where to begin?
Teaching Language Arts is so liberating for me. The curriculum is a loose guideline. There's a list of concepts and skills to learn; however, how we teach the subject and using which resources is completely up to us. It is in Language Arts class that my students have the most say in what we will be learning. In the first few weeks of school, students answer several questions so that I can get to know them better. It is in discovering their interests that I begin brainstorming themes, projects and resources. For example, I once had a class who shared my love of polar bears. I created an entire unit about saving the arctic! I included your typical resources about polar bears and the Arctic, then I went a step further to include primary and secondary sources on Sir Franklin's Expedition, the Exxon Oil Spill, Greenpeace and climate change. And finally, as a class, we had a fundraiser to adopt a polar bear family through the World Wildlife Foundation!
the plan.
![]() Planning for an entire school year seems daunting, and frankly, unrealistic. However, it is important to know where you're going and what needs to be covered. I spent several months working on the following must-teach concepts and skills for my Language Arts classes.
genre. I do my very best to expose my students to a variety of genres of writing, especially to those who "dislike" reading. All of my classroom books are labelled by genre and my students are to complete a book report each month on a genre of their choice.
Here are the genres I choose to cover in a year: Fiction:
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6+ Traits of writing. The 6+1 Traits of Writing is at the core of my Language Arts class, regardless of the grade I teach. I highly suggest reading the 6+1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide by Ruth Culham.
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read-alouds.
At the beginning of each and every Language Arts class, my students gather around me in a circle and anxiously await for me to read to them. It is hard to believe some grades would enjoy this; but I assure you, even high school students love being read to (they stayed seated in their assigned seats however). I choose novels that are of interest to my students. It is during read-alouds that I properly demonstrate fluency, intonation and pausing. I stop at unknown or difficult words and determine its meaning using context clues. I also focus on inferencing by asking thought-provoking questions. Many of my classroom activities are linked somehow to my read-alouds.
At the elementary level, I adore reading the historical fiction series: "I Survived" by Lauren Tarshis. I normally give a short summary of the setting before reading so that students understand the time period and the circumstances surrounding the character. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger so students beg for me to read more! Students already know the main character survives the disaster therefore they focus less on the ending and more on the plot. |
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CURRICULUM MAP
I organize all of this information in tables by unit. Here's a blank table to give you an idea of what my curriculum map looks like:
goal setting and data tracking
Tracking success leads to more success. Tracking failure shows where we need to improve.
Students track their success and individual goals in a duotang. At the beginning of the year, we track our successes and goals as a class; I designate 5 minutes to ensure everyone is completing the tables appropriately. As the year progresses, the students are responsible for the tracking on their own. I also demonstrate the importance of setting SMART goals and tracking successes by displaying our stamina for Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listening to Reading, Word Work, and Work on Writing through charts in the classroom.
I use several resources from Teachers Pay Teachers, both paid and free, to include in my student's personal data folders.
The following resources can be used for any grade:
These resources are intended for Kindergarten: