Language Arts

• Reading
• Spelling
• Writing

The Language Arts of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking are fundamental to all learning and thinking, and thus, will be integrated and taught by all teachers throughout every area of the curriculum. Curriculum which is integrated and meaningful to students will foster the district goal of enabling students to be self-directed lifelong learners. The Language Arts curriculum will provide structure but will also allow flexibility of material selection and activities to be used in individual classrooms. The following guidelines will promote effective Language Arts instruction:

• Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking are processes which support and reinforce each other and will be integrated whenever possible.
• The goal of Reading instruction is to understand written materials. Each child will be encouraged to relate what he already knows to what he is reading, and he will have many opportunities to interact with a variety of texts and materials in meaningful ways.
• Writing will be taught as a process which includes pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Several forms of writing will be identified and taught at each grade level.
• Ample classroom time will be allotted for children to actively use reading and writing for thoughtful, relevant, and authentic purposes.
• Personal reading will be used to foster the habit of reading as an important and enjoyable element of daily life.
• Emphasis will be placed on the teaching of strategies which promote higher level thinking abilities and encourage learning from text.

To accomplish the above, a variety of materials is used. This includes the literature series entitled "A New View" which is published by Macmillan and may include novel studies, supplementary books, teacher-made activities, and additional items.

Grouping in Language Arts

In order to meet the individual needs of all students, flexible grouping strategies will be used in all classrooms. Flexible grouping allows a teacher to form temporary groups based on students' strengths, needs, or interests. Research has shown that flexible grouping increases instructional time for all students, improves students' self-concept, fosters positive attitudes towards the Language Arts, eliminates tracking of students, and provides all students with enrichment opportunities. The teacher may work with individuals, pairs, small groups, or provide whole-group instruction. This model allows teachers the freedom to daily evaluate and implement instructional grouping based upon the needs of the class. It provides all students with a successful Language Arts experience.

• District 204 Language Arts: K-5 Curriculum SubWeb