Language arts: reading, writing, and spelling
Learning the letters
The primary goal of the entire Language Arts curriculum is cultivating independent and critical thinkers and instilling an appreciation and joy for becoming a life-long reader and writer. Students throughout the grade levels participate in selecting representative texts that mirrors their interests and experiences. Students participate inauthentic, experienced-based projects to inspire reading, writing, and spelling lessons. Additionally, PATH’s Changemaker Social Studies and Art courses are integrated with writing, reading, and spelling lessons in Writer’s Workshop and Learning Center structures to allow for homogenous, small group instruction as well as one-on-one lessons with the certified, lead teacher. PATH Academy students use Core Standard and PATH rubrics to analyze their own reading, writing, and spelling starting at a very young age. As a result, students have a deep understanding of their learning objectives while accurately tracking their learning goals. Instruction includes utilizing hands on, manipulatives and curriculum materials that teach to the multiple intelligences.
Following a scope and sequencing aligned with the Arizona State Standards for each grade level, Lower Level Grades (Kinder to Second) instruction emphasize the five essential components of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Scaffolding to each student’s differentiated academic level in whole class, small group, and one-on-one lessons, students focus on comprehension strategies as well as determining basic plot structures, main idea and theme.
Across the Upper L grades (Third to Fifth), students explore analytical, critical, and synthetic thinking skills that grow in sophistication as texts and ideas increase in difficulty of subject matter and style. Students are introduced to a rich variety of texts including: historical fiction, realistic fiction, fantasy, informational traditional literature. Scaffolding to each student’s capacity, students focus on comprehension strategies as well as determining plot structures, main idea and theme. Students learn to accurately cite and quote text when drawing conclusions. Third to Fifth grade students are given opportunities to challenge the extend their listening and speaking skills as they participate in authentic, experienced-based projects. Students develop communication skills by presenting information, both formally and informally, across a wide range of topics.
A student’s writing journey begins in Kindergarten with connecting symbols of letters to words and sentences as the student communicates experiences in their daily life at school and home. Progressing through the primary grades, each student’s writing journey is supported with differentiated instruction from sentence and paragraph writing to multiple-paragraph essays and research papers. The Writer’s Workshop model is utilized so that differentiated instruction can be a priority. Writing Workshop is built on a student-centered framework of explicit instruction, independent writing time, and opportunities for students to confer with their teacher and reflect on their writing journey and successfully be supported with achieving their learning objectives. Students also learn the components of written expression and reading which are: capitalization and punctuation, spelling, vocabulary, word usage, sentence and paragraph structure, automaticity or fluency, and understanding the various types of written material known as text structure.
Students apply skills that enhance their writing and allow them to communicate through vivid, elaborate, meaningful pieces of writing. Additionally, high frequency and sight words are taught explicitly through dictations, Daily Oral Language Activities, and most profoundly, through the student’s writing with “Point-Stretch-Hear” Editing so that students are accountable for their own editing process.
Students learn to refine and build skills in writing, utilizing the 6 traits of writing and the 5 stages of writing scaffolded from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade.
Older students will learn essay structure that includes: a formal introduction, main body paragraphs with supporting details, and a strong conclusion. Students will apply topic sentences, transitional phrases and concluding statements to strengthen their writing. Journaling, creative writing and response to literature notebooks will provide additional practice for students to hone their skills. Students will learn to correctly employ the eight parts of speech. Basic grammar usage and mechanics will be emphasized. Third to fifth grade writers develop skills that will allow them to use writing as a tool to problem solve, discover and record information. They will learn to listen to their “writer’s instinct,” as they reflect and express their ideas while discovering the writer within.