free to provide students with whatever tools and knowledge their professional judgment and experience identify as most helpful for meeting the goals set out in the Standards. An integrated model of literacy Although the Standards are divided into Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language strands for conceptual clarity, the processes of communication are closely connected, as reflected throughout this document. For example, Writing standard 9 requires that students be able to write about what they read. Likewise, Speaking and Listening standard 4 sets the expectation that students will share findings from their research. Research and media skills blended into the Standards as a whole To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society, students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and report on information and ideas, to conduct original research in order to answer questions or solve problems, and to analyze and create a high volume and extensive range of print and nonprint texts in media forms old and new. The need to conduct research and to produce and consume media is embedded into every aspect of today’s curriculum. In like fashion, research and media skills and understandings are embedded throughout the Standards rather than treated in a separate section. Shared responsibility for students’ literacy development The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language be a shared responsibility within the school. The K-5 standards include expectations for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language applicable to a range of subjects, including but not limited to ELA. The grades 6-12 standards are divided into two sections, one for ELA and the other for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. This division reflects the unique, time-honored place of ELA teachers in developing students’ literacy skills while at the same time recognizing that teachers in other areas must have a role in this development as well. The Standards are not in calling for a special emphasis on informational text. The 2015 reading framework of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) requires a high and increasing proportion of informational text on its assessment as students advance through the grades.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language The grades K-5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) Anchor standards below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate. Conventions of Standard English CCRA.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. CCRA.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Knowledge of Language CCRA.L.3 knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use CCRA.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate. CCRA.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. CCRA.L.6 Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression. Note on range and content of student language use To build a foundation for college and career readiness in language, students must gain control over many conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics as well as learn other ways to use language to convey meaning effectively. They must also be able to determine or clarify the meaning of grade-appropriate words encountered through listening, reading, and media use; come to appreciate that words have nonliteral meanings, shadings of meaning, and relationships to other words; and expand their vocabulary in the course of studying content. The inclusion of Language standards in their own strand should not be taken as an indication that skills related to conventions, effective language use, and vocabulary are unimportant to reading, writing, speaking, and listening; indeed, they are inseparable from such contexts.
interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts. L.K.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. Recognize and name end punctuation. Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships. L.1.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Capitalize dates and names of people. Use end punctuation for sentences. Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series. Use conventional spelling for with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions. L.2.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names. Use commas in greetings and closings of letters. Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives. Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil). Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spelling. Knowledge of Language Kindergarteners: Grade 1 Students: Grade 2 Students: L.K.3 (Begins in grade 2) L.1.3 (Begins in grade 2) L.2.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. Compare formal and informal uses of English. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use Kindergarteners: 1 Students: 2 Students: L.K.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content. Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., L.1.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies. Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. L.2.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies. Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Get Up and Go! by Nancy Carlson (2008) Go Wash Up by Doering Tourville (2008) Sleep by Paul Showers (1997) Fuel the Body by Doering Tourville (2008) Taking care of your body: Germs, diseases, and preventing illness Germs Make Me Sick by Marilyn Berger (1995) Tiny Life on Your Body by Christine Taylor-Butler (2005) Germ Stories by Arthur Kornberg (2007) All Scabs by Genichiro Yagu (1998) Showdown at the Food Pyramid by Rex Barron (2004) Muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems The Mighty Muscular and Skeletal Systems Crabtree Publishing (2009) Muscles by Seymour Simon (1998) Bones by Seymour Simon (1998) The Astounding Nervous System Crabtree Publishing (2009) The Nervous System by Joelle Riley (2004) The Remarkable Respiratory System by John Burstein (2009) Endocrine system The Endocrine System by Rebecca (2006) The Exciting Endocrine System by John Burstein (2009) Idaho Content Standards