FIS Language Arts Curriculum Document
The Language Arts program will present a balanced,
integrated language program and foster a supportive, learner-centered
environment in which a child acquires a love and appreciation of language and
literature. By encouraging a
comprehensive understanding and competent use of the four interrelated language
skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening), the program will enable
children to think and express themselves clearly, communicate effectively with
others and understand the world around them.
Furthermore, by developing this facility with language, the program will
give children the skills which are essential to cross-cultural communication
and understanding. Thus, the Language
Arts program will provide children with the language skills that allow them to
reach their fullest individual potential in all aspects of their academic and
personal development.
It is the aim of the Franconian International School Language Arts program to foster in students the following attitudes, skills and concepts:
Attitudes:
-
a
positive and confident attitude toward language
-
an
enjoyment of language and literature as a source of pleasure and imagination
-
an
appreciation of language as a way to retrieve and communicate information,
ideas and feelings
Skills:
-
the
ability to express ideas and opinions clearly using a variety of strategies
-
the
ability to adapt their communication to suit different situations, purposes and
audiences
-
the
ability to retrieve and make sense of ideas and information
-
the
ability to use language as a tool to think clearly across the curriculum
Concepts:
-
an
awareness of the conventions of language and of the reading and writing
processes
-
an
awareness of the different purposes and functions of language
-
an
awareness of the diversity and sources of language and dialects
Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten
To achieve this level, students should be able to:
- enjoy listening to and using spoken language, and readily turn to it in their play and learning
- explore and experiment with sounds, words and texts
- listen with enjoyment and respond to stories, songs and other music, rhymes and poems and make up their own stories, songs, rhymes and poems
- use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences
- use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events
- sustain attentive listening, responding to what they have heard by relevant comments, questions or actions
- extend their vocabulary, exploring the meanings and sounds of new words
- retell narratives in the correct sequence, drawing on the language patterns of stories
- speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of listeners of the listener, for example by their use of conventions such as greetings, ‘please’ and ‘ thank you’
- hear and say initial and final sounds in words, and short vowel sounds within words
- link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet
- read a range of familiar and common words and simple sentences independently
- know that print carries meaning and, in English, is read from left to right and top to bottom
- show an understanding of the elements of stories, such as main characters, sequence of events, and openings, and how information can be found in non- fiction texts to answer questions about where, who, why and when
- attempt writing for various purposes, using features of different forms such as lists, stories and instructions
- write their own names and other things such as labels and captions and begin to form simple sentences, sometimes using punctuation
- use their phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words
- use a pencil and hold it effectively to form recognizable letters, most of which are correctly formed
Grade 1
To achieve this level, students should be able to:
- talk about matters of immediate interest
- listen to others and usually respond appropriately
- convey simple meaning to a range of listeners, speaking audibly
- begin to extend ideas or accounts by providing some detail
- recognise familiar words in simple texts
- use their knowledge of letters and sound symbol relationships in order to read words and establish meaning when reading aloud ( may sometimes require support)
- express their responses to poems, stories and non fiction by identifying aspects they like
- communicate meaning through simple words and phrases
- show awareness of how full stops are used when reading or writing
- clearly shape and correctly orientate letters
To achieve this level, students should be able to:
- show confidence in talking and listening particularly where the topic interests them
- on occasions, show awareness of the needs of the listener by including relevant detail
- speak clearly and use a growing vocabulary when developing and explaining ideas
- listen carefully and respond with increasing appropriateness to what others say
- begin to be aware that in some situations a more formal vocabulary and tone of voice are used
- read simple texts and show an understanding which is generally accurate
- express opinions about major events or ideas in stories, poems and non-fiction
- use more than one strategy, such as phonic, graphic, syntactic and contextual, in reading unfamiliar words and establishing meaning
- communicate meaning in both narrative and non narrative forms, using appropriate and increasing vocabulary, and showing some awareness of the reader
- develop ideas in a sequence of sentences, sometimes demarcated by capital letters and full stops
- spell simple, monosyllabic words correctly, and where there are inaccuracies the alternative is phonetically plausible
- form letters which are consistent in size and accuracy
To achieve this level, students should be able
to:
Speaking and
Listening
- Speak and listen confidently in familiar contexts
- Begin to explore and communicate their ideas
- Recognize and discuss the main points of a story or information
- Demonstrate development of listening skills via relevant comments and questions
- Begin to adapt what they say to the needs of listener, varying vocabulary to suit age type
- Read a range of texts with growing fluency and accuracy
- Begin to read independently, using some strategies to establish meaning
- Respond to fiction/non-fiction via the main points and express preferences
- Begin to use knowledge of alphabet to locate books and find information
Writing
Writing Skills
- Begin to write in an organised and clear manner
- Locate the main features of different forms of writing and know how they are used appropriately
- Sequence sentences and develop ideas, avoiding repetition of words and ideas
Handwriting
- Begin to write clearly and fluently
- Use joined writing in a legible manner
Spelling and Grammar
- Spell common words accurately most of the time, with plausible attempts at unknown words
- Use punctuation accurately, including speech marks, full stops, capital letters and question marks
To achieve this level, students should be able
to:
Speaking and
Listening
- Speak and listen confidently in different contexts
- Develop and communicate their ideas clearly
- Demonstrate solid understanding of main points and discuss them with relation to story or information
- Demonstrate listening skills via relevant comments and questions
- Adapt what they say to the needs of listener, varying vocabulary and expression
- Read a range of texts fluently and accurately
- Read independently, using varied strategies appropriately to establish meaning
- Respond to fiction/non-fiction via the main points and details and express preferences with support from the text or own experiences
- Confidently use knowledge of alphabet to locate books and find information
Writing
Writing Skills
- Write in an organised and clear manner
- Appropriately use the main features of different forms of writing, adapting to different readers
- Sequence sentences and extend ideas logically, choosing words for variety and interest
Handwriting
- Write clearly and fluently
- Use joined writing in a legible and confident manner
Spelling and Grammar
- Spell accurately most of the time
- Use capital letters and punctuation accurately, including end punctuation, commas, colons, apostrophes.
Grade 5
To achieve this level, students should be able
to:
Speaking and
Listening
- Speak and listen with confidence in a larger range of contexts
- Begin to adapt spoken language to fit the purpose of its use: explaining or narrating
- Listen during discussions so as to respond and ask questions to clarify their understanding
- Use appropriate features of English vocabulary and grammar
- Respond to a range of texts and literature
- Show understanding of significant ideas, themes, events and characters
- Use simple inferences and deduction to understand texts
- Begin to refer to the text and own experience when explaining views
- Locate and use references/information
Writing
Types of writing
- Choose and produce appropriate forms of writing to match their purpose
- Ideas are organized and supported with details
-