English Language Arts Curriculum. Language: Conventions

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1 English Language Arts Curriculum Language: Conventions Grades K-8 Based on the Common Core State Standards See also Language: Vocabulary Acquisition & Use and Reading Foundational Skills scopes for additional goals related to understanding and applying words.

2 Introduction & Contents Conventions of Standard English are a prominent component of the Common Core State Standards in Language. This document takes those standards at each grade level and provides several useful tools. 1. The Big Idea of Standard English. This concept map shows how Conventions are related to Standard English, what Conventions includes, what shapes Conventions, and the impact of Conventions on writing. The map depicts where key concepts critical to the study and application of conventions stand relative to one another. Although the map is intended for teacher background knowledge and study, all or parts of it can be shared or used with students in adapted format, with the goal of students being able to fully unpack and explain it themselves by the end of 12 th grade (or sooner, but in less sophisticated ways). 2. Standard English: What Is It? Who Needs It? A Progression of Essential Questions. Selected CCSS Language standards ask students to understand and apply their knowledge of standard English in increasingly sophisticated ways. To fully understand and exercise the power of the English language in its wide range of forms, from more formal to more informal, students must grasp why there is a standard form at all. Teachers can address the need for and purposes of standard English by framing the study of standard conventions (e.g., grammar, punctuation) around these essential questions/inquiries that students might actually wonder. 3. Progression of Conventions-Related Knowledge & Skills. This chart organizes the key knowledge and skills at each grade level in the standards themselves into categories that help teachers see where and which specific aspects of conventions are targeted. The skills marked with a asterisk (*) are those that the CCSS notes are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking. The CCSS also reminds teachers that students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year s gradespecific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in the preceding grades.

3 Standard English is guided by Conventions of/in Grammar (the rules that govern how words, clauses and phrases are put together) Capitalization (which or what kinds of words begin with a capital letter) Punctuation (the symbols within, between, before, and after words that structure and organize language so that it can be written/spoken as intended) Spelling (writing words using the correct or widely-accepted sequence of letters) as determined or altered by the writer s or speaker s Purpose/Choice Context Tone Style for Effect Consistency Conciseness Clarity Precision Efficiency Jessica'Hockett'(2013)

4 Standard English: What Is It? Who Needs It? A Progression of Essential Questions Jessica A. Hockett (2013) Kindergarten What does what I say and hear look like? (How do I write the words I hear and say? What goes on the page)? Recognize that spoken English can be written down in a way that everyone can read and understand. [Implied but not explicitly stated in CCSS-ELA] Grade 3 What s the difference between the English that people hear/say and the English that people write? Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English. (L.3.3.b) Grades 6-12 What does standard English look like and sound like? What are the benefits and limitations of a standard English? How standard does a writer s/speaker s English need to be? Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others' writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.* (L.6.1.e) *To be addressed 6-12 Grade 1 How do I write what I say and hear? How can I make sure others can read (and understand) what I write? Begin to use conventions of standard written English. [Implied but not explicitly stated in CCSS-ELA] Grade 4 How formal does my English need to be? When and why does formal English matter? Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion). (L.4.3.c) Grades 9-10 What choices do writers/speakers have when it comes to using to standard English? Who or what decides? Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations. (L b) Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian s Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type. (L a) Grade 2 What s the right way to write/speak English? (Is there a right way? Says who?) Compare formal and informal uses of English. (L.2.3) Grade 5 Where/why do we read/hear different flavors of formal and informal English? Compare and contrast the varieties of English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas, or poems. (L.5.3.b) Grades Who or what decides what standard English is, and when and how to use it? To change it? Apply the understanding that [English-language standard] usage is a matter of convention, can change over time, and is sometimes contested. (L a) Vary syntax for effect, consulting references (e.g., Tufte s Artful Sentences) for guidance as needed; apply an understanding of syntax to the study of complex texts when reading. (L b) Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian s Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type. (L a)

5 Nouns Use frequently occurring nouns Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes). ELA$Common$Core$State$Standards$Conventions)of)Standard)English)Progression$$ Organized*by*Dr.*Jessica*Hockett* Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Use common, proper, and possessive nouns. Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop). Use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives). Use collective nouns (e.g., group). Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice, fish). Pronouns Use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their; anyone, everything). Verbs Use frequently occurring verbs. Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop). Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home). Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves). Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told). Adj & Adv. Use frequently-occurring adjectives. Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified. Prepositions Use the most frequently occurring prepositions Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward). (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with). Conjunctions Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because). Sentence Construction Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how). Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities. Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts. Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy). Capitalization Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. Capitalize dates and names of people. Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names Punctuation Recognize and name end punctuation. Use end punctuation for sentences. Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series. Use commas in greetings and closings of letters. Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives. Spelling Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships. Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions. Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage badge; boyboil). Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

6 ` Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 PoS Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; Relationships there, their).* Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences. Nouns Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns. Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood). Pronouns Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why). Verbs Form and use regular and irregular verbs. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses. Adjectives & Adverbs Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified. Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses. Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must) to convey various conditions. Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag rather than a red small bag). Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why). Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their function in particular sentences. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their). Form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked; I have walked; I will have walked) verb tenses. Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.* Prepositions Form and use prepositional phrases. Conjunctions Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor). Sentence/Idea Construction Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences. Choose words and phrases for effect.* Capitalization Capitalize appropriate words in titles. (See grades K-2 for previous targets) Punctuation Use commas in addresses. Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue. Form and use possessives. Spelling Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness). Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings. Choose words and phrases for effect.* Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.* Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.* Use correct capitalization. Use correct capitalization. Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed. Choose words and phrases for effect.* Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.* Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.* Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons..* Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style. Use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence. Use a comma to set off the words yes and no (e.g., Yes, thank you), to set off a tag question from the rest of the sentence (e.g., It s true, isn t it?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is that you, Steve?). Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

7 ` Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Using Pronouns Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.* Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).* Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive). Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves). Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.* Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).* Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.* Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).* $ $ $ Using Verbs Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.* Constructing Ideas with Words, Phrases, Clauses, & Sentences Capitalization & Punctuation Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons..* Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.* Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.* Maintain consistency in style and tone.* Use correct capitalization. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.* Spelling Spell correctly. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).* Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.* Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons..* Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.* Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.* Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.* Maintain consistency in style and tone.* Use correct capitalization. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/ parenthetical elements.* Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie but not He wore an old[,] green shirt). Spell correctly. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).* Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.* Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences. Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice. Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.* (Starts in grade 8 th, continues through grade 12) Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact). Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons..* Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.* Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.* Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.* Maintain consistency in style and tone.* Use correct capitalization. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.* Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break. Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission. Spell correctly. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).*