One of the most important goals of the Language Arts program is for the student to learn to read, write, speak, listen and view so as to decipher meaning of the written, visual, and oral texts used in the classroom. They should be able to read and respond to questioning, communicate ideas clearly, apply strategies that enhance the fluency and proficiency of their language, as well as understand and appreciate literary work and become life long learners. These are the stated goals of the Connecticut Language Arts Program. The unit I present contains exercises in the following areas:
Content Standard One – Reading and Responding
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1. generate questions before, during, and after reading, writing , listening and
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viewing.
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2. reflect on the text to make judgments about its meaning and quality
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3. select and apply efficient and effective word recognition strategies, including contextual clues, phonics, and structural analysis.
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4. make inferences about ideas implicit in narrative, expository, persuasive, and poetic texts
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5. interact with others in creating, interpreting, and evaluating written, oral, and visual texts.
Content Standard Two – Producing Texts
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1. engage in writing, speaking, and developing visual texts through frequent reflection, reevaluation, and revision.
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2. gather, select, organize, and analyze information from primary and secondary sources
Content Standard Three - Applying English Conventions
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1. proofread and edit for grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization.
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2. develop fluency and competency in the English language arts by using the building upon the strengths of the learner's language and culture.
Content Standard Four – Exploring and Responding to Texts
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1. explore and respond to classic literary text that has shaped Western thought.
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2. examine the ways readers and writers are influenced by individual, social, cultural, and historical context.
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3. recognize literary conventions and devices and understand how they convey meaning
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4. demonstrating an understanding that literature represents, recreates, shapes and explores human experience through language and imagination.
Technology-safely and effectively uses resources, processes, concepts, and tools of technology.
Written, oral, and visual texts will help students achieve phonemic awareness and improve meaning and language fluency when reading unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter.
On a
word level,
students will understand layers of meaning. On a
sentence level,
students will integrate speech, reference, and quotation as well as mark trends over time (how Shakespeare created "new" words which are now part of our everyday vocabulary). On a
reading level
students will understand the author's craft, his standpoint, rhetorical devices, as well as analyze different cultural contexts. On a
writing level,
students will use exploratory writing, formal essay, and poetic form to present an effective argument using balanced analysis and citing textual evidence. Finally, on a
speaking and listening level,
students will use drama techniques to convey character interpretation, voice, and mood.