Preschool Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Develops a working vocabulary of objects
Writing
- Dictates ideas and thoughts
- Begins to use relevant illustrations
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Develops an ability to listen for various purposes
- Follows simple, oral directions
- Participates in discussions
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Begins to use directional words to describe location
- States first name
Handwriting
- Begins to establish hand dominance
- Begins to properly hold a writing implement and uses it for various purposes
Prekindergarten Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Develops a working vocabulary of objects and actions
- Uses positional words
Writing
- Dictates complete sentences
- Begins to use relevant illustrations
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Develops an ability to listen for various purposes
- Follows simple, oral directions
- Participates in discussions
- Varies voice and speech techniques
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Uses directional words to describe location
- States first and last name
Spelling
- Recognizes uppercase letters
- Begins to recognize initial consonant sounds
- Begins to use inventive spelling
Handwriting
- Establishes hand dominance
- Begins to properly hold a writing implement and uses it for various purposes
- Begins to write first name using proper letter case
- Prints uppercase letters
Kindergarten Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Identifies nouns through classification
- Identifies verbs
- Uses prepositions to denote place and position
- Uses declarative and interrogative sentences
- Begins to identify a simple sentence
- Begins to identify punctuation
Writing
- Develops writing skills
- Uses relevant illustrations
- Writes for various purposes
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Listens for various purposes
- Follows three-step directions
- Participates in discussions
- Varies voice and speech techniques
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Uses directional words to describe location
- Clearly states full name, street address, and phone number
- Sets a purpose for speaking
- Organizes thoughts
- Uses appropriate volume
Spelling
- Prints upper and lowercase letters
- Prints initial and final consonant sounds
- Uses inventive and conventional spelling
Handwriting
- Demonstrates correct position for writing
- Prints first name using proper letter case
- Prints uppercase and lowercase letters using proper form
- Begins to use proper spacing between words
- Develops left to right, top to bottom progression
First Grade Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Identifies nouns through classification
- Identifies verbs
- Uses adjectives and pronouns
- Uses prepositions to denote place and position
- Uses declarative and interrogative sentences
- Identifies and uses complete sentences
- Identifies and uses end mark punctuation
Writing
- Begins to use the writing process
- Writes a complete simple sentence
- Uses relevant illustrations
- Writes for various purposes
- Writes using a variety of genres (poetry, journal writing)
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Listens for various purposes
- Follows three-step directions
- Participates in discussions
- Varies voice and speech techniques
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Uses directional words to describe location
- Clearly states full name, street address, and phone number
- Sets a purpose for speaking
- Makes oral presentations
- Organizes thoughts
- Uses appropriate volume
Spelling
- Prints upper and lowercase letters
- Prints initial, medial, final consonant and vowel sounds
- Uses inventive and conventional spelling
- Spells Sitton high frequency words 1-100
- Uses word banks
- Spells compound words, contractions, and patterned words
- Begins to use the correct grapheme for a given phoneme
Handwriting
- Demonstrates correct posture, paper position, and pencil grip for writing
- Prints full name using proper letter case
- Prints uppercase and lowercase letters using proper form
- Forms and spaces letters, words, and numbers
- Uses left to right, top to bottom progression
Second Grade Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Identifies and uses nouns, action verbs, adjective, and pronouns
- Identifies proper nouns
- Uses prepositions to denote place and position
- Begins to recognize adverbs
- Uses declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative sentences
- Identifies and uses complete, simple sentences
- Identifies simple subjects and predicates
- Identifies and uses end mark punctuation and apostrophes
- Uses commas correctly in dates
- Identifies abbreviations
Writing
- Uses the writing process
- Writes complete, simple sentences
- Begins to write in paragraph form, keeping to one idea
- Uses relevant illustrations
- Writes for various purposes
- Writes using a variety of genres (poetry, journal writing, letters, simple narratives)
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Listens for various purposes
- Follows multi-step directions
- Participates in discussions
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Sets a purpose for speaking
- Makes oral presentations
- Organizes thoughts
- Uses appropriate volume, intonation, enunciation, and rate of fluency, paying attention to poise and eye contact
Spelling
- Prints initial, medial, final consonant and vowel sounds
- Uses inventive and conventional spelling
- Spells Sitton high frequency words 1-200
- Uses word banks
- Spells compound words, contractions, and patterned words
- Spells using prefixes and suffixes
- Uses the correct grapheme for a given phoneme
- Writes sentences dictated by the teacher
- Applies spelling skills to written work
Handwriting
- Demonstrates correct posture, paper position, and pencil grip for writing
- Prints full name using proper letter case
- Prints uppercase and lowercase letters using proper form
- Forms and spaces letters, words, and numbers
- Uses left to right, top to bottom progression
Third Grade Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Identifies and uses nouns (including proper), verbs, adjective, adverbs, and pronouns
- Identifies linking and helping verbs
- Identifies and uses verb tenses
- Uses prepositions to denote place and position
- Identifies and use conjunctions
- Uses declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative sentences
- Identifies and uses complete, simple and compound sentences
- Identifies complete subjects and predicates
- Identifies and uses end mark punctuation
- Identifies and uses apostrophes and quotation marks
- Uses commas correctly in dates, addresses, and series
- Uses correct capitalization
- Identifies and uses abbreviations
Writing
- Uses the writing process
- Writes complete sentences
- Writes in paragraph form using topic sentence and supporting details
- Constructs a story with a beginning, middle, and end
- Writes multi-paragraph pieces
- Uses relevant illustrations
- Discusses the difference between paraphrasing and plagiarizing
- Writes for various purposes
- Writes using a variety of genres (poetry, journal writing, reports, letters, persuasive essays, opinion essays, narratives)
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Listens for various purposes
- Follows multi-step directions
- Participates in discussions, remaining on topic
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Listens to and acknowledges the contributions of others
- Sets a purpose for speaking
- Makes oral presentations using a variety of methods
- Organizes thoughts
- Uses appropriate volume, intonation, enunciation, and rate of fluency, paying attention to poise and eye contact
Spelling
- Uses inventive and conventional spelling
- Spells Sitton high frequency words 1-300
- Uses word banks
- Spells compound words, contractions, and patterned words
- Spells using prefixes and suffixes
- Uses the correct grapheme for a given phoneme
- Uses correct homophone
- Writes sentences dictated by the teacher
- Applies spelling skills to written work
Handwriting
- Demonstrates correct posture, paper position, and pencil grip for writing
- Prints uppercase and lowercase letters legibly
- Uses uppercase and lowercase cursive writing
- Begins to use cursive writing
- Forms and spaces letters and words correctly
Fourth Grade Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Identifies and uses nouns, verbs, adjective, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and pronouns
- Identifies and uses linking and helping verbs
- Begins to identify being verbs
- Identifies and uses verb tenses
- Begins to demonstrate correct subject and verb agreement
- Uses declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative sentences
- Identifies and uses complete simple and compound sentences
- Identifies complete and compound subjects and predicates
- Identifies sentence fragments and run-on sentences
- Diagrams a simple sentence
- Begins to identify prepositional phrases, including the object of the preposition
- Begins to identify direct objects and the subject compliment
- Identifies and uses capitalization, punctuation, quotation marks and apostrophes
- Uses commas correctly in dates, addresses, and series
- Begins to use commas throughout a sentence and within dialogue
- Identifies and uses abbreviations
Writing
- Uses the writing process
- Writes complete simple and compound sentences
- Writes in paragraph form using topic sentence, supporting details, and closing sentences
- Constructs a story with a beginning, middle, and end
- Writes multi-paragraph pieces
- Uses relevant illustrations
- Discusses the difference between paraphrasing and plagiarizing
- Writes for various purposes
- Writes using a variety of genres (poetry, journal writing, reports, letters, persuasive essays, opinion essays, narratives, summaries)
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Listens for various purposes
- Follows multi-step directions
- Participates in discussions, remaining on topic
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Listens to and acknowledges the contributions of others
- Sets a purpose for speaking
- Makes oral presentations using a variety of methods
- Organizes thoughts
- Uses appropriate volume, intonation, enunciation, and rate of fluency, paying attention to poise and eye contact
Spelling
- Uses inventive and conventional spelling
- Spells Sitton high frequency words 1-400
- Spells grade level words related to subject areas
- Uses word banks
- Spells compound words, contractions, and possessives
- Spells using prefixes and suffixes
- Uses the correct grapheme for a given phoneme
- Uses correct homophone
- Writes sentences dictated by the teacher
- Applies spelling skills to written work
Handwriting
- Demonstrates correct posture, paper position, and pencil grip for writing
- Prints legibly
- Uses and reads cursive writing
- Forms and spaces letters and words correctly
- Indents correctly and maintains margins
Fifth Grade Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Identifies and uses nouns, verbs, adjective, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and pronouns
- Identifies and uses linking and helping verbs
- Identifies and uses being verbs
- Identifies and uses verb tenses
- Demonstrates correct subject and verb agreement
- Uses correct homophone
- Uses and punctuates declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative sentences
- Identifies and uses complete simple and compound sentences
- Identifies complete and compound subjects and predicates
- Identifies sentence fragments and run-on sentences
- Diagrams simple and compound sentences
- Identifies prepositional phrases, including the object of the preposition
- Identifies direct objects and the subject compliment
- Identifies and uses capitalization, punctuation, quotation marks and apostrophes
- Uses commas correctly in dates, addresses, and series
- Uses commas throughout a sentence and within dialogue
- Identifies and uses abbreviations
Writing
- Uses the writing process
- Writes complete simple and compound sentences
- Writes in paragraph form using topic sentence, supporting details, and closing sentence
- Constructs a story with a beginning, middle, and end
- Uses transitional words and phrases
- Writes multi-paragraph pieces
- Uses relevant illustrations
- Discusses the difference between paraphrasing and plagiarizing
- Writes for various purposes
- Writes using a variety of genres (poetry, journal writing, reports, letters, persuasive essays, opinion essays, narratives, summaries)
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Listens for various purposes
- Identifies intent and content of speaker’s message
- Follows multi-step directions
- Participates in discussions, remaining on topic
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Listens to and acknowledges the contributions of others
- Sets a purpose for speaking
- Makes oral presentations using a variety of methods
- Organizes thoughts
- Uses appropriate volume, intonation, enunciation, and rate of fluency, paying attention to poise and eye contact
Spelling
- Uses conventional spelling
- Spells Sitton high frequency words 1-600
- Spells grade level words related to subject areas
- Uses word banks
- Writes sentences dictated by the teacher
- Applies spelling skills to written work
Handwriting
- Demonstrates correct posture, paper position, and pencil grip for writing
- Prints legibly
- Uses and reads cursive writing
- Forms and spaces letters and words correctly
- Indents correctly and maintains margins
Sixth Grade Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Recognizes parts of speech and their functions
- Identifies and uses verb tenses
- Demonstrates correct subject and verb agreement
- Uses correct homophone
- Uses and punctuates declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative sentences
- Identifies and uses complete simple and compound sentences
- Begins to identify and use complex sentences
- Identifies complete and compound subjects and predicates
- Identifies sentence fragments and run-on sentences
- Diagrams simple and compound sentences
- Begins to diagram complex sentences
- Identifies prepositional phrases, including the object of the preposition
- Begins to identify various phrases and clauses
- Identifies direct and indirect objects and the subject compliment
- Identifies and uses capitalization, punctuation, quotation marks, commas, and apostrophes
Writing
- Uses the writing process
- Writes complete simple and compound sentences
- Begins to write complex sentences
- Writes in paragraph form using topic sentence, supporting details, and closing sentence
- Uses transitional words and phrases
- Writes multi-paragraph pieces
- Uses relevant illustrations
- Writes for various purposes and for various audiences
- Writes using a variety of genres (poetry, journal writing, reports, letters, persuasive essays, opinion essays, narratives, summaries, paraphrasing, short stories, literature responses)
- Uses literary elements
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Listens for various purposes
- Analyzes intent and content of speaker’s message
- Follows multi-step directions
- Participates in discussions, remaining on topic
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Listens to and acknowledges the contributions of others
- Sets a purpose for speaking
- Makes oral presentations using a variety of methods
- Organizes thoughts
- Uses appropriate volume, intonation, enunciation, and rate of fluency, paying attention to poise and eye contact
Spelling
- Uses conventional spelling
- Spells Sitton high frequency words 1-800
- Spells grade level words related to subject areas
- Uses word banks
- Writes sentences dictated by the teacher
- Applies spelling skills to written work
Handwriting
- Demonstrates correct posture, paper position, and pencil grip for writing
- Prints legibly
- Uses and reads cursive writing
- Forms and spaces letters and words correctly
- Indents correctly and maintains margins
Seventh Grade Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Recognizes parts of speech and their functions
- Identifies and uses verb tenses
- Demonstrates correct subject and verb agreement
- Uses correct homophone
- Uses and punctuates declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative sentences
- Identifies and uses complete simple, compound, and complex sentences
- Identifies complete and compound subjects and predicates
- Identifies sentence fragments and run-on sentences
- Diagrams simple and compound sentences
- Begins to diagram complex sentences
- Identifies prepositional phrases, including the object of the preposition
- Identifies various phrases and clauses
- Identifies direct and indirect objects and the subject compliment
- Identifies and uses capitalization, punctuation, quotation marks, commas, and apostrophes
Writing
- Uses the writing process
- Writes complete simple and compound sentences
- Begins to write complex sentences
- Writes in paragraph form using topic sentence, supporting details, and closing sentence
- Uses transitional words and phrases
- Writes multi-paragraph pieces
- Uses relevant illustrations
- Writes for various purposes and for various audiences
- Writes using all genres
- Uses literary elements
- Writes a response to a prompt in a given time limit
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Listens for various purposes
- Analyzes intent and content of speaker’s message
- Follows multi-step directions
- Participates in discussions, remaining on topic
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Listens to and acknowledges the contributions of others
- Sets a purpose for speaking
- Makes oral presentations using a variety of methods
- Debates
- Organizes thoughts
- Uses appropriate volume, intonation, enunciation, and rate of fluency, paying attention to poise and eye contact
Spelling
- Uses conventional spelling
- Spells Sitton high frequency words 1-1000
- Spells grade level words related to subject areas
- Uses word banks
- Writes sentences dictated by the teacher
- Applies spelling skills to written work
Handwriting
- Demonstrates correct posture, paper position, and pencil grip for writing
- Writes legibly
- Reads cursive writing
- Forms and spaces letters and words correctly
- Indents correctly and maintains margins
Eighth Grade Language Arts
Grammar
- Uses conventional English
- Recognizes parts of speech and their functions
- Identifies and uses verb tenses
- Demonstrates correct subject and verb agreement
- Uses correct homophone
- Uses and punctuates declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative sentences
- Identifies and uses complete simple, compound, and complex sentences
- Identifies complete and compound subjects and predicates
- Identifies sentence fragments and run-on sentences
- Diagrams simple and compound sentences
- Begins to diagram complex sentences
- Identifies prepositional phrases, including the object of the preposition
- Identifies various phrases and clauses
- Identifies direct and indirect objects and the subject compliment
- Identifies and uses capitalization, punctuation, quotation marks, commas, and apostrophes
Writing
- Uses the writing process
- Writes complete simple and compound sentences
- Begins to write complex sentences
- Writes in paragraph form using topic sentence, supporting details, and closing sentence
- Uses transitional words and phrases
- Writes multi-paragraph pieces
- Uses relevant illustrations
- Writes for various purposes and for various audiences
- Writes using all genre
- Uses literary elements
- Writes a response to a prompt in a given time limit
Speaking and Listening
- Demonstrates increased attention
- Increases and applies vocabulary
- Displays courtesy and manners in speaking and listening
- Listens for various purposes
- Analyzes intent and content of speaker’s message
- Follows multi-step directions
- Participates in discussions, remaining on topic
- Asks and answers questions appropriately
- Listens to and acknowledges the contributions of others
- Sets a purpose for speaking
- Makes oral presentations using a variety of methods
- Debates
- Organizes thoughts
- Uses appropriate volume, intonation, enunciation, and rate of fluency, paying attention to poise and eye contact
Spelling
- Uses conventional spelling
- Spells Sitton high frequency words 1-1200
- Spells grade level words related to subject areas
- Uses word banks
- Writes sentences dictated by the teacher
- Applies spelling skills to written work
Handwriting
- Demonstrates correct posture, paper position, and pencil grip for writing
- Writes legibly
- Reads cursive writing
- Forms and spaces letters and words correctly
- Indents correctly and maintains margins
Language Arts, Reading, and Learning Skills Glossary of Terms
Conventions of Print: reading left to right, up to down, front to back; punctuation; identifies, locates, and interprets standard book features, etc.
Fry’s Common Words: Edward B. Fry, Ph.D. is well-know for his book published in 1996 titled 1,000 Instant Words — The most common words for teaching reading, writing and spelling. Dr. Edward B. Fry’s Instant Word List (which is also commonly referred to as Fry’s Instant Words List and Fry Words) are the most common words in English ranked in order of frequency. The first 25 Fry Words make up about a third of all printed material. The first 100 Fry Words make up about half of all written material. (Fry & Kress, 2006, p.51)
Genre (reading): biography, autobiography, fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, folk tales, short stories, speeches, essays, news articles, historical fiction, mystery, science fiction, etc.
Genre (writing): poetry, journal writing, reports, letters, persuasive essays, opinion essays, narratives, summaries, paraphrasing, short stories, literature responses, interviews, debates, articles
Graphic Organizers: outlining, maps, Venn diagrams, webs, rubric, KWL, PQ2R, etc.
Journal Writing: used for free writing, creative writing, brainstorming, prewriting activities, lists, thoughts, etc.
Literary Devices: figure of speech, onomonapoeia, imagery, illiteration, repetition, rhyme, rhythm, symbolism, metaphor, simile, etc.
Literary Elements: plot, setting, character, theme, beginning, middle, end, conflict, point of view, etc.
Literary Responses: drawing, scripts, plays, puppet shows, paragraphs, oral reports, essays, book reports, etc.
Reference Sources: dictionary, encyclopedia, thesaurus, glossary, table of contents, atlas, newspaper, Internet, etc.
Sitton High Frequency Words: “Spelling is a sub-skill of writing and should therefore emphasize words needed in everyday writing…Most spelling errors are made in the top 100 high-use writing words, even among adult writers. In fact, the 100 words constitute over 50% of all the running words used in adult writing, and an even higher percentage of words used in student writing…To this list of everyday, high-use words, teachers can add words for specific assignments and purposes.” –Rebecca Sitton (Illinois Reading Council Journal, Vol. 26, No. 2, Spring 1998)
Story Structure: beginning, middle, end, conflict, climax, resolution, etc.
Structural Analysis: root words, prefixes, suffixes, word origins, synonyms, antonyms, homophones, etc.
Writing Process: pre-write, write, revise, edit, publish
Pre-writing: In order to write, you must have something to write about.
Pre-writing activities include:
reading, listening, smelling, tasting, observing, touching, doing, graphic organizing, listing, free writing, journaling, drawing, doodling, role playing, diagramming, etc.
Writing: (also called first draft, rough copy, sloppy copy) Students use the writing activity to write with little concern for grammar, spelling, and structure. The purpose is to get the ideas from prewriting organized and onto paper.
Suggestion: Ask students to write on every other line so there will be room later for
corrections and additions.
Revision: “Re-vision” the work. The writing is reshaped, molded, and polished. Revision means to add to a paper, not to correct it. The main focus is to improve clarity, organization, wording, fluency, and understanding.
Revision includes: sharing the writing with the teacher and/or another student, re-reading it to yourself and others, adding details, changing the order of sentences, replacing overused words, etc.
Editing: This process of correcting mechanical errors focuses on the conventions of standard English such as spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. The teacher is not solely responsible for this step. The student should correct his or her own work and show it to others. Proofreaders’ marks should be used.
Publishing: This is the final copy of written work. Publishing includes sharing of work with others through books, anthologies, reading, sharing with a partner, displays, etc.
Writing for Various Purposes: “In all cases, writing should be connected with reading, the curriculum, other children, varied audiences, and real purposes.” (Regie Routman, Invitations, 1991)
- Books
- Stories
- Reviews
- Author page
- Directions
- Notices
- Newspaper articles
- Reports
- Interviews
- “How to” manuals
- Advice columns
- Surveys
- Questionnaires
- Evaluations
- Instructions
- Essays
- Advertisements
- Memos
- Poems
- Diaries
- Scripts/plays
- Comic strips
- Rules
- Proposals
- Invitations
- Journals
- Crossword puzzles
- Dedications
- Brochures
- Newsletters
- Anthologies
- Yearbooks
- Book blurbs
- Thank you notes
- Greeting cards
- Summaries
- Recipes
- Lists
- Calendars
- Messages
- Bulletins
- Posters
- Signs
- Charts
- Letters
- Postcards
- Conversations
- Want ads
- Announcements
- Song lyrics
- Magazine articles
- Guides
- Assignments
- Commercial