Prime Language Arts
(For Pre-Prime Language Arts curiculum, click here.)
Philosophy
Reading is more than decoding words; it is a complex process of making meaning from a variety of symbols. The Prime Division emphasizes both the breadth and depth in reading experiences across disciplines. The program emphasizes reading for both information and enjoyment. Instruction involves skills that support comprehension and fluency. The faculty selects readings with content appropriate to the social-emotional development of the students. The school curriculum, and the readings that support it, is thematically organized with a strong emphasis on high-level reasoning.
Written expression is the most tangible form of language arts. Learning to write accurately and effectively is one of the most important skills in school. Writing is an art that can never be perfected, however, it can be continually improved. Whether strengths lie in the sciences, the arts, or any other area, academic success is affected by the ability to write successfully. In the Prime Division, writing opportunities are plentiful. Students write about what they know and feel, and write for real world purposes.
Oral communication includes the processes of listening and speaking. Listening is a social skill that requires self-discipline crucial to learning. Respectful listening demonstrates an openness to the beliefs, opinions, and ideas of others. Respectful response is the acknowledgment of the speaker in an appropriate manner. The second component to oral communication is speaking. Students need to learn to effectively express ideas and speak confidently in a public setting. The curriculum is designed to provide ongoing opportunities for students to express their ideas orally and to speak in public.
Content
The content of the Prime Division language arts curriculum encompasses writing, reading, and oral communication (listening and speaking). Language arts activities include phonics, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, mechanics – including the mechanics of language and writing, literature studies, independent reading, journal writing, creative writing, and oral presentations.
Reading. The purpose of our reading instruction is to expose students to a wide range of fiction and nonfiction literature, teach comprehension strategies, and encourage students to apply analytical, creative, and critical thinking skills.
Writing. Students are encouraged to take risks with writing and provide frequent experiences that support, develop, and extend the writing abilities of all students. Students write about what they know and feel. They write for real world purposes. They have many opportunities to write in different forms, for different purposes, and to different audiences, including making class books, journals, writing mathematical explanations, book reviews, poetry, and story writing. Students learn strategies for organizing and expressing their ideas in writing by learning process writing (brainstorming, writing first draft, sharing, editing, writing final draft, publishing). Students learn grammar and the mechanics of language and apply the skills that they have learned to their writing. Students also study writing in conjunction with their study of reading.
Oral Communication. Opportunities are interwoven throughout the Prime curriculum for developing listening and speaking skills, including fluently expressing ideas, listening and responding to the ideas of others, and speaking in a public setting. Forums for public speaking include discussions, sharing and presentations, debate, creative dramatics, and storytelling. The Prime language arts curriculum is designed to provide students with the skills necessary for them to be successful readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. There are many skills that fluent readers work to develop throughout their school career. Students move along this continuum at their own pace, completing the skills sequence before moving divisions. Word Study
Skills
Reading Skills
Literary Behavior
The language arts include writing, reading, and oral communication (listening and speaking). They both are interdependent and complementary processes. Communication, receptive and expressive, is the foundation for all learning. In our classroom, literacy is integrated in all content areas in a cyclical, non-linear manner.
Basic skills develop most readily when they are meaningful to children. The children learn basic skills such as: book handling, knowing and writing their name, print orientation, auditory discrimination (initial sounds, rhyming), visual discrimination (same/different objects and letters, colors) identifying letters by name and understanding the concept of a word. Learning to read, write, speak, and listen is dependent upon physical, social emotional, and intellectual development. Children have many opportunities to develop language literacy through meaningful experiences such as: listening to and reading stories and poems; seeing classroom charts and other print in use. Children are introduced to literacy through developmentally appropriate themes, rhymes, songs, and activities in our Scholastic programs, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Let’s Find Out, and Weekly Reader. Our program also includes: Sadlier: Getting Ready to Read With Mother Goose, and Sadlier: Phonics Reading.
Writing is integrated throughout the curriculum in a variety of settings. For example each child will have an individual journal which they will use daily. Journal topics will vary from day to day. Covering questions like… “What did you do over the weekend?”, “How do you feel today?”, and other questions whether they are specific or open-ended. Children will also experiment with writing by drawing, copying, and inventing their own spelling.
