The English Language Arts Program is divided into three strands:
● Speaking and Listening
● Reading and Viewing
● Writing and Other Ways of Representing
Throughout the year, these three strands will be evaluated in a variety of ways including but not limited to:
● Reading Logs
● Reading Responses
● Writer’s Notebook
● Other Writer’s Workshops
● Observations
● Checklists
● Conferences
● Presentations
● Self Assessment
● Speaking and Listening
● Reading and Viewing
● Writing and Other Ways of Representing
Throughout the year, these three strands will be evaluated in a variety of ways including but not limited to:
● Reading Logs
● Reading Responses
● Writer’s Notebook
● Other Writer’s Workshops
● Observations
● Checklists
● Conferences
● Presentations
● Self Assessment
ELA 7 Outcomes
Speaking and Listening
GCO 1: Students will be expected to speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences.
1.1 recognize that contributions from many participants are needed to generate and sustain discussions
1.2 know how and when to ask questio Students will be expected to communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond personally and critically. ns that call for elaboration and clarification; give appropriate responses when asked for the same information
1.3 express clearly and with conviction, a personal point of view, and be able to support that position
1.4 listen attentively to grasp the essential elements of a message, and recognize and consider supporting details
GCO 2: Students will be expected to communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond personally and critically.
2.1 participate in small-group conversation and whole-class discussion recognizing that there are a range of strategies that contribute to effective talk
2.2 recognize that different purposes and audiences influence communication choices such as vocabulary, sentence structure, rate of speech, and tone during talk; consider appropriate communication choices in various speaking contexts
2.3 follow instructions and respond to questions and directions
2.4 evaluate speakers and the effectiveness of their talk in particular contexts; identify the verbal and non-verbal language cues used by speakers (e.g., repetition, volume, and eye contact)
GCO 3: Students will be expected to interact with sensitivity and respect, considering the situation, audience, and purpose.
3.1 demonstrate active speaking and listening skills such as making eye contact, rephrasing when appropriate, clarifying comments, extending, refining, and/or summarizing points already made
3.2 demonstrate a respect for others by developing effective ways to express personal opinions such that they reflect sensitivity to others, including differences in culture and language
3.3 recognize that spoken language reveals values and attitudes such as bias, beliefs, and prejudice; understand how language is used to influence and manipulate
3.4 recognize that different situations (interviews, speeches, debates, conversation) require different speaking and listening conventions (questioning techniques, persuasive talk, formal language) appropriate to the situation
Reading and Viewing
GCO 4: Students will be expected to select, read, and view with understanding a range of literature, information, media, and visual texts.
4.1 select texts that address their learning needs and range of special interests
4.2 read widely and experience a variety of young adult fiction and literature from different provinces and countries
4.3 demonstrate an awareness of how authors use pictorial, typographical, and organizational devices such as photos, titles, headings, and bold print to achieve certain purposes in their writing, and use those devices more regularly to construct meaning and enhance understanding
4.4 develop some independence in recognizing and using various reading and viewing strategies (predicting, questioning, etc.) and in using cueing systems (graphophonic, contextual, syntactic, etc.) to construct meaning; apply and develop these strategies and systems while reading and viewing increasingly complex print and media texts
4.5 talk and write about the various processes and strategies readers and viewers apply when constructing meaning from various texts; recognize and articulate personal processes and strategies used when reading or viewing various texts
GCO 5: Students will be expected to interpret, select, and combine information using a variety of strategies, resources, and technologies.
5.1 identify and articulate personal needs and personal learning needs with growing clarity and some independence
5.2 become increasingly aware of and use periodically the many print and non-print avenues and sources (Internet, documentaries, interviews) through which information can be accessed and selected
5.3 use research strategies like issue mapping and webbing to guide research
GCO 6: Students will be expected to respond personally to a range of texts.
6.1 extend personal responses, either orally or in writing, to print and non-print texts by explaining in some detail initial or basic reactions to those texts
6.2 make evaluations or judgments about texts and express personal points of view
6.3 find evidence and examples in texts to support personal views about themes, issues, and situations
GCO 7: Students will be expected to respond critically to a range of texts, applying their understanding of language, form, and genre.
7.1 recognize that print and media texts can be biased and become aware of some of the ways that information is organized and structured to suit a particular point of view
7.2 recognize that print and media texts are constructed for particular readers and purposes; begin to identify the textual elements used by authors
7.3 develop an ability to respond critically to various texts in a variety of ways such as identifying, describing, and discussing the form, structure, and content of texts and how they might contribute to meaning construction and understanding • recognize that personal knowledge, ideas, values, perceptions, and points of view influence how writers create texts • become aware of how and when personal background influences meaning construction, understanding, and textual response • recognize that there are values inherent in a text, and begin to identify those values • explore how various cultures and realities are portrayed in media texts
Writing and Other Ways of Representing
GCO 8: Students will be expected to use writing and other ways of representing to explore, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings; and to use their imagination.
8.1 experiment with a range of strategies (brainstorming, sketching, free writing) to extend and explore learning, to reflect on their own and others' ideas, and to identify problems and consider solutions
8.2 become aware of and describe the writing strategies that help them learn; express an understanding of their personal growth as language learners and language users
8.3 understand that note-making is purposeful and has many purposes (e.g., personal use, gathering information for an assignment, recording what has happened and what others have said) and many forms, (e.g., lists, summaries, observations, and descriptions)
8.4 demonstrate an ability to integrate interesting effects in imaginative writing and other forms of representation • consider thoughts and feelings in addition to external descriptions and activities • integrate detail that adds richness and density • identify and correct inconsistencies and avoid extraneous detail • make effective language choices relevant to style and purpose • select more elaborate and sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing
GCO 9: Students will be expected to create texts collaboratively and independently, using a variety of forms for a range of audiences and purposes.
9.1 produce a range of writing forms, for example, stories, cartoons, journals, business and personal letters, speeches, reports, interviews, messages, poems, and advertisements
9.2 recognize that a writer's choice of form is influenced by both the writing purpose (to entertain, inform, request, record, describe) and the reader for whom the text is intended (e.g., understand how and why a note to a friend differs from a letter requesting information)
9.3 demonstrate an understanding that ideas can be represented in more than one way and experiment with using other forms such as dialogue, posters, and advertisements
9.4 develop the awareness that content, writing style, tone of voice, language choice, and text organization need to fit the reader and suit the reason for writing
9.5 ask for reader feedback while writing and use this feedback when shaping subsequent drafts; consider self-generated drafts from a reader's/viewer's/listener's point of view
GCO 10: Students will be expected to use a range of strategies to develop effective writing and other ways of representing and to enhance their clarity, precision, and effectiveness.
10.1 understand and use conventions for spelling familiar words correctly; rely on knowledge of spelling conventions to attempt difficult words; check for correctness; demonstrate control over most punctuation and standard grammatical structures in writing most of the time; use a variety of sentence patterns, vocabulary, and paragraph structures to aid effective written communication
10.2 recognize and begin to use more often the specific prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, and presentation strategies that most effectively help to produce various texts
10.3 acquire some exposure to the various technologies used for communicating to a variety of audiences for a range of purposes (videos, e-mail, word processing, audiotapes)
10.4 demonstrate a commitment to crafting pieces of writing and other representations
10.5 collect information from several sources (interviews, film, CD-ROMs, texts) and combine ideas in communication
GCO 1: Students will be expected to speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences.
1.1 recognize that contributions from many participants are needed to generate and sustain discussions
1.2 know how and when to ask questio Students will be expected to communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond personally and critically. ns that call for elaboration and clarification; give appropriate responses when asked for the same information
1.3 express clearly and with conviction, a personal point of view, and be able to support that position
1.4 listen attentively to grasp the essential elements of a message, and recognize and consider supporting details
GCO 2: Students will be expected to communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond personally and critically.
2.1 participate in small-group conversation and whole-class discussion recognizing that there are a range of strategies that contribute to effective talk
2.2 recognize that different purposes and audiences influence communication choices such as vocabulary, sentence structure, rate of speech, and tone during talk; consider appropriate communication choices in various speaking contexts
2.3 follow instructions and respond to questions and directions
2.4 evaluate speakers and the effectiveness of their talk in particular contexts; identify the verbal and non-verbal language cues used by speakers (e.g., repetition, volume, and eye contact)
GCO 3: Students will be expected to interact with sensitivity and respect, considering the situation, audience, and purpose.
3.1 demonstrate active speaking and listening skills such as making eye contact, rephrasing when appropriate, clarifying comments, extending, refining, and/or summarizing points already made
3.2 demonstrate a respect for others by developing effective ways to express personal opinions such that they reflect sensitivity to others, including differences in culture and language
3.3 recognize that spoken language reveals values and attitudes such as bias, beliefs, and prejudice; understand how language is used to influence and manipulate
3.4 recognize that different situations (interviews, speeches, debates, conversation) require different speaking and listening conventions (questioning techniques, persuasive talk, formal language) appropriate to the situation
Reading and Viewing
GCO 4: Students will be expected to select, read, and view with understanding a range of literature, information, media, and visual texts.
4.1 select texts that address their learning needs and range of special interests
4.2 read widely and experience a variety of young adult fiction and literature from different provinces and countries
4.3 demonstrate an awareness of how authors use pictorial, typographical, and organizational devices such as photos, titles, headings, and bold print to achieve certain purposes in their writing, and use those devices more regularly to construct meaning and enhance understanding
4.4 develop some independence in recognizing and using various reading and viewing strategies (predicting, questioning, etc.) and in using cueing systems (graphophonic, contextual, syntactic, etc.) to construct meaning; apply and develop these strategies and systems while reading and viewing increasingly complex print and media texts
4.5 talk and write about the various processes and strategies readers and viewers apply when constructing meaning from various texts; recognize and articulate personal processes and strategies used when reading or viewing various texts
GCO 5: Students will be expected to interpret, select, and combine information using a variety of strategies, resources, and technologies.
5.1 identify and articulate personal needs and personal learning needs with growing clarity and some independence
5.2 become increasingly aware of and use periodically the many print and non-print avenues and sources (Internet, documentaries, interviews) through which information can be accessed and selected
5.3 use research strategies like issue mapping and webbing to guide research
GCO 6: Students will be expected to respond personally to a range of texts.
6.1 extend personal responses, either orally or in writing, to print and non-print texts by explaining in some detail initial or basic reactions to those texts
6.2 make evaluations or judgments about texts and express personal points of view
6.3 find evidence and examples in texts to support personal views about themes, issues, and situations
GCO 7: Students will be expected to respond critically to a range of texts, applying their understanding of language, form, and genre.
7.1 recognize that print and media texts can be biased and become aware of some of the ways that information is organized and structured to suit a particular point of view
7.2 recognize that print and media texts are constructed for particular readers and purposes; begin to identify the textual elements used by authors
7.3 develop an ability to respond critically to various texts in a variety of ways such as identifying, describing, and discussing the form, structure, and content of texts and how they might contribute to meaning construction and understanding • recognize that personal knowledge, ideas, values, perceptions, and points of view influence how writers create texts • become aware of how and when personal background influences meaning construction, understanding, and textual response • recognize that there are values inherent in a text, and begin to identify those values • explore how various cultures and realities are portrayed in media texts
Writing and Other Ways of Representing
GCO 8: Students will be expected to use writing and other ways of representing to explore, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings; and to use their imagination.
8.1 experiment with a range of strategies (brainstorming, sketching, free writing) to extend and explore learning, to reflect on their own and others' ideas, and to identify problems and consider solutions
8.2 become aware of and describe the writing strategies that help them learn; express an understanding of their personal growth as language learners and language users
8.3 understand that note-making is purposeful and has many purposes (e.g., personal use, gathering information for an assignment, recording what has happened and what others have said) and many forms, (e.g., lists, summaries, observations, and descriptions)
8.4 demonstrate an ability to integrate interesting effects in imaginative writing and other forms of representation • consider thoughts and feelings in addition to external descriptions and activities • integrate detail that adds richness and density • identify and correct inconsistencies and avoid extraneous detail • make effective language choices relevant to style and purpose • select more elaborate and sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing
GCO 9: Students will be expected to create texts collaboratively and independently, using a variety of forms for a range of audiences and purposes.
9.1 produce a range of writing forms, for example, stories, cartoons, journals, business and personal letters, speeches, reports, interviews, messages, poems, and advertisements
9.2 recognize that a writer's choice of form is influenced by both the writing purpose (to entertain, inform, request, record, describe) and the reader for whom the text is intended (e.g., understand how and why a note to a friend differs from a letter requesting information)
9.3 demonstrate an understanding that ideas can be represented in more than one way and experiment with using other forms such as dialogue, posters, and advertisements
9.4 develop the awareness that content, writing style, tone of voice, language choice, and text organization need to fit the reader and suit the reason for writing
9.5 ask for reader feedback while writing and use this feedback when shaping subsequent drafts; consider self-generated drafts from a reader's/viewer's/listener's point of view
GCO 10: Students will be expected to use a range of strategies to develop effective writing and other ways of representing and to enhance their clarity, precision, and effectiveness.
10.1 understand and use conventions for spelling familiar words correctly; rely on knowledge of spelling conventions to attempt difficult words; check for correctness; demonstrate control over most punctuation and standard grammatical structures in writing most of the time; use a variety of sentence patterns, vocabulary, and paragraph structures to aid effective written communication
10.2 recognize and begin to use more often the specific prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, and presentation strategies that most effectively help to produce various texts
10.3 acquire some exposure to the various technologies used for communicating to a variety of audiences for a range of purposes (videos, e-mail, word processing, audiotapes)
10.4 demonstrate a commitment to crafting pieces of writing and other representations
10.5 collect information from several sources (interviews, film, CD-ROMs, texts) and combine ideas in communication