Standard 3: Language Arts Literacy

 

STANDARD 3.1 (READING) ALL STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND AND APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE OF SOUNDS, LETTERS, AND WORDS IN WRITTEN ENGLISH TO BECOME INDEPENDENT AND FLUENT READERS, AND WILL READ A VARIETY OF MATERIALS AND TEXTS WITH FLUENCY AND COMPREHENSION.

 

 

Descriptive Statement: A primary reading goal is for students of all grades to read independently with fluency and comprehension so that they become lifelong readers and learners. In order to achieve this goal, students benefit from "daily opportunities to read books they choose for themselves, for their own purposes, and their own pleasures" (Calkins, 2001). Students should read grade-level appropriate or more challenging classic and contemporary literature and informational readings, both self-selected and assigned. In order to grow as readers and deepen their understanding of texts, students need many opportunities to think about, talk about, and write about the texts they are reading. A diversity of reading material (including fiction and nonfiction) provides students with opportunities to grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially as they consider universal themes, diverse cultures and perspectives, and the common aspects of human existence.

 

In early reading instruction (preK-2), children need rich experiences with oral language and learning about sounds, letters and words, and their relationships. Phonemic awareness, knowledge of the relationships between sounds and letters, and an understanding of the features of written English texts are essential to beginning reading. Direct systematic phonics instruction enables many students to develop their knowledge of phonics, and provides a bridge to apply this knowledge in becoming independent and fluent readers. Systematic phonics instruction typically involves explicitly teaching students a pre-specified set of letter-sound relations and having students read text that provides practice using these relations to decode words (National Reading Panel, 2000). Additionally, direct instruction and time to practice these skills should be provided in comprehension, strategy, reading fluency, and vocabulary development at all grade levels. It is important to help students become fluent readers in the early years, and then help them expand their literacy abilities as they progress through the middle and high school grades.

 

The reading process requires readers to respond to texts, both personally and critically, and relate prior knowledge and personal experiences to written texts. Students apply literal, inferential, and critical comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading to examine, construct, and extend meaning. In becoming fluent readers, students must draw on the word meaning and sentence structure of text and sound/symbol relationships, and use these cueing systems interchangeably in order to comprehend and gain meaning. Students need to recognize that what they hear, speak, write, and view contributes to the content and quality of their reading experiences.

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 1, students will:

 

A.  Concepts About Print

1.         Match oral words to printed words (e.g., pointing to print as one reads).

2.         Practice reading print in the environment at school and at home with assistance.

3.         Locate and identify the title, author, and illustrator of a book or reading selection.

4.         Interpret simple graphs, charts, and diagrams.

 

B.   Phonological Awareness (includes phonemic awareness)

1.         Demonstrate understanding of all sound- symbol relationships.

2.         Blend or segment the phonemes of most one-syllable words.

3.         Listen and identify the number of syllables in a word.

4.         Merge spoken segments into a word.

5.         Add, delete, or change sounds to change words (e.g., cow to how, cat to can).

 

C.     Decoding and Word Recognition

1.         Identify all consonant sounds in spoken words (including blends such as bl, br; and digraphs such as th, wh).

2.         Recognize and use rhyming words to reinforce decoding skills.

3.         Decode regular one-syllable words and nonsense words (e.g., sit, zot).

4.         Use sound-letter correspondence knowledge to sound out unknown words when reading text.

5.         Recognize high frequency words in and out of context.

6.         Decode unknown words using basic phonetic analysis.

7.         Decode unknown words using context clues.

 

D.    Fluency

1.      Answer questions correctly that are posed about stories read.

2.      Begin to read simple text with fluency.

3.      Read with fluency both fiction and nonfiction that is grade-level appropriate.

 

E.   Reading Strategies (before, during, and after reading)

1.         Use prior knowledge to make sense of text.

2.         Establish a purpose for reading and adjust reading rate.

3.         Use pictures as cues to check for meaning.

4.         Check to see if what is being read makes sense.

5.         Monitor their reading by using fix-up strategies (e.g., searching for clues).

6.         Use graphic organizers to build on experiences and extend learning.

7.         Begin to apply study skills strategies (e.g., survey, question, read, recite, and review—SQ3R) to assist with retention and new learning.

 

F.      Vocabulary and Concept Development

1.         Develop a vocabulary of 300-500 high-frequency sight words and phonetically regular words.

2.         Use and explain common antonyms and synonyms.

3.         Comprehend common and/or specific vocabulary in informational texts and literature.

 

G.    Comprehension Skills and Response to Text

1.         Draw simple conclusions from information gathered from pictures, print, and people.

2.         Demonstrate familiarity with genres of text, including storybooks, expository texts, poetry, and newspapers.

3.         Sequence information learned from text into a logical order to retell facts.

4.         Identify, describe, compare, and contrast the elements of plot, setting, and characters.

5.         Make simple inferences.

6.         Read regularly in independent-level materials.

7.         Engage in silent independent reading for specific purposes.

 

H.    Inquiry and Research

1.         Ask and explore questions related to a topic of interest.

2.         Draw conclusions from information and data gathered.

3.         Be exposed to and read a variety of fiction and nonfiction, and produce evidence of reading.

 

STANDARD 3.2 (WRITING) ALL STUDENTS WILL WRITE IN CLEAR, CONCISE, ORGANIZED LANGUAGE THAT VARIES IN CONTENT AND FORM FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES AND PURPOSES.

 

Descriptive Statement: Writing is a complex process that begins with the recording of one’s thoughts. It is used for composition, communication, expression, learning, and engaging the reader. Proficient writers use a repertoire of strategies that enables them to vary form, style, and conventions in order to write for different purposes, audiences, and contexts. Students should have multiple opportunities to craft and practice writing, to generate ideas, and to refine, evaluate, and publish their writing. In a successful writing program, students develop and demonstrate fluency in all phases of the writing process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing of multiple drafts, and postwriting processes that include publishing, presenting, evaluating, and/or performing.

 

Students should be helped to understand the recursive nature and shifting perspectives of the writing process, in moving from the role of writer to the role of reader and back again. It is important for students to understand that writers write, then plan and revise, and then write again. They will learn to appreciate writing not only as a product, but also as a process and mode of thinking and communicating. "By the mysterious alchemy of the written word, we range over time and space, expanding our experiences, enriching our souls, and ultimately becoming more fully, more consciously human" (Keene, 1999). Students should recognize that what they hear, speak, read, and view contributes to the content and quality of their writing.

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 1, students will:

 

A.     Writing as a Process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, postwriting)

1.         Begin to generate ideas for writing through talking, sharing, and drawing.

2.         Observe the modeling of writing.

3.         Begin to use a basic writing process to develop writing.

4.         Use simple sentences to convey ideas.

5.         Increase fluency (ability to write ideas easily) to improve writing.

6.         Continue to use pictures, developmental spelling or conventional text to create writing drafts.

7.         Revisit pictures and writings to add detail.

8.         Begin to mimic an author’s voice and patterns.

9.         Begin to use a simple checklist to improve writing with teacher support.

10.     Begin to use simple computer writing applications during some parts of the writing process.

 

B.     Writing as a Product (resulting in a product or publication)

1.      Produce finished writings to share with class and/or for publication.

2.      Produce stories from personal experiences.

3.      Show and talk about own writing for classroom audience.

4.      Collect favorite works to place in personal writing folder.

 

C.     Mechanics, Spelling, and Handwriting

1.         Write all upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet from memory.

2.         Begin to use basic punctuation and capitalization.  

3.         Apply sound/symbol relationships to writing words.

4.         Use developmental spelling or phonics-based knowledge to spell independently, when necessary.

5.         Develop awareness of conventional spelling.

6.         Use left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality and use appropriate spacing between words.

 

D.    Writing Forms, Audiences, and Purposes (exploring a variety of writing)

1.      Create written texts for others to read.  

2.      Produce a variety of writings, including stories, descriptions, and journal entries, showing relationships between illustrations and printed text.

 

 

STANDARD 3.3 (SPEAKING) ALL STUDENTS WILL SPEAK IN CLEAR, CONCISE, ORGANIZED LANGUAGE THAT VARIES IN CONTENT AND FORM FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES AND PURPOSES.

 

Descriptive Statement: Oral language is a powerful tool for communicating, thinking, and learning. Through speaking and listening, students acquire the building blocks necessary to connect with others, develop vocabulary, and perceive the structure of the English language. An important goal in the language arts classroom is for students to speak confidently and fluently in a variety of situations.

 

Speaking is the process of expressing, transmitting, and exchanging information, ideas, and emotions. When students listen and talk to others about their ideas, they are able to clarify their thinking. Whether in informal interactions with others or in more formal settings, communicators are required to organize and deliver information clearly and adapt to their listeners. Students should have multiple opportunities to use speaking for a variety of purposes, including questioning, sharing information, telling a humorous story, or helping others to achieve goals. Students should recognize that what they hear, write, read, and view contributes to the content and quality of their oral language.

 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 1, students will:

 

A.  Discussion

1.      Speak in complete sentences.

2.      Offer personal opinions in discussion and retell personal experiences.

3.      Role-play situations and dramatize story events.

 

B.     Questioning (Inquiry) and Contributing

1.      Respond to ideas and questions posed by others.

2.      Ask and answer various types of questions.

 

C.     Word Choice

1.      Attempt to use new vocabulary learned from shared literature and classroom experiences.

2.      Use descriptive words to clarify and extend ideas.

 

D.    Oral Presentation

1.  Recite poems, stories, or rhymes orally (e.g., favorite nursery rhymes).

2.  Participate in choral reading to develop phonemic awareness, oral language, and fluency.

3.  Retell a story to check for understanding.

4.  Read aloud from developmentally appropriate texts with attention to expression.

 

STANDARD 3.4 (LISTENING) ALL STUDENTS WILL LISTEN ACTIVELY TO INFORMATION FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES IN A VARIETY OF SITUATIONS.

 

Descriptive Statement: Listening is the process of hearing, receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages. Through active listening, students gain understanding and appreciation of language and communication. Students call on different listening skills depending on their purpose for listening (e.g., listening to letter sounds to gain phonemic awareness, comprehending information, evaluating a message, appreciating a performance). Effective listeners are able to listen actively, restate, interpret, respond to, and evaluate increasingly complex messages. Students need to recognize that what they say, read, write, and view contributes to the content and quality of their listening experiences.

 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 1, students will:

 

A.     Active Listening

1.      Listen and respond appropriately to directions.

2.      Listen to hear initial, final, and eventually middle sounds in words.

3.      Listen to a familiar text being read to begin tracking print.

4.      Listen to a spoken word to produce another word that rhymes with it.

 

B.     Listening Comprehension

1.      Listen to make predictions about stories read aloud.

2.      Follow simple oral directions.

3.      Recall information from listening to stories, poems, television and film.

4.      Retell, reenact, or dramatize stories or parts of stories heard.

5.      Respond appropriately to questions about stories read aloud.

6.      Begin to track print when listening to a familiar text being read or when rereading their own writing.

7.      Ask questions for clarification and explanation of stories and ideas heard.

 

STANDARD 3.5 (VIEWING AND MEDIA LITERACY) ALL STUDENTS WILL ACCESS, VIEW, EVALUATE, AND RESPOND TO PRINT, NONPRINT, AND ELECTRONIC TEXTS AND RESOURCES.

 

Descriptive Statement: Students learn how to view critically and thoughtfully in order to respond to visual messages and images in print, nonverbal interactions, the arts, and electronic media. Effective viewing is essential to comprehend and respond to personal interactions, live performances, visual arts that involve oral and/or written language, and both print media (graphs, charts, diagrams, illustrations, photographs, and graphic design in books, magazines, and newspapers) and electronic media (television, computers, and film). A media-literate person is able to evaluate media for credibility and understands how words, images, and sounds influence the way meanings are conveyed and understood in contemporary society. Students need to recognize that what they speak, hear, write, and read contributes to the content and quality of their viewing.

 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicators

 

Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 1, students will:

 

A.     Constructing Meaning

 1.         Retell the story from a favorite media program (e.g., television, movie).

 2.         Distinguish between "pretend" and "real" in the media.

 3.         Begin to recognize that media messages have different purposes.

 4.         Speculate about visual representations (e.g., pictures, artwork).

 5.         Use simple graphs and charts to report data.

 6.         Begin to recognize the work of a favorite illustrator.

 7.         Begin to compare and contrast media characters.

 

B.     Visual and Verbal Messages

 1.         Begin to interpret messages in simple advertisements.

 2.         Sequence a series of pictures or images to tell a story.