| Language Arts
The Standards for the English Language Arts center around three core beliefs:
* "First, we believe that standards are needed to prepare students for the literacy requirements of the future as well as the present. Changes in technology and society have altered and will continue to alter the ways in which we use language to communicate and to think. Students must be prepared to meet these demands."
* "Second, we believe that standards can articulate a shared vision of what the nation's teachers, literacy researchers, teacher educators, parents, and others expect students to attain in the English language arts, and what we can do to ensure that this vision is realized."
* "Third, we believe that standards are necessary to promote high educational expectations for all students and to bridge the documented disparities that exist in educational opportunities. Standards can help us ensure that all students become informed citizens and participate fully in society."
The Illinois Learning Standards for English Language Arts goals and standards were developed using the 1985 State Goals for Language Arts, various state and national standards drafts, and local education standards contributed by team members. Through the achievement of these goals and standards, students will gain proficiency in the language skills that are basic to all learning, critical to success in the workplace and essential to life as productive citizens.
English language arts includes reading, writing, speaking, listening and the study of literature. In addition, students must be able to study, retain and use information from many sources. Through the study of the English language arts, students should be able to read fluently, understanding a broad range of written materials. They must be able to communicate well and listen carefully and effectively. They should develop a command of the language and demonstrate their knowledge through speaking and writing for a variety of audiences and purposes. As students progress, a structured study of literature will allow them to recognize universal themes and to compare styles and ideas across authors and eras.
Through Applications of Learning, students demonstrate and deepen their understanding of basic knowledge and skills. These applied learning skills cross academic disciplines and reinforce the important learning of the disciplines. The ability to use these skills will greatly influence students' success in school, in the workplace and in the community.
SOLVING PROBLEMS - Recognize and investigate problems; formulate and propose solutions supported by reason and evidence.
Solving problems demands that students be able to read and listen, comprehend ideas, ask and answer questions, clearly convey their own ideas through written and oral means, and explain their reasoning. Comprehending reading materials and editing and revising writing are in themselves forms of complex problem solving. The ability to locate, acquire and organize information from various sources, print and electronic, is essential to solving problems involving research. In all fields - - English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and others, the command of language is essential in stating and reasoning through problems and conveying results.
COMMUNICATING - Express and interpret information and ideas.
Communication is the essence of English language arts, and communication surrounds us today in many forms. Individuals and groups of people exchange ideas and information - -oral and written - - at lunch tables, through newspapers and magazines, and through radio, television and on-line computer services. From the simplest, shortest conversations to the most complex technical manuals, language is the basis of all human communication. A strong command of reading, writing, speaking and listening is vital for communicating in the home, school, workplace and beyond.
USING TECHNOLOGY - Use appropriate instruments, electronic equipment, computers and networks to access information, process ideas and communicate results.
Computers and telecommunications have become basic means for creating messages and relaying information. In offices and homes, people write using word processors. Audio and visual media are used for both creative and practical forms of communication. The use of on-line services is now commonplace among researchers, authors, farmers and auto mechanics. Skilled use of these technologies provides students with necessary opportunities to search and process information, be in touch with experts, prepare documents, and learn and communicate in new, more effective ways.
WORKING ON TEAMS - Learn and contribute productively as individuals and as members of groups.
In sports, the workplace, family and elsewhere, teamwork requires skill in the use of language. People must speak clearly and listen well as they share ideas, plans, instructions and evaluations. In researching and bringing outside information to a team, individuals must be able to search, select and understand a variety of sources. Documenting progress and reporting results demand the ability to organize information and convey it clearly. Those who can read, write, speak and listen well are valuable contributors in any setting where people are working together to achieve shared goals.
MAKING CONNECTIONS - Recognize and apply connections of important information and ideas within and among learning areas.
The parts of English language arts are closely interconnected. Reading and writing provide the means to receive and send written messages. Likewise, listening and speaking enable people to receive and send oral information. Speaking and writing are the creative components, while listening and reading are the receptive components of language through which people access knowledge and demonstrate its applications. Proficiency in these skills clearly supports learning in all academic areas.
The Terra Nova Multiple Assessments for Reading/Language Arts "reflects current instructional practices. The skills essential for effective communication - - reading comprehension, language, vocabulary, and study skills - - are integrated into one test to provide a coherent assessment experience.
To help student succeed, the directions, passages, and test questions are linked by themes that provide context and stimulate interest. The arrangement of test questions leads to a deepening engagement with the material, much like the process a thoughtful teacher uses in exploring text with students.
The test reflects the diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds and experiences of contemporary students, with the goal of providing equity in assessing achievement. It involves the students in constructing meaning, monitoring their own comprehension strategies, and thinking critically and creatively in response to texts."
In Language Arts, students concentrate on reading operations, writing, speaking, and listening. Students engage in projects which require them to apply language arts skills in real-world contexts.
In this area students concentrate on reading operations, writing, speaking, and listening. Students engage in projects which require them to apply language arts skills in real-world contexts.
Language Arts II
The Illinois Learning Standards for English Language Arts provides goals and standards at the Middle/Junior High School level.
In this course students learn to construct meaning from newspapers, periodicals, resource materials, and grade level fiction, and to analyze both the concrete and abstract elements of literature. Students engage in activities which require them to practice transferring language skills (language mechanics, grammar, and spelling) to original written works. The course emphasizes the need for students to learn to identify, approach, understand, and solve problems in real-world contexts.
Genres
STATE GOAL 2: Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas.
Why This Goal Is Important:
Literature transmits ideas, reflects societies and eras and expresses the human imagination. It brings understanding, enrichment and joy. Appreciating literature and recognizing its many forms enable students to learn and respond to ideas, issues, perspectives and actions of others. Literature study includes understanding the structure and intent of a short poem or a long, complex book. By exploring the techniques that authors use to convey messages and evoke responses, students connect literature to their own lives and daily experiences.
As a result of their schooling students will be able to:
A. Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning.
2.A.3a Identify and analyze a variety of literary techniques (e.g., figurative language, allusion, dialogue, description, word choice, dialect) within classical and contemporary works representing a variety of genres.
2.A.3b Describe how the development of theme, character, plot and setting contribute to the overall impact of a piece of literature.
2.A.3c Identify characteristics and authors of various literary forms (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, science fiction).
2.A.3d Identify ways that an author uses language structure, word choice and style to convey the author's viewpoint.
B. Read and interpret a variety of literary works.
2.B.3a Respond to literary material from personal, creative and critical points of view.
2.B.3b Compare and contrast common literary themes across various societies and eras.
2.B.3c Analyze how characters in literature deal with conflict, solve problems and relate to real-life situations.
This unit includes identifying and comparing key characteristics of literary genres.
Language Arts Processes
STATE GOAL 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
Why This Goal Is Important:
To be successful in school and in the world of work, students must be able to use a wide variety of information resources (written, visual and electronic). They must also know how to frame questions for inquiry, identify and organize relevant information and communicate it effectively in a variety of formats. These skills are critical in school across all learning areas and are key to successful career and lifelong learning experiences.
As a result of their schooling students will be able to:
A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas.
5.A.3a Identify appropriate resources to solve problems or answer questions through research.
5.A.3b Design a project related to contemporary issues (e.g., real-world math, career development, community service) using multiple sources.
B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources.
5.B.3a Choose and analyze information sources for individual, academic and functional purposes.
5.B.3b Identify, evaluate and cite primary sources.
C. Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.
5.C.3a Plan, compose, edit and revise documents that synthesize new meaning gleaned from multiple sources.
5.C.3b Prepare and orally present original work (e.g., poems, monologues, reports, plays, stories) supported by research.
5.C.3c Take notes, conduct interviews, organize and report information in oral, visual and electronic formats.
Language Expressions
This unit includes comprehending and applying the rules which govern language expressions and usage. Students studying this unit develop an intuitive sense of language structure, and the ability to make judgments regarding how language expressions relate to the cohesiveness of sentences and passages.
Language Mechanics
This unit includes comprehending and applying the rules which govern punctuation and capitalization. Students studying this unit incorporate knowledge of language mechanics into original writing, and successfully edit passages for language mechanics errors.
Listening
STATE GOAL 4: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
Why This Goal Is Important:
Of all the language arts, listening and speaking are those most often used on a daily basis at home, school and work or in the community. Skill in speaking is universally recognized as a primary indicator of a person's knowledge, skill and credibility. In person, by phone or through video, good listening and speaking skills are essential to sending, receiving and understanding messages. To understand messages spoken by others, students must be able to listen carefully, using specific techniques to clarify what they have heard. For speaking properly and making messages understood, grammar, sentence structure, tone, expression and emphasis must be part of students' repertoires.
As a result of their schooling students will be able to:
A. Listen effectively in formal and informal situations.
4.A.3a Demonstrate ways (e.g., ask probing questions, provide feedback to a speaker, summarize and paraphrase complex spoken messages) that listening attentively can improve comprehension.
4.A.3b Compare a speaker's verbal and nonverbal messages.
4.A.3c Restate and carry out multistep oral instructions.
4.A.3d Demonstrate the ability to identify and manage barriers to listening (e.g., noise, speaker credibility, environmental distractions).
This unit includes identifying and distinguishing between sounds and patterns in sounds, and constructing meaning from information delivered verbally.
Reading Operations
STATE GOAL 1: Read with understanding and fluency.
Why This Goal Is Important
Reading is essential. It is the process by which people gain information and ideas from books, newspapers, manuals, letters, contracts, advertisements and a host of other materials. Using strategies for constructing meaning before, during and after reading will help students connect what they read now with what they have learned in the past. Students who read well and widely build a strong foundation for learning in all areas of life.
As a result of their schooling students will be able to:
A. Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend selections.
1.A.3a Apply knowledge of word origins and derivations to comprehend words used in specific content areas (e.g., scientific, political, literary, mathematical).
1.A.3b Analyze the meaning of words and phrases in their context.
B. Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency.
1.B.3a Preview reading materials, make predictions and relate reading to information from other sources.
1.B.3b Identify text structure and create a visual representation (e.g., graphic organizer, outline, drawing) to use while reading.
1.B.3c Continuously check and clarify for understanding (e.g., in addition to previous skills, draw comparisons to other readings).
1.B.3d Read age-appropriate material with fluency and accuracy.
C. Comprehend a broad range of reading materials.
1.C.3a Use information to form, explain and support questions and predictions.
1.C.3b Interpret and analyze entire narrative text using story elements, point of view and theme.
1.C.3c Compare, contrast and evaluate ideas and information from various sources and genres.
1.C.3d Summarize and make generalizations from content and relate them to the purpose of the material.
1.C.3e Compare how authors and illustrators use text and art across materials to express their ideas (e.g., foreshadowing, flashbacks, color, strong verbs, language that inspires).
1.C.3f Interpret tables that display textual information and data in visual formats.
This unit includes constructing meaning from fiction and non-fiction selections at comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and judgment levels of understanding. Students are able to identify, discuss, and compare both concrete and abstract elements of selections (setting, plot, characterization, genre, historical period, theme, tone, moral message, and psychological and political implications).
Speaking
STATE GOAL 4: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.
Why This Goal Is Important:
Of all the language arts, listening and speaking are those most often used on a daily basis at home, school and work or in the community. Skill in speaking is universally recognized as a primary indicator of a person's knowledge, skill and credibility. In person, by phone or through video, good listening and speaking skills are essential to sending, receiving and understanding messages. To understand messages spoken by others, students must be able to listen carefully, using specific techniques to clarify what they have heard. For speaking properly and making messages understood, grammar, sentence structure, tone, expression and emphasis must be part of students' repertoires.
As a result of their schooling students will be able to:
B. Speak effectively using language appropriate to the situation and audience.
4.B.3a Deliver planned oral presentations, using language and vocabulary appropriate to the purpose, message and audience; provide details and supporting information that clarify main ideas; and use visual aids and contemporary technology as support.
4.B.3b Design and produce reports and multi-media compositions that represent group projects.
4.B.3c Develop strategies to manage or overcome communication anxiety and apprehension (e.g., sentence outlining, note cards).
4.B.3d Use verbal and nonverbal communication strategies to maintain communications and to resolve conflict.
This unit includes practicing techniques and strategies (voice modulation, body language, ordering of ideas, visual aids, etc.) to convey meaning and to present information and opinions to groups. Students learn to choose appropriate topics, and methods of presenting topics, for specific audiences.
Spelling
This unit includes studying language and word structure to discern the correct spelling of words. Students edit passages for correct spelling by making connections between spelling, meaning, and structure.
Study and Research Skills
This unit includes developing organization and research skills needed to find appropriate resources, to judge resources as relevant or not relevant to a given topic, to categorize and synthesize information, to take notes in class, and to study for exams.
Vocabulary
This unit includes studying and applying knowledge of word structure (bases and affixes) to define unfamiliar words and understand technical or informational content.
Writing
STATE GOAL 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.
Why This Goal Is Important:
The ability to write clearly is essential to any person's effective communications. Students with high-level writing skills can produce documents that show planning and organization and can effectively convey the intended message and meaning. Clear writing is critical to employment and production in today's world. Individuals must be capable of writing for a variety of audiences in differing styles, including standard rhetoric themes, business letters and reports, financial proposals, and technical and professional communications. Students should be able to use word processors and computers to enhance their writing proficiency and improve their career opportunities.
As a result of their schooling students will be able to:
A. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure.
3.A.3 Write compositions that contain complete sentences and effective paragraphs using English conventions.
B. Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.
3.B.3a Produce documents that convey a clear understanding and interpretation of ideas and information and display focus, organization, elaboration and coherence.
3.B.3b Edit and revise for word choice, organization, consistent point of view and transitions among paragraphs using contemporary technology and formats suitable for submission and/or publication.
C. Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes.
3.C.3a Compose narrative, informative, and persuasive writings (e.g., in addition to previous writings, literature reviews, instructions, news articles, correspondence) for a specified audience.
3.C.3b Using available technology, produce compositions and multimedia works for specified audiences.
This unit includes utilizing each stage of the writing process to create original pieces. Students explore a variety of organizational formats and purposes for writing (communicating ideas, opinions, and feelings, clarifying thoughts, and solving problems).
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