Language Arts

Our educational resources have been designed to align with state and national benchmarks and standards. They can help teachers and parents prepare students to fulfill national and state standard requirements and excel in state proficiency exams.

Literacy education encompasses the use of print, oral, and visual language and addresses six interrelated English language arts: reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing. All students must have the opportunities and resources to develop the language skills they need to pursue life's goals and to participate fully as informed, productive members of society. These standards assume that literacy growth begins before children enter school as they experience and experiment with literacy activities-reading and writing, and associating spoken words with their graphic representations. These standards provide ample room for the innovation and creativity essential to teaching and learning.

ACHIEVING STANDARDS THROUGH THE USE OF PRINT AND
NON-PRINT TEXTS

1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build understanding.

2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build understanding.

3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.

4. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.

Recommended Resources in order of difficulty:

ACHIEVING STANDARDS THROUGH CREATIVE WRITING

5. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

6. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems.

8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.

10. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

11. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes.

Recommended Resources in order of difficulty:

These may also be used as music accompaniment tracks for students writing (using creativity and research skills) and performing their own lyrics for their peers.

ACHIEVING STANDARDS FOR ESL STUDENTS

12. Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum.

Recommended Resources in order of difficulty:

Reference: National Council of Teachers of English

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