Language Arts is a BEAST of a subject! Encompassing all that is reading, writing, listening and speaking--- it is a subject that should, by right, take up most of every year's curriculum. The nice thing (and rather obvious) is that all of those skills are needed in the other subjects. So it's a major goal of ours in 4/5: Build LA skills throughout the curriculum... helping them to read to appreciate various genres, write for purpose, listen for knowledge and content, and speak to teach and influence others.
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READINGMost weeks, my kids are responsible for reading and logging 100-140 minutes. Why? Because independent reading and analysis is the number one precursor to success. That said, learning to read is like learning to walk. Kids will learn to read when it is developmentally appropriate for each individual to do so. When a student does not read, or does not like to read by grade 4 however, there is most likely a cause outside of just the "want".
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WRITINGThroughout the year, 4/5 kids will be practicing the craft of writing through different genres and disciplines. In science and social studies classes, the kids learn and practice writing informational answers/ideas while using support from primary and secondary resources.
In our base language arts classes, our kids use the writing process to create pieces of writing in several genres: persuasive, narrative, biographic, etc. |
LISTENING and SPEAKINGThere are many opportunities for our kids to practice feeling comfortable in talking to small and large groups. Some example activities are: book projects, skits, how-to tellings, story retellings, video projects, etc..
Another point of practice for 4/5 students is active listening. We want our kids to be participants and take ownership of their own learning. This means being able to take risks with their ideas, listening to others' opinions, show willingness to compromise, etc. |