Massachusetts English Language Arts

Language:

Students at all grade levels need both breadth and depth in reading experiences. English language arts teachers should include classic works that reflect our common literary heritage (Appendix A), high quality contemporary works that show American life today (Appendix B), and significant works from other countries and cultures (Appendix B). The substantive content of English language arts literature programs should be derived in large part from these appendices.

• themes that provoke thinking and provide insight into universal human dilemmas;

• authenticity in depiction of human emotions and experiences from diverse cultures and times;

• excellence in use of language and richness of vocabulary; and

• appropriate complexity of organization and sentence structure.⁵

For expository/informational texts important aspects include:

• topics that provoke thinking and insight;

• accuracy and completeness of information;

• coherence of arguments;

• relevance of the text to the curriculum;

• excellence in use of language and richness in vocabulary; and

• appropriate complexity of organization and sentence structure.
Designing Instruction

Teachers employ a range of organizational structures for their units of study. Students might work independently, in small groups, or as a class to investigate:

• several works of an author to learn how a writer develops his or her style, voice, and ideas over time;

• works of the same genre to acquire knowledge of a particular literary form;

• a work in its historical context to understand its relationship to historical events or to other literary or artistic works of its time;

• several works that explore similar themes to analyze how different authors approach universal human experiences; or

• one short piece to examine in detail the author’s craft (diction, tone, imagery, sentence structure, topic development).

Useful Teaching Practices

When teachers read aloud, they demonstrate ways of responding to literature, broaden students’ reading interests, and build appreciation of the language and sounds of literature. Reading aloud is valuable at any grade level.

Students need to be given time for reading books of their own choice in school. Students have an opportunity to develop an appreciation of reading when teachers set aside class time for them to choose books and to read silently.

Discussing books on a whole-class basis enables the teacher to provide models for appropriate questions and to make sure the important aspects of the book are explored. Whole class discussions enable students to clarify their understanding of a book that may be above their independent reading level.

After the primary grades, discussing books in small groups gives students increased opportunity to share impressions and ideas and to ask questions in a more personal setting than a whole class discussion. When the teacher establishes clear guidelines and goals for the discussion, students learn to listen to and learn from each other. Structuring reading in small groups may also allow students more choice in what they read and discuss with others.

Memorizing poetry, speeches, or dialogue from plays can engage students in listening closely to the sounds and rhythmic sequences of words. Young children delight in making a poem their own by committing it to memory. Because memorization and recitation or performance require repeated readings of a poem or speech, these techniques help students find layers of meaning that they might not discover in a single reading.

When students plan and dramatize scenes from a story, they are translating one genre or form into another. Through dialogue and movement, they show their interpretation of literary elements such as plot, character motivation, conflict, and tone without using the abstract vocabulary of literary analysis to communicate their insights. Clear criteria for performance help students focus on elements such as pacing, volume, use of gestures, and expressiveness.

Projects that combine reading and writing with art or music can help many students concentrate on the meaning of what they read. Drawing on individual interests and talents, group projects enable students to demonstrate their collective interpretation of a text and engage their classmates in discussion and analysis.

The school library/media center and the classroom library are essential resources in developing a strong and varied literature curriculum. Library teachers can work with classroom teachers in selecting instructional materials to support literature study through a variety of approaches. These materials include print and non-print media such as film, photographs, paintings, music, CD-ROMs, and computer software. Classroom and library teachers also collaborate with public librarians to ensure that students can make good use of larger public collections and varied resources. Another excellent use of community resources is the practice of inviting authors, illustrators, actors, and directors into the classroom to share the process of composing and presenting literary works.