Common

Understandings
“Learning to read and write is one of the most important and powerful achievements
in life. Its value is clearly seen in the faces of young children. Ensuring that all young
children reach their potentials as readers and writers is the shared responsibility of
teachers, administrators, families, and communities. Educators have a special
responsibility to teach every child and not to blame children, families, or each other
when the task is difficult. All responsible adults need to work together to help
children become competent readers and writers.” (NAEYC, 1998).
Understanding
Language
1. Language encompasses oral, written, and visual mode. Each mode is
both receptive and expressive.

2. Children learn language, learn about language, and learn through

language in a simultaneous, integrated fashion.

3. Language develops through use and, like thinking, is a process that

embraces all curriculum areas.
Understanding
Curriculum
1. Understanding curriculum requires that the purposes of the language
and literacy program are clear and focused.

2. The purpose of the language arts program is to develop children’s

reading, writing, speaking, and listening abilities while enabling
children to use language for acquiring knowledge, communicating with
others, and for enjoyment.
The language arts program should help
children to:
1. Understand that communication is a process of conveying meaning to
a particular audience for a particular purpose
2. Understand that the language modes are interrelated
3. Know and understand a variety of language forms (oral, written, visual)
4. Understand that the language of print is different from the spoken
language.
Daily activities for children to use their listening,
speaking, writing, spelling, and reading abilities:
1. Experiences of being read to and independently reading meaningful and engaging
stories and informational texts
2. Writing experiences that allow the flexibility to use non-conventional forms of
writing at first (invented spelling) and, over time, move to conventional forms
(Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998)
3. Opportunities to work in small groups for focused instruction and collaboration
with other children
4. An intellectually engaging and challenging curriculum that expands knowledge of
the world and vocabulary
Daily activities for children to use their listening,
speaking, writing, spelling, and reading abilities:
1. Significant amounts of time for drawing, dictating, and writing about experiences
2. Planning and implementing projects involving research at suitable levels of
3. difficulty
4. Discussing readings
5. Conducting interviews
6. Publishing writing in student made books and other formats
7. Listening to recordings while following along with the print
8. Using the school media center and classroom reading areas regularly
Daily activities for children to use their listening,
speaking, writing, spelling, and reading abilities:

1. Participating regularly in singing, choral reading, paired reading, and sustained

silent reading
2. Using literacy skills while working on science, social studies, mathematics and
other content areas
3. Using appropriate technologies for all of the above (word processing, internet
resources, multimedia).
4. Develop awareness of how authors organize text and supportive illustrations to
create meaning and use these concepts in creating and expressing their own
meaning