English Language Arts
Language is central to all learning. Through the English language arts learners become flexible, reflective, and critical thinkers who are able to interact with complex ideas about themselves the world, and society. The English language arts encourage creativity and imagination. English language arts (reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and representing) is a discipline or field of study in itself while also acting as a support for learning that transfers through and between the other disciplines.
English language arts enables each student to increase the complexity and sophistication in the ways that they make sense of language, understand language as a system, use language to explore and design, while being aware of the power of language. Through comprehending, communicating, and critical thinking learners develop and deepen competency in using language to meet personal and academic goals.
Our learning this year will fall under the newly organized four practices.
Language as Sense-Making
The questions that guide us-
How do I understand what I hear, read, and view?
How do I communicate to others when I write, represent, and speak?
Effective sense making includes the following elements:
How do I understand what I hear, read, and view?
How do I communicate to others when I write, represent, and speak?
Effective sense making includes the following elements:
- access, use, build, and refine schema
- select from and use a variety of strategies
- become aware of and articulate the ways that one engages with text
Language as Exploration and Design
The questions that guide us-
How do I use texts to inform me about topics, ideas, information?
How do I use language to create new ideas, solve problems, extend my knowledge and communicate those ideas and solutions to others?
Effective use of language as exploration and design includes the following elements:
How do I use texts to inform me about topics, ideas, information?
How do I use language to create new ideas, solve problems, extend my knowledge and communicate those ideas and solutions to others?
Effective use of language as exploration and design includes the following elements:
- research and study topics and ideas
- interpret and integrate information and ideas from multiple texts and sources
- manage information and ideas
- invent, take risks, and reflect to create possibilities
Language as System
The question that guides us-
How do I use what I know about how language works to read, write, view, represent, listen, and speak?
Effective use of language as a system includes the following elements:
How do I use what I know about how language works to read, write, view, represent, listen, and speak?
Effective use of language as a system includes the following elements:
- recognize, apply, and adapt rules and conventions (grammar, spelling, punctuation, legibility, register, genre, form, elements of design)
- identify, analyze, and apply understandings of whole-part-whole relationships (cueing systems, fluency, word study, whole/part/whole)
Language as Power and Agency
The questions that guide us-
How does what I hear, read, and view influence what I think?
How do I use language to influence others when I write, represent, and speak?
How do I decide what and whose stories to tell?
Effective use of language as power and agency includes the following elements:
How does what I hear, read, and view influence what I think?
How do I use language to influence others when I write, represent, and speak?
How do I decide what and whose stories to tell?
Effective use of language as power and agency includes the following elements:
- recognize and analyze inequities, viewpoints, and bias in texts and ideas
- investigate complex moral and ethical issues and conflicts
- contemplate the actions that can be taken, consider alternative viewpoints, and contribute other perspectives