Language Arts

Reading is taught through a combination of phonetic (decoding of words) and whole language instruction emphasizing comprehension and critical thinking skills. Guided reading is used to instruct important reading strategies. Individual and peer reading (D.E.A.R Time “Drop Everything And Read”) for pleasure is also stressed. Instruction occurs through whole class instruction, small-group, and on an individual basis. Through differentiation, students are challenged at their own levels of achievement.

Writing is an important part of the language arts program. Students receive daily handwriting instruction, helping them correctly form their letters in a traditional manuscript style. Students are taken through the writing process during our fairy tale unit and learn to brainstorm, compose, revise, edit, and ultimately type final drafts on the computer. The students are exposed to a variety of writing formats, including creative writing, narratives, expository writing, biographical sketches, book reports and poems.

Students write in journals each day.  This time is for students to express themselves in words and occasionally through pictures.  By writing in their journals, students are creating a daily log in which they practice handwriting, grammar, sentence structure, idea formation, spelling and vocabulary at their own levels of achievement.  Second semester most entries are corrected with the student.  Positive comments about their entry or goals for their entries are noted at the bottom of most entries.

Spelling tests take place on Fridays during reading groups. The new words for the week will come home on Mondays in your child’s reading bag after the first month of school. (Spelling tests and reading bags will not come home during Interest Based Reading Groups). First semester students practice Words of the Day from our classroom Word Wall during morning meeting and morning work (these words are not on the weekly spelling tests). The word wall begins the first day of school and encourages students to have the desire and use resources to spell basic sight words correctly. Students are also encouraged or guided through sounding out words that they are unfamiliar with sound by sound when needed.

This year the students build upon the following language arts skills:

·Develop decoding and encoding skills for consonant blends, digraphs and long and short vowel sounds

·Use context clues

·Use expression in reading

·Understand what is read

·Develop letter spacing and alignment

Develop basic grammar skills

·Develop inventive spelling

·Develop an interest in independent writing and reading

·Develop a written vocabulary of commonly used sight words

·Develop listening skills, class participation, and independent work habits