. Visual communication includes critical viewing skills needed to make sense of the information presented in the media. All students are expected to demonstrate the ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate what they see and hear in the media.

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

Kindergarten-Grade 4

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Listen courteously when others are reading or speaking

3.        Listen to and follow one- and two-step directions

4.        Demonstrate the ability to listen and view

á         Appreciatively

á         Attentively

á         Marginally

5.        Demonstrate an initial understanding of critical listening and viewing

6.        Listen to and record information

7.        Orally identify and manipulate phonemes in syllables and multi-syllabic words

8.        Initiate and maintain appropriate conversations with peers and adults

9.        Use oral language appropriate to the level of formality required

10.    Use increasingly complex sentence structures and vocabulary in oral communication

11.    Use oral language for diverse purposes (e.g., to inform, to persuade, to entertain)

12.    Participate in choral speaking and recite short poems, rhymes, songs, and stories with repeated patterns

13.    Participate in creative dramatics

14.    Contribute to group discussions

15.    Seek the ideas and opinions of others

16.    Begin to use evidence to support opinions

17.    Report orally and summarize personal discoveries he/she has made as a result of reading, listening, and viewing

18.    Summarize/paraphrase central concepts from oral and visual presentations

19.    Ask and seek answers to questions

20.    Demonstrate an initial understanding of verbal communication skills

á         Word choice

á         Voice control

á         Projection

á         Pace

á         Tone

á         Inflection

á         Pronunciation

á         Articulation

21.    Demonstrate an initial understanding of non-verbal communication skills

á         Poise

á         Posture

á         Hand control

á         Facial expression

á         Body language

á         Eye contact

á         Appearance

22.    Use a variety of media and technological resources to make creative and expository oral presentations

CONTENT STANDARD: PROCESS WRITING

Process writing includes those steps through which writers move regardless of audience, purpose, focus, or particular mode of writing. All students are expected to use the skills and strategies of the writing process to explore ideas; to present lines of thought; to represent and reflect on human experience; and to communicate feelings, knowledge, and opinions.

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

Kindergarten

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Draw pictures and/or use letters and phonetically spelled words to communicate ideas and to write about personal experiences (initial drafting stage)

3.        Demonstrate an initial understanding of how to print upper- and lower-case letters

CONTENT STANDARD: CREATIVE WRITING

Creative writing is expressive and imaginative writing. All students are expected to use the techniques of creative writing to explore ideas; to represent and reflect on human experience; and to communicate feelings.

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

Kindergarten

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Dictate and/or write stories that

á         Convey basic ideas

á         Have sequences that make sense 

CONTENT STANDARD: PRACTICAL WRITING

Practical writing is formulaic writing. All students are expected to be able to use writing skills to conduct personal and career-related business .

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

 

Kindergarten

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Print his/her first name from memory

3.        Demonstrate an initial understanding of how to write a group thank-you note

CONTENT STANDARD: EXPOSITORY WRITING

Expository writing includes informative and persuasive writing. All students are expected to use the techniques of exposition to explore ideas; to present lines of thought; to represent and reflect on human experience; to communicate feelings, knowledge, and opinions; and to present information gleaned from research.

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

 

Kindergarten

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Dictate and/or write simple "essays" that

á         Convey basic ideas

á         Have sequences that make sense 

CONTENT STANDARD: DEVELOPMENTAL (PROCESS) READING

Just as there are stages through which all effective writers pass to one degree or another, there are stages through which all effective readers pass. Developmental reading is characterized by the reader tackling the written language in order to differentiate among letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs. The reader learns decoding skills for recognizing and determining the meaning of unfamiliar words and learns to recognize various text structures and the organization of informational books. All students are expected to use the reading process to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate what they have read.

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

Kindergarten

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Seek out and enjoy experiences with books

3.        Demonstrate an understanding of how print is organized and read by

á         Holding print materials in the correct position

á         Identifying upper- and lower-case letters

á         Following words from left to right and top to bottom on a printed page

4.        Demonstrate an understanding that print makes sense by

á         Identifying common signs and symbols in his/her everyday environment

á         Explaining his/her own drawings/writing

5.        Demonstrate an understanding of basic phonetic principles

á         Recognize characteristic sounds and rhythms of language, including the relationship between sounds and letters

á         Identify beginning and ending consonants in monosyllabic words

á         Recognize high-frequency words at grade-level

á         Recognize rhyming words

6.        Demonstrate an understanding that reading is a gradual process of constructing meaning and revising initial understandings through

á         Pre-reading 

CONTENT STANDARD: FUNCTIONAL READING

Functional reading is characterized by the reader tackling diverse texts and purposes for reading. The reader learns to use background knowledge to aid comprehension and to apply some general strategies for remembering information. All students are expected to use reading strategies (1) to experience, understand, and appreciate literature and culture and (2) to extract meaning from, recognize assumptions and implications within, and evaluate ideas presented in informational texts.

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

Kindergarten

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Demonstrate comprehension of stories read to him/her by

á         Using pictures to make predictions about story content

á         Retelling familiar stories using beginning, middle, and end

á         Talking about characters, settings, and events

á         Identifying what an author does and what an illustrator does

3.        Demonstrate an initial understanding of when and how to memorize age-appropriate material

CONTENT STANDARD: RECREATIONAL READING

Recreational reading is characterized by the reader reading for pleasure or for personal purposes, not for purposes prescribed by a course of study or a career. All students are expected to use reading to fulfill personal and social needs.

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

Kindergarten-Grade 12

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Read for pleasure

3.        Read for personal purposes

4.        Listen as literature is read aloud

5.        Read to others, especially to children

6.        Select, abandon, and re-read texts according to personal needs and interests

07/01/98

curr-eng-scope-k.doc