STANDARD COURSE
OF STUDY
STANDARD COURSE
OF STUDYLANGUAGE ARTS
:: 2004 :: GRADES 3-5
GRADES 3-5
| Purpose/ Overview | The English Language Arts curriculum for grades 3-5 is designed
to sustain and expand growth of the foundational skills that students
acquire in the primary grades as well as promote growth of strategies,
skills, and conceptual understandings. The priority of the English
Language Arts curriculum is oral and written language development
and use. A primary focus is using language to obtain and communicate
information, for literary response and expression, for reflection
and self-evaluation, and for problem solving and application. In
this way, students will be able to function effectively in their
world of home, school, and community and realize personal learning
and fulfillment. The expectation in our society today is for one
hundred percent literacy. Literacy requires the ability to think
and reason as a literate person with a focus on thinking critically
and creatively using oral language, written language, and other
media and technology as tools. The goal in grades 3-5 is to move students toward increasing independence in the use of communication skills and strategies. In this grade span, students become independent readers and writers and continue to expand their literacy proficiency. They learn to apply their foundational skills automatically and flexibly to reading and writing fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. If students are not independent readers by the end of third grade, they tend not to become proficient enough in their reading and writing to graduate from high school (Snow, et al., 1998). However, it is a reasonable expectation that with appropriate instruction all students can become independent readers by the end of third grade (Stahl, June, 1999). It is desirable that students enter third grade reading simple chapter books and other texts with comfort and understanding. In third grade, students build their capacity to comprehend more difficult and varied texts and continue to develop proficiency as readers throughout their school careers. Therefore, it is imperative that lower level skills be automatic so that students' attention is focused on the active processing of text. By fourth grade, students read sufficiently well to comprehend, analyze, criticize, abstract, respond, and reflect on text. By using literacy as a tool, students profit from the learning opportunities ahead (Snow, et al., 1998). |
| Competency Goals And Objectives | The English Language Arts competency goals and objectives are
intended to capture the essentials of oral and written communication
at these grade levels. They reflect what students should know and
be able to do in order to communicate critically, creatively, and
effectively. The competency goals and objectives reflect interrelated
aspects of the dynamic process of communication. The curriculum identifies specific competency goals and objectives that are crucial for continued success in subsequent years of students' public school careers and beyond. While the curriculum identifies specific goals and objectives, a major consideration also includes making connections between the school setting, personal experience, and real world application. The grade level competencies lay the groundwork for shaping a knowledgeable, literate, and responsible citizenry. Word Recognition Strategies and Skills and Vocabulary The word recognition strategies and skills goal refines and builds upon the foundational skills of decoding so that students are able to develop word recognition automatically. Readers extend their knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and root words and apply their phonics knowledge to manipulate increasingly larger parts of words to identify unfamiliar words quickly and efficiently. Students increase their repertoire of sight words through wide reading, involvement in writing process elements, discussion, vocabulary study, and the repeated use of high frequency words. Their vocabularies expand quickly as they read widely and engage in content area study, discussion and word study, and explore word origins related to a range of topics. Strategic Comprehension Strategic comprehension focuses on reading, listening, and viewing for a variety of purposes: for literary experience, to inform, and to perform a task. It deals with the acquisition, interpretation, and application of information and ideas. Readers develop an initial understanding by identifying, collecting, and selecting information and ideas. They develop a more complete understanding by organizing and using information and ideas. They learn to establish a critical stance to form opinions, make judgments, and evaluate the quality and usefulness of information and ideas. Readers stand apart from the selection(s), information, idea(s), or experience(s) and consider it/them objectively. This goal involves readers' ability to assess validity and accuracy, determine value, and judge relevance and importance of information and ideas. Students learn the strategies proficient readers apply before, during, and after reading a text. They learn to use metacognitive strategies as they read. Metacognition involves the awareness of, manipulation of, and control over one's thinking processes including perseverance, attitudes, and attention. Readers are aware of their own thinking, learn strategies, and attention. Readers are aware of their own thinking, learn strategies, and apply the strategies in preparation, engagement, and response to text(s). Making Connections The English language arts program for grades 3-5 is a spiraling program with strong connections among the goals, objectives, and strands. The interrelationships include:
Students learn to clarify meaning and respond critically and creatively to texts, situations, and events. Responding and making connections involves comprehending, formulating personal reactions, predicting, summarizing, supporting, justifying, assessing other points of view, and evaluating. Readers make connections by reflecting upon and reacting to selections, situations, and events. They respond and reflect from a personal perspective as they connect background knowledge and experiences. Effective Communication Effective oral and written communication requires keen awareness of the purpose, message, audience, and contexts for communication. Students learn to use language clearly, strategically, critically, and creatively. This goal focuses on using language for a variety of functions:
Grammar and Language Conventions Grammar and language conventions focus on students' increasing proficiency in the understanding of and control of their language. Language use includes vocabulary development, word choice, and syntax in both oral and written communication. Students learn how to use effective and increasingly sophisticated language:
Literature The study of literature is crucially important in grades 3-5. It offers countless opportunities for students to make connections between language and their own personal experiences. Literature describes the human experience and involves an interaction with and conversation between the reader and the text. Students need to develop some understanding of the distinguishing features and structures of texts and of the visual and linguistic systems out of which texts are created. Language learning involves the exploration and careful study of a wide array of texts, both print and non-print. Students need to hear and read literature from the classics to contemporary selections. When students read texts that reflect the diversity of our culture in terms of gender, age, social class, religion, and ethnicity among individuals, they deepen their personal learning. They grow in their ability to understand our society, its history, and the contributions made by all people. Read-aloud settings provide a functional context for engaging students in and developing their listening comprehension, critical thinking, critical questioning, word choice, and authors' craft. Reading aloud from a variety of books and genres as well as multiple readings of the same book promote the art of listening, alert students to the rhythms and patterns of language, enhance their experiences, stimulate their discussions, and provide models for oral reading. It is imperative that students regularly share what they think, know, and feel about literature through response logs, dialogue journals, book talks, conferences, role play, artistic extensions of literature, and other mediums. Equally important is the study of some texts in detail. Another major goal is for students to read broadly with the benefit of exposure to the defining features of a variety of genres. Literature study provides many benefits to readers:
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| Strands | Oral language, written language, and media and technology permeate
all communication. Oral language is the foundation on which all
communication is based. It is now-and is even more likely to be-a
primary means of acquiring and transmitting information in the future.
Oral language proficiency continues to develop in grades three to
five and can be improved upon with instruction and guidance. Students
who experience positive feedback to their efforts to use language
and have opportunities to hear language used in a variety of social
contexts have a broader base for their reading and writing development. Listening and speaking skills develop as students use them for meaningful purposes and with varied audiences. Opportunities to speak for different purposes to different audiences assist students in becoming more efficient in their application of oral language. They can use oral language to relate experiences; to explain processes; to support opinions; to describe experiences, information, and ideas; and to converse with others. Through discussion of texts and content area study, students build upon, expand, and refine their vocabularies and concept knowledge. Through group work opportunities students gain information, ideas, and in-depth understanding and share with others. Competent communicators are sensitive to the needs of different audiences and the ways in which the purpose of a communication shapes the kinds of ideas and information selected and the way in which they are presented. Depending on whether they are explaining something, arguing, persuading, or telling a story, good communicators have learned how to vary their organizational strategies. They adapt the level of detail they provide and the language they use according to the context of the communication. Throughout the school years, oral language is both a means whereby students learn about reading and a goal of reading. Listening and speaking aid reading comprehension whether the teacher is sharing a book aloud with students or students are discussing a text they have read. Discussions guide students to respond to the meanings and interpretations of texts they read. Students make predictions as they read and either confirm or adjust those predictions based on verbal interactions with others. Discussions can reveal differences in interpretation, support for or evidence against a particular interpretation, and lead to shared meaning and deeper understanding. Listening and speaking permit students to respond to text and make connections before, during, and after reading. To ensure that they can communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences, all students need to learn standard English. As students adapt and modify their language to suit different purposes, they become more proficient and efficient communicators. Oral language sophistication pays dividends as students develop in their reading and writing. Background knowledge, vocabulary knowledge, and listening comprehension are the cornerstones of written language development in third, fourth, and fifth grades. Students need an array of strategies for comprehending, interpreting, evaluating, and appreciating texts they read and texts they compose. Good readers and writers demonstrate: a sense of purpose, an ability to frame expectations of a task by drawing on prior reading and writing experiences, a knowledge of various approaches and how to apply them, and the capacity to reflect on written language processes. In order to learn these skills, students need frequent opportunities to read and write about different topics for varying audiences and purposes. Personal experiences, readings, and discussions provide the raw material for writing. Students need direct instruction, guidance, and practice to develop effective reading and writing skills. Also, students need to understand the varying demands of different kinds of reading and writing tasks and how to adjust their efforts accordingly. To become confident and effective readers and writers, students need to learn how to use various elements of writing and various reading strategies flexibly and adaptively. Students develop their knowledge of form and convention as they create their own texts and critique those of others. Students who can draw on a deep knowledge of language structure as they read and compose communicate more effectively. When students connect the study of grammar and language patterns to the wider purposes of communication and artistic development, they are more likely to incorporate the models they encounter into their spoken and written language. Oral and written language are valuable research tools. The ability to formulate questions, plan, predict, investigate, analyze, hypothesize, and speculate provides students a way to frame and address issues in their studies and everyday life. The application of oral and written language to problem solving and negotiation is pervasive and effective in the everyday life of students. These experiences provide the context for developing students' research and inquiry skills. The ability to identify good topics, to gather information, and evaluate, assemble, and interpret findings from among many sources is a critical skill for students to learn. Media and technology offer many resources that students can use to access information. In order to take advantage of the resources that are available, students need to learn how to use an array of technologies. Media and technology resources such as databases, bibliographies, other data resources, and human resources give students information, ideas, and images for their exploration and incorporation into daily classroom and personal inquiry. Students need instruction in accessing these resources, gathering information, synthesizing, and evaluating the information and ideas. By using media and technology as a tool, students are able to create, enhance, critique, select, and modify products, information, and ideas. Therefore, critical analysis and evaluation is one of the most useful and necessary skills students in grades 3-5 can develop and apply. Students in grades 3-5 will continue to show evidence of mastery of competencies developed at previous grade levels, particularly as they contribute to mastery of grade-level competencies. |
International Reading Association. Standards for The English Language Arts. Newark, Delaware, 1996.
National Center on Education and the Economy. Performance Standards: Elementary School. Vol. 1. New Standards Project, 1997.
Snow, Catherine, et. al. (eds.). Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1998.
Stahl, Steven. Four Questions about Assessment. K-2 Literacy Assessment Training. Greenville, North Carolina, June, 1999.
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