English & Language Arts
English & Language Arts
The English Language Arts curriculum is designed to provide a coherent, vertically aligned progression of skills that supports students in becoming thoughtful readers, effective writers, and confident communicators. Grounded in the Diocese of Knoxville Reading and Language Arts Standards, this curriculum emphasizes the gradual development of literacy skills from early foundational experiences in Pre-Kindergarten through increasingly complex analysis and expression by Grade 8.
Instruction in English Language Arts is organized around key strands that build upon one another across grade levels. Reading instruction fosters comprehension, critical thinking, and engagement with a variety of literary and informational texts. Writing instruction develops students’ ability to communicate ideas clearly and purposefully through narrative, informative, and argumentative forms. Conventions of English ensure that students gain command of grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in order to write and speak with clarity and precision.
K - Concepts of Print: Demonstrates directionality, print carries meaning
1 - Alphabet & Print Use: Applies print concepts independently
2 - Decoding: Decodes multisyllabic words
3 - Word Structure: Uses prefixes, suffixes, roots
4 - Oral Reading Fluency: Reads with accuracy, rate, expression
5 - Automaticity: Sustains fluency across genres
6 - Word Meaning: Determines meaning using context and morphology
7 - Nuance of Meaning: Analyzes connotation and figurative language
8 - Precision of Language: Analyzes word choice and tone
K - Comprehension: Retells stories
1 - Understanding Text: Retells beginning, middle, end
2 - Story Elements: Identifies plot and theme
3 - Evidence: Uses details to explain theme
4 - Textual Evidence: Refers to details and examples
5 - Inference: Quotes accurately
6 - Analysis: Cites textual evidence
7 - Comparative Analysis: Analyzes multiple themes
8 - Deep Analysis: Analyzes dialogue and plot development
K - Main Idea: Identifies main idea
1 - Information Location: Uses headings and captions
2 - Sequencing: Orders events
3 - Information Gathering: Locates information using features
4 - Cause & Effect: Explains relationships
5 - Multiple Sources: Summarizes across texts
6 - Integration: Integrates information
7 - Validity: Distinguishes fact and opinion
8 - Argument Analysis: Evaluates claims and bias
K - Emergent Writing: Writes letters, words, and simple sentences to express ideas
1 - Sentence Writing: Writes complete sentences that convey a clear idea
2 - Paragraph Writing: Writes short paragraphs with a central idea and details
3 - Paragraph Development: Writes organized paragraphs with topic sentences and support
4 - Multi-Paragraph Writing: Writes multi-paragraph texts for narrative, informative, and opinion purposes
5 - Structured Writing: Writes organized pieces with introductions, supporting details, and conclusions
6 - Purposeful Writing: Writes narrative, informative, and argumentative texts with clear structure
7 - Analytical Writing: Writes arguments and explanatory texts using evidence from sources
8 - Extended Writing: Writes well-developed arguments, narratives, and analyses with clarity and coherence
K - Capitalization & Punctuation: Uses basic capitalization, spacing, and end punctuation
1 - Grammar Foundations: Applies basic grammar, capitalization, and punctuation in writing
2 - Sentence Conventions: Uses correct sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation consistently
3 - Grammar & Usage: Applies grammar, usage, and mechanics to improve clarity in writing
4 - Standard Conventions: Uses grade-level grammar, punctuation, and spelling accurately
5 - Editing & Mechanics: Edits writing for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure
6 - Language Precision: Uses conventions intentionally to clarify meaning and style
7 - Command of Language: Demonstrates consistent command of grammar and usage in writing
8 - Sophisticated Usage: Uses conventions purposefully for effect, clarity, and audience