Language Arts

Education is not preparation for life; Education is life itself. ~ John Dewey

Language Arts is a large umbrella term for reading, writing, comprehending and communicating. In grade six we have adopted the Balanced Literacy approach to language learning. Part of our routine in Grade 6 includes working on our grammar skills. Knowing the rules of our language is an important skill. This includes punctuation, capitals, commas, tenses and so many things. Our main goal this year is to enrich our vocabulary.

English Language Arts

Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to:

G.E. (1) - Explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences

-Choose appropriate reading texts, use prior knowledge & oral/print/other media texts to explore ideas/make connections, set goals to enhance language learning/use, and consider/combine the idea of others to extend understanding.

G.E. (2) - Comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print and other media texts

-Use prior knowledge, comprehension strategies, textual clues, phonics/structural analysis, and references to comprehend & respond to oral/print/other media texts.

-Experience various texts to construct meaning, appreciate the artistry of texts, understand forms/genres/techniques/elements, and experiment with language.

-Create original texts by generating ideas, elaborating on the expression of ideas, and to understand the structure of texts.

G.E. (3) - Manage ideas and information

-Distinguish among facts, supported inferences and opinions (i.e. point of view)

-Develop a plan for assessing and gathering ideas/information

-Use/access/evaluate appropriate varied sources for gathering information (i.e. print/media and electronic)

-Use varied organization strategies (i.e. compare/contrast, classification/sorting, etc.)

-Communicate ideas and information in varied oral, print and other media texts.

-Establish own goals for enhancing research skills

G.E. (4) - Enhance the clarity and artistry of communication

-Appraise own/others’ work, orally and visually communicate/share work

-Revise/edit, write legibly & at a pace, and attend to conventions such as grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation

-Expand knowledge of language by exploring varied brainstorming strategies such as outlining, webs, and lists.

-Present and share information by using oral/visual communication methods where appropriate, listen/view attentively and present with a controlled voice (pacing/gestures)