Elementary English Language Arts
English Language Arts (ELA) instruction purpose is to teach reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing as modalities using critical thinking skills to communicate ideas and problem solve. Literacy educators know that the knowledge, skills, and strategies of language arts are integrated throughout all curriculums, making ELA the driving force for gaining knowledge in the content areas.
In elementary school, it is essential to teach the foundational skills of reading. Literacy educators teach the skill of decoding, the ability to sound out words based on phonics rules, enabling students to quickly and accurately read familiar and unfamiliar words in connected text (Gough and Tunmer, 1986). The components of literacy, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension, plus writing and oral language are all inclusive and bound together to produce a fluent reader and writer enabling a student to “read to learn” in future grade levels.
Resources and supports from the Instructional Supports Department (ISD) English Language Arts (ELA) team are posted here for reference to use to accomplish the purpose of teaching ELA.
Curriculum Maps & Standards
The Utah Common Core State Standards represent the desired outcomes at the end of the year to determine if students have met the standard and to measure progress throughout the year. As specified by the Council of Chief State and School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA), the Standards are (1) research and evidence-based, (2) aligned with college and work expectations, (3) rigorous, and (4) internationally benchmarked. A standard was included only when the best available evidence indicated its mastery was essential for college and career readiness in a twenty-first-century, globally competitive society.
ELA standards are broken into four main strands; reading, writing, listening and speaking, and language. Each strand uses the same anchor standards, but also includes specific standards fine-tuned to the literacy requirement of that grade. The standards are an integrated model of literacy, although they are divided into four separate strands for conceptual clarity. Each standard does not need to be a separate focus for instruction and assessment, and several standards can often be addressed by a single rich task. For example, when drawing evidence from literary and informational texts (Writing Standard 9), students are also demonstrating comprehension skills that address grade-specific Reading standards.
Additional Information can be found in the curriculum map for each grade level by accessing manuals.canyonsdistrict.org.
Adapted from USBE
Elementary English Language Arts Index
Adopted Curriculum
Additional Information can be found in the curriculum map for each grade level by accessing manuals.canyonsdistrict.org.
Core English Language Arts
Interventions and Supports
95% Group Phonological Awareness Kit (K-2)
95% Group Phonics Lesson Library (2-5)
Early Reading Intervention (ERI) Kit-Kindergarten only
KPALS (Kindergarten)
PALS (1st grade)
Phonics for Reading
Rewards Intermediate Level (4-5)
Saxon Phonics (K-3)
Small Group Instruction Manual
Reading Software
Assessment
Assessment is an important component for tracking learning. There is a strong correlation between student achievement and having student’s track their progress.
Universal Screening:
Curriculum-based measurement is a set of measures used to assess the essential early literacy and reading skills for students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Acadience is used to:
- Identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties
- Help teachers identify areas to target instructional support
- Monitor progress of students
- Examine the effectiveness of instructional support
The following assessments can be adapted and modified to support teachers or teams with gathering evidence of student learning.
Reading Street Test Type
College and Career Readiness (CCR)
Provides test opportunities involving text-based comprehension, vocabulary, and writing in multiple choice haptic response as well as constructed and extended response.
Balanced Assessments
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Baseline and End of Year
Cumulative assessments administered at the end or the beginning of each grade and assess comprehension skills, high-frequency words, phonics skills, written conventions and writing through multiple choice and constructed response format. The Baseline test identifies below level, on level, and strategic students.
Writing to Sources
Provides opportunities for students to demonstrate comprehension by responding to multiple sources within the unit of instruction.
Unit or Weekly Tests
Multiple choice format. Measures student’s abilities to apply target comprehension skills and other literacy skills taught during each week or unit.
Fresh Reads for Fluency and Comprehension
Multiple choice constructed response test administered throughout the year. Provides an opportunity to assess the target and review comprehension skills of the week with a new reading selection.
Additional Information can be found in the curriculum map for each grade level by accessing manuals.canyonsdistrict.org.
Professional Development
More to come
Resources
Reading Street Sight Words-Unit 1
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Week 3
- Week 4
- Week 5
- Week 6
Reading Street Sight Words-Unit 2
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Week 3
- Week 4
- Week 5
- Week 6
Reading Street Sight Words-Unit 3
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Week 3
- Week 4
- Week 5
- Week 6
Reading Street Sight Words-Unit 4
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Week 3
- Week 4
- Week 5
- Week 6
Reading Street Sight Words-Unit 5
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Week 3
- Week 4
- Week 5
- Week 6
Decodable A Practice Sheets
- Unit 1 Week 1a
- Unit 1 Week 1b
- Unit 1 Week 2a
- Unit 1 Week 2b
- Unit 1 Week 3a
- Unit 1 Week 3b
- Unit 1 Week 4a
- Unit 1 Week 4b
- Unit 1 Week 5a
- Unit 1 Week 5b
- Unit 1 Week 6a
- Unit 1 Week 6b
- Unit 2 Week 1a
- Unit 2 Week 1b
- Unit 2 Week 2a
- Unit 2 Week 2b
- Unit 2 Week 3a
- Unit 2 Week 3b
- Unit 2 Week 4a
- Unit 2 Week 4b
- Unit 2 Week 5a
- Unit 2 Week 5b
- Unit 2 Week 6a
- Unit 2 Week 6b
Phonics and PA Templates
- Tracking Mat
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
- Academic Vocabulary
- Big Idea
- Questions of the Week
- Amazing Words Unit 1
- Amazing Words Unit 2
- Amazing Words Unit 3
- Amazing Words Unit 4
- Amazing Words Unit 5
- Amazing Words Unit 6
5th Grade
Elkonin Boxes
Phonics
- Alphabet Arch – 34 Activities
- Alphabet Arc – Activity Model
Phonological Awareness Templates
- Onset-Rime – Say It, Tap It, Map It, Track It
- Primary Phonemes – Say It, Tap It, Map It, Graph It
- Primary Sound – Spelling Mapping Grid
- Say It – Move It Template Card with box
- Tracking Mat for Advanced PA
- Sound boxes to Writing words
- Sound to Print Dictation
Structured Classroom Discussion
- Discussion Cards pg 1
- Discussion Cards pg 2