English Language Arts for the Elementary Level - A Curriculum Guide. Resources used in units of study should include materials from school resource centres, and regional and public libraries. Resource centre personnel can assist teachers in coordinating the purchasing, sharing and exchanging of resources. When planning the acquisition of resources, the needs of ESL students should be considered. Resource collections should include resources in students' first languages.
Oral literatures are also important resources.
This curriculum provides an opportunity to review funding priorities. For example, the funds previously budgeted for the purchase and replacement of costly class sets of reading, phonics, and spelling workbooks and texts could be allocated to supply classrooms and resource centres with quality children's literature, big books, chart paper and other writing and publishing supplies. This curriculum encourages frequent small and large group interaction. The arrangement of classroom furniture and facilities needs to accommodate group sharing, groups projects, and strategies such as conferencing. Reading corners or similar areas which offer a comfortable and relaxed setting for reading and sharing should be established in every elementary classroom.