K-12 Anchor Standards

269 Pages·2015·2.78 MB·English

by  Stacy Ewings

Guilford Public Schools

Language Arts Curriculum
K-12

Approved by the Guilford Public Schools Board of Education

August 10, 2015

Table of Contents
Overview .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Language Arts Curriculum Guiding Beliefs ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
K-12 Anchor Standards ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Kindergarten .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Grade 1 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 31
Grade 2 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 53
Grade 3 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 73
Grade 4 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 95
Grade 5 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 121
Grade 6 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 145
Grade 7 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 167
Grade 8 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 189
Grades 9 & 10 ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 211
Grade 11 & 12 ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 233
Appendix A K-4 Literacy Unit Planning Guide ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 255
Appendix B Electronic Resources ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 259
Appendix C Principles of Learning ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 265

Guilford Public Schools
Language Arts Curriculum Review Committee
Overview

During the 2014-2015 school year, Guilford Public Schools formed a committee of staff representing each school to redefine learning goals for language
arts, to revise the current curriculum, and to incorporate the Connecticut Core Standards into the document. The results contained in this revision are
based on K-12 anchor standards and designed so that all Guilford students will have the opportunity to have a set of learning experiences to build the
skills they need regardless of the school they attend or whom they have as a teacher.

Content standards for each grade level guided the development of the curriculum and are integrated into student work products and demonstrations. For
each content standard, instructional approaches are provided to assist teachers in understanding the intent of the standard and focusing student learning
as it relates to the standard. Each grade level is organized to build on previous learning and prepare students for the next level of rigor while recognizing
that reading, writing, listening, and speaking are recursive processes that will continue to develop with more complex texts and topics across different
subjects.

The grade level curricular components of this document are organized into two columns. The first column identifies the student expectations to meet
the standard, and as new terms or concepts are introduced for the first time in the sequence, they are in bold font for easier recognition. The second
column provides instructional approaches, examples, or tasks developed by the committee as suggestions to support teachers in creating lessons that
invite effort and support academic rigor. The strategies reflect the Principles of Learning (see Appendix C) and the beliefs and practices, which the
committee identified through a review of research and professional literature. Additional electronic resources (see Appendix B) link to sample lessons
and digital texts for teachers to use in planning, and a K-4 Unit Plan (see Appendix A) provides a literacy scope and sequence to support consistent
instruction across four elementary schools.

The language arts curriculum will continue to be adjusted through targeted reviews as local, state, national, and professional research practices inform
the work.

George Cooksey High School Teacher, Guilford High Anne Keene Associate Superintendent
Mary Lamberton Middle School Teacher, Adams Middle Kim Pierce Elementary Teacher, Melissa Jones Elementary
Peter Cuticelli Middle School Teacher, Baldwin Middle Stacy Ewings Literacy Coach, District
Rita Burkhardt Elementary Teacher, Guilford Lakes Elementary Lauren Trotta Elementary Teacher, Calvin Leete Elementary
Heather Whittaker Elementary Teacher, A. W. Cox Elementary Gary Kaisen Board of Education Member
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Guilford Public Schools
Language Arts Curriculum Guiding Beliefs

Our expectations are that all students choose to read and write as part of a literate life.

The following statements support our beliefs:

 Learners make meaning through sharing, discussion, exchanging, and refining experience and language.

 Learners regularly need choice in what they read and write.

 Reading and writing should be meaningful to learners and relevant to their lives.

 Reading and writing are parallel processes that should be taught across the curriculum and in various
contexts.

 Instruction should be relevant and rigorous, causing learners to think deeply.

 Learners need to be immersed in a text-rich environment with a variety of quality materials.

 Learners need appropriate feedback in order to master language use.
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Introduction

This document is based on the assumptions that all students need a systematic, ongoing literacy program and that teachers, staff, administrators,
parents/guardians, and community members share the responsibility for developing students’ literacy. As students advance through the grades and
master the standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, they are able to exhibit with increasing regularity these capacities of the
literate individual.

First, students have a clear purpose for literacy learning. Students need to establish a base of knowledge across a wide range of subject matter by
engaging with works of quality, substance, and complexity. They become proficient in new areas through research and study. Students read purposefully
and listen attentively to gain both general and discipline-specific knowledge. They refine and communicate their understanding through writing and
speaking.

Students can comprehend and evaluate complex texts across a range of types and disciplines, and they can construct effective arguments and convey
intricate or multifaceted information. Likewise, students are able to discern a speaker’s key points, request clarification, and ask relevant questions.
They build on others’ ideas, articulate their own ideas, and confirm they have been understood. They demonstrate command of standard English and
acquire and use a wide vocabulary. More broadly, they become self-directed learners, effectively seeking out and using resources to assist them,
including teachers, peers, print and digital resources.

Students also employ technology legally, ethically, and responsibly to enhance their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use. They tailor
their searches online to acquire useful information efficiently, and they integrate what they learn using technology with what they learn offline. They are
familiar with the strengths and limitations of various technological tools and mediums and can select and use those best suited to their goals.

Students work diligently to understand precisely what an author or speaker is saying, but they also question an author’s or speaker’s assumptions and
assess the veracity of claims and the soundness of reasoning. Students actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures through reading and
listening, and they are able to communicate effectively. They evaluate other points of view critically and constructively. Through reading great classic
and contemporary works of literature representative of a variety of periods, cultures, and worldviews, students can vicariously inhabit worlds and have
experiences much different than their own.

Just as children learn to talk and read, swim or jump rope by imitating people who already know how, they learn to write by
mimicking the habits and strategies of real writers. Teachers play a valuable role in this process. By modeling good reading and
writing habits, they show students that reading and writing are important activities deserving of their time and attention.

– New Standards Literacy Standards

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K-12 Anchor Standards

Reading*
Range of Reading and
Key Ideas and Details Craft and Structure Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Level of Text
Complexity
Read closely to determine what the text Interpret words and phrases as they are used Integrate and evaluate content presented in Read and comprehend
says explicitly and to make logical in a text, including determining technical, diverse media and formats, including visually complex literary and
inferences from it; cite specific textual connotative, and figurative meanings, and and quantitatively, as well as in words. informational texts
evidence when writing or speaking to analyze how specific word choices shape independently and
support conclusions drawn from the text. meaning or tone. proficiently.
Determine central ideas or themes of a text Analyze the structure of texts, including Delineate and evaluate the argument and
and analyze their development; summarize how specific sentences, paragraphs, and specific claims in a text, including the validity
the key supporting details and ideas. larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, of the reasoning as well as the relevance and
chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other sufficiency of the evidence.
and the whole.
Analyze how and why individuals, events, Assess how point of view or purpose shapes Analyze how two or more texts address
or ideas develop and interact over the the content and style of a text. similar themes or topics in order to build
course of a text. knowledge or to compare the approaches the
authors take.
Writing
Text Types and Purposes Production and Distribution of Writing Research to Build and Present Knowledge Range of Writing
Write arguments to support claims in an Produce clear and coherent writing in which Conduct short as well as more sustained Write routinely over
analysis of substantive topics or texts using the development, organization, and style are research projects based on focused questions, extended time frames
valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. demonstrating understanding of the subject (time for research,
evidence. under investigation. reflection, and
revision) and shorter
Write informative/explanatory texts to Develop and strengthen writing as needed Gather relevant information from multiple
time frames (a single
examine and convey complex ideas and by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or print and digital sources, assess the credibility
sitting or a day or two)
information clearly and accurately through trying a new approach. and accuracy of each source, and integrate the
for a range of tasks,
the effective selection, organization, and information while avoiding plagiarism.
purposes, and
analysis of content.
audiences.
Write narratives to develop real or Use technology, including the Internet, to Draw evidence from literary or informational
imagined experiences or events using produce and publish writing and to interact texts to support analysis, reflection, and
effective technique, well-chosen details and collaborate with others. research.
and well-structured event sequences.
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K-12 Anchor Standards

Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can
collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are
their own clearly and persuasively. appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express
including visually, quantitatively, and orally. information and enhance understanding of presentations.
Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating
command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Language
Conventions of Standard English Knowledge of Language Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Demonstrate command of the conventions of Apply knowledge of language to understand how Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and
standard English grammar and usage when writing language functions in different contexts, to make multiple-meaning words and phrases by using
or speaking. effective choices for meaning or style, and to context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and
comprehend more fully when reading or listening. consulting general and specialized reference
materials, as appropriate.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of Demonstrate understanding of figurative language,
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
spelling when writing.

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.
*K-12 Anchor Standards do not include Foundational Reading Standards which are for K-5 only.
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