HELLGATE ELEMENTARY
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
CURRICULUM
This document was developed by Hellgate Elementary K-8 teachers in partnership/collaboration with Dr.
Molly Blakely, Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Coordinator/Instructional Coach.
English/Language Arts Curriculum
Table of Contents
Section #1
Page
English/Language Curriculum Introduction ...1 - 13
Section #2
Page
Montana Common Core Standards… ... 1 - 59
Section #3
Page
Read Well Standards ...1 - 30
Section #4
Page
Reading Mastery – 3
rdGrade Standards ... 1 - 42
Section #5
Page
Reading Mastery – 4
thGrade Standards ...1 - 33
Section #6
Page
Reading Mastery – 5
thGrade Standards… ...1 - 28
Section #7
Page
Write Steps Standards… ...1 - 17
Section #8
Page
Middle School ELA Pacing Guides… ...1 - 73
Middle School Writing Rubrics… ...74 - 75
Middle School Paragraph Construction Outlines… ...76 - 82
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document Page 1
K-8 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
CURRICULUM DOCUMENT
2016-2017
"A great place to learn"
Hellgate Elementary School
“Core Beliefs” Statement
The “Core Values” of Hellgate Elementary represent a commitment to create an educational learning
environment that embraces the following:
•
Achievement… We will ensure that each student possess 21
stcentury skills to reach his or her
potential to excel. We will direct our collective and individual efforts to that end.
•
Character… Each student will be supported in the development of strong, positive character
traits and caring relationships.
•
Community engagement… We cannot accomplish our mission alone. Everyone – parents, staff,
students, and community members – jointly share in the responsibility for our students’ success.
We will encourage everyone to participate in making key district decisions.
•
Diversity… Each student will be treated with respect and given an equal opportunity to
participate, learn, and succeed in a safe, caring environment. All students, staff, parents, and
community members will value and embrace diversity as enriching our society and schools.
•
Highly qualified staff… All staff members will be competent, caring, and committed to ensuring
that students are fully prepared for their next steps.
•
Equity… Each student will have access to a wide range of educational choices and the necessary
support to pursue his or her hopes and dreams to be successful in a highly competitive, global
economy.
•
Relevance… School learning and instructional approaches will be connected to the real world
and will include practical applications in life and the workplace.
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document Page 2
Montana Common Core Standards. The standards, which are divided into four broad strands:
Reading Literature, Informational Text, and Foundational Skills K-5; Writing; Speaking and
Listening; and Language, reflect the essential skills necessary for college and career readiness
and responsible citizenship. The standards include mastery-level student learning targets but
individual classroom teachers will determine the scaffolding student learning targets necessary
to achieve the desired mastery.
Distribution of Literary and Informational Passages by Grade in the 2009 National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading Framework
Grade
Literary
Informational
4
50%
50%
8
45%
55%
12
30%
70%
As students progress through each grade level, they read extensively from a wide range of
increasingly challenging literary and informational texts in the arts, history/social studies,
science, and technical subjects. Heightened emphasis is placed upon their ability to gather,
analyze, synthesize, and share information and ideas, to pose questions and solve problems, and
to evaluate large volumes of print, digital, and visual material.
Source: National Assessment Governing Board. (2008). Reading framework for the 2009 National Assessment of Education Progress. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. The percentages on the table above reflect the sum of student reading, not just reading in ELA settings. Teachers of senior English classes, for example, are not required to devote 70 percent of reading to informational texts. Rather, 70 percent of student reading across the grade should be informational.
The Common Core Standards aim to align instruction with this framework so that more
students can meet the requirements of college and career readiness. In K–5, the Standards
follow NAEP’s lead in balancing the reading of literature with the reading of informational
texts, including texts in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. In accord with
NAEP’s growing emphasis on informational texts in the higher grades, the Standards demand
that a significant amount of reading of informational texts take place in and outside the ELA
classroom. Common Core curriculum text alignment charts for Read Well, Reading Mastery,
and WriteSteps are included in this curriculum document. Fulfilling the Standards for 6–8
ELA requires much greater attention to a specific category of informational text - literary
nonfiction - than has been traditional. Because the ELA classroom must focus on literature
(stories, drama, and poetry) as well as literary nonfiction, a great deal of informational reading
in grades 6-8 must take place in other classes if the NAEP assessment framework is to be
matched instructionally. To measure students’ growth toward college and career readiness,
assessments aligned with the Standards should adhere to the distribution of texts across grades
cited in the NAEP framework.
Students devote significant time to writing in primarily three different types that are all
integrally connected to their reading and units of study. Argumentative, persuasive writing
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document Page 3
informational/explanatory writing, students continue to demonstrate and apply their
understanding of subjects, issues, and ideas being researched and studied. In addition, students
convey real and imagined experiences and events in narrative pieces.
“NAEP outlines a distribution across the grades of the core purposes and types of student
writing. The 2011 NAEP framework, like the Standards, cultivates the development of three
mutually reinforcing writing capacities: writing to persuade, to explain, and to convey real or
imagined experience. Evidence concerning the demands of college and career readiness
gathered during development of the Standards concurs with NAEP’s shifting emphases:
standards for grades 9-12 describe writing in all three forms, but, consistent with NAEP, the
overwhelming focus of writing throughout high school should be on arguments and
informative/explanatory texts. See following table.” Montana Common Core Standards for English
Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects by Grade-Band. Denise Juneau, State Superintendent, Montana Office of Public Instruction, http://www.opi.mt.gov, November 2011.Distribution of Communicative Purposes by Grade in the 2011 NAEP Writing Framework
Grade
To Persuade
To Explain
To Convey
Experience
4
30%
35%
35%
8
35%
35%
30%
12
40%
40%
20%
Source: National Assessment Governing Board. (2007). Writing framework for the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, pre-publication edition, Iowa City, IA: ACT, Inc. As with reading, the percentages in the table able reflect the sum of student writing, not just writing in ELA settings.
Students participate formally and informally in a variety of rich conversations both in class
and electronically with students across the region, nation, and world. Being productive
members of a global society requires many skills, but certainly students should be able to
contribute accurate, relevant information, and listen and respond respectively to diverse
perspectives. New technologies and digital texts have expanded the role of speaking and
listening requiring students to incorporate graphs, images, links, audio, and video into their
presentations.
As students become more skilled in the conventions of Standard English grammar, usage,
and mechanics, they also become aware of the craft of language beyond “the rules.”
Acquiring new general and academic vocabulary is fundamental to students
comprehending the texts they are assigned and communicating more effectively in their
writing and speaking.
MISSION
The mission of Hellgate Elementary is to provide an educational learning environment
that supports and sustains academic achievement, academic excellence, and life-long
learning for all students...
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document Page 4
will be Everywhere, Everyway, Everyday…
Each student will be involved today, motivated for the future, and prepared for the next set of
challenges.
Involved: Actively involved and connected to their learning
Motivated: Curious, creative, and intensely motivated, with a deep sense of wonder
Prepared: Excited and eager to learn, prepared to unlearn and relearn as lifelong
learners.
HELLGATE ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS – Board Policy
#2000
The District will provide equal opportunity for students to receive an education which will
enable them to fulfill their role in society, commensurate with individual ability, in
compliance with legal requirements, and reflecting the desires of the people.
Instructional programs, methods, and resources should meet the needs of each student,
regardless of race, color, creed, sex, or level of ability. The District recognizes that equal
opportunity education does not imply uniformity and that each student’s unique characteristics
must be acknowledged. Instructional programs, methods, and materials will not imply, teach, or
encourage any beliefs or practices reflecting bias or discrimination toward other individuals or
groups and will not deny others their basic human rights.
The District has developed a Statement of Learner Goals that is available through the District
Office. This philosophical goal statement will reflect the District’s strategic plan and will be
publicized and made available to interested citizens. This statement will be reviewed annually
and revised as deemed necessary.
HELLGATE ELEMENTARY EDUCATORS
Hellgate Elementary educators are experts in their fields, critical thinkers, problem-solvers,
and planners who are actively involved in accomplishing district goals and strategies. Daily
they strive to exhibit the following characteristics that embody what it means to be a
professional educator at Hellgate Elementary.
I.
SENSE OF PURPOSE: A Hellgate Elementary teacher with purpose is one who has a
clear definition of personal meaning and has the ability to relate this understanding to a
particular job role. This person is highly motivated and positive in applying personal
meaning to the defined responsibilities.
• Positive - this teacher thinks positively and enthusiastically about people and what they
are capable of becoming. This teacher is able to see the good in any situation, and
although confronted with obstacles, will move forward to make the most of difficult
situations. This teacher also encourages others to be positive.
• Investing - Student growth and development is seen by this teacher as the most
important reason for teaching. This teacher helps students develop self-responsibility
and high self-awareness. This teacher recognizes working cooperatively with parents
to help children grow to their fullest is essential.
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document Page 5
situations. While having a positive self-image, this teacher encourages students to look
at themselves in a positive manner. Helping students to honor the worth and dignity of
others is also considered vital.
II.
POSITIVE INTERACTION: A Hellgate Elementary teacher who has human interactive
qualities is one who prizes, relates, understands and communicates with other people in a
manner which contributes to harmonious relationships and high human support systems.
• Communicative - this teacher is able to share with others in a manner which
encourages effective two-way communication. This teacher is able to communicate
personal thoughts and feelings on a wide spectrum of issues, and at the same time can
listen to students and others in an empathetic manner. This teacher has specific on-
going ways to determine what students are thinking.
• Personable - this teacher is one who can establish and maintain positive, mutual
relationships with people. This teacher is one who likes to be with others and has many
specific ways of getting to know students as persons. Building mutual trust and
appreciation through meaningful, personal interaction and involvement is evident.
• Compassionate - due to a deep sense of caring and empathy, this teacher is able to
communicate with people at a feeling level. This teacher is open with personal
thoughts and feelings, encourages others to do likewise and has ways to know,
discover, and understand the in-depth feelings of students.
III.
VALUES TEACHING/LEARNING: A Hellgate Elementary teacher with
teaching/learning skills is one who is highly motivated, consistently growing and
developing, insightful about what motivates others and perceptive about applying skills
and approaches which will bring out the best in others.
• Motivating - this teacher is one who has enthusiasm, coupled with high standards and
expectations for students and self. This teacher understands the intrinsic motivations of
individuals, and has specific ways of knowing what it is that motivates individual
students. This teacher encourages and directs students to take action upon their
strengths and interests in constructive ways.
• Objective - this teacher is one who is deliberate in coming to conclusions, strives to
look at all aspects of the situation, and remains highly fair and objective in the most
difficult circumstances. This teacher is one who believes problems can be resolved if
enough input and attention is solicited from people who are affected.
• Generator of Alternatives - this teacher is able to see each student as a unique and
valuable individual, focus on the differences among students, quickly diagnose student
difficulties, and assist in the management of situations involving the individuals.
• Lesson Design - this teacher has specific key components in developing a lesson plan.
Checking for student understanding through continuous monitoring and assessment of
learning is important to this teacher. Teaching strategies allow high student
participation and are adjusted to meet student needs and realities.
• Application of Learning - this teacher helps students in the development of attitudes,
skills and behaviors which will assist them in growth to their full potential. This
teacher is committed to helping students acquire cognitive knowledge as well as
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document Page 6
Source: Ventures For Excellence, Inc. (2008). “The Best in the Selection and Development of People”. Lincoln, NE.
STRATEGIC, LONG -TERM DECISION-MAKING FORMULA…
In support of achieving the vision and goals described in the “Decision 2022” Strategic
Plan, Hellgate Elementary actively applies the following broad strategies:
• Vision and Mission: Hellgate Elementary will focus all decision-making based on
district vision and mission.
• Transparency: Hellgate Elementary will make decisions that are public,
accountable, and clear.
• Equity: Hellgate Elementary will ensure each student receives appropriate
opportunities, resources, and challenges to be successful and prepared for future
choices.
• Data Informed: Hellgate Elementary will depend on reliable data to support
student learning, make informed decisions, and demonstrate accountability to the
community.
• Building on Strengths: Hellgate Elementary will build on the strengths and
capacities of students, staff, and business/community members to further enhance
its collective impact on its students' futures.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The Hellgate Elementary Board of Trustees, elected by the community, has an obligation to
safeguard the public’s trust in public education, and our decisions and actions should reflect
that obligation. District dollars should be used effectively and efficiently to achieve positive
results for students. The Hellgate Elementary Board of Trustees bases its decisions and
actions on the following set of guiding principles.
I.
Achievement…
We will ensure that each student possess 21
stcentury skills to reach his or her
potential to excel. We will direct our collective and individual efforts to that end.
II.
Character…
Each student will be supported in the development of strong, positive character traits
and caring relationships.
III.
Community engagement…
• We cannot accomplish our mission alone. Everyone – parents, staff, students, and
community members – jointly share in the responsibility for our students’ success.
We will encourage everyone to participate in making key district decisions.
IV.
Diversity…
Each student will be treated with respect and given an equal opportunity to
participate, learn, and succeed in a safe, caring environment. All students, staff,
parents, and community members will value and embrace diversity as enriching our
society and schools.
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document Page 7
are fully prepared for their next steps.
VI.
Equity…
Each student will have access to a wide range of educational choices and the
necessary support to pursue his or her hopes and dreams to be successful in a highly
competitive, global economy.
VII.
Relevance…
School learning and instructional approaches will be connected to the real world and
will include practical applications in life and the workplace.
(Finalized by the Hellgate Elementary Board of Trustees, June, 2013.)
SIX MEASURABLE DISTRICT GOALS
Students have access to adequate school resources and support that make rigorous
learning possible.
Students develop relevant, transferable academic and life skills.
Students are socially, emotionally, and physically healthy and learn in a safe and caring
environment.
Students are actively involved in relevant learning and meaningful activities within the
classroom and community. Families and community members play a role in student
success.
Students and educators have access to the tools that support learning and enhance
success in the workplace.
The school system excels in teaching and leadership, with quality supervision and
evaluation programs for administration and staff, open communication, fiscal
responsibility, and efficient, effective, and accountable school operations that support
the goals of the district.
ASSESSMENT
The essential question addressing assessment is the ability to distinguish between assessment for
leaning verses assessment of learning. In the former, assessment informs and improves learning;
in the latter, assessment determines learning. Assessment of learning is about proving that a
student has learned something that can be measured. Assessment for learning is about using
information produced by rich forms of assessment to enhance instruction and improve learning.
Learning verses proving a student has learned are two different objectives. In the former, both
the student and the teacher may actually care about the outcome. And they may care less
whether it can be quantified and recorded. It’s hard to empirically validate an “aha” moment, yet
good teachers in caring relationships with their students have them all the time. In essence,
assessment means finding out what students know and are able to do. It is intended to improve
teaching and learning. Information gathered through formative assessment assists teachers
during instructional planning to determine students’ prior knowledge, provide feedback to
students during instruction, make decisions on how to modify instruction, and identify strengths
and weaknesses. Principles of effective assessment are as follows:
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document Page 8
• Assessment clarifies learning targets early.
• Assessment of student performance is completed through authentic tasks.
• Assessment covers multiple indicators of learning.
• Assessment provides the avenue for ample opportunities for students to learn.
(Adapted from Walter Parker, Science in Elementary Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2005.)
LIBRARY/MEDIA
The library media specialist has an essential role in curriculum development. As an information specialist,
the library media specialist working collaboratively with teachers, administrators, and parents:
• Provides knowledge of availability and suitability of information resources to support
curriculum initiatives. This is particularly relevant with the Indian Education for All
Law.
• Engages in the developmental process with the planning team, using knowledge of
school curriculum resources. The library/media curriculum scope and sequence have
been aligned by genre and resource with the communication arts curriculum matrix.
• Serves as an expert in organizing, synthesizing, and communicating information.
Acquisition, organization, and dissemination of resources to support the curricular
areas through the library/media center are cost-effective for the entire school district.
• Teachers and library/media specialists share responsibility for reading and information
literacy instruction. They plan and teach collaboratively based on the needs of the
student.
TECHNOLOGY
(adapted from American Library Association statements, 1999)
Information and technology literacy is the ability of an individual, working independently or
with others, to use tools, resources, processes, and systems responsibly to access and evaluate
information in any medium, and to use that information to solve problems, communicate
clearly, make informed decisions, and construct new knowledge, products, or systems. It is
imperative that our students acquire technology literacy skills in order to communicate in the
21
stcentury world. The integration of curriculum and technology is essential to prepare today’s
students for participation in a viable democratic society. Therefore, the English-Language Arts
Curriculum Review Committee views technology as integral to this curriculum.
Hellgate Elementary K-12 technology standards are integrated throughout this English
Language Arts curriculum. The focus is on learning with information and technology rather
than learning about information and technology. The committee recognizes that these
standards are also included in other academic standards and believes this inclusion
underscores the importance of information and technology literacy competencies in a variety
of curricular areas.
It is important to recognize that many of the learning targets listed under these standards will
require significant access to technology by both students and teachers. The committee believes
these standards can be achieved with a strong district commitment to a technological
infrastructure including sufficient equipment, materials, and staffing; appropriate technical
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document Page 9
MEETING DIVERSE STUDENT NEEDS
Students with diverse needs - those with unique abilities and/or disabilities - will have
differentiated opportunities to achieve learning targets, benchmarks, and standards at rates and
in manners consistent with their needs. Accommodations and modifications will be
implemented to ensure that all students have the opportunity to meet established learning goals
and to gain full access to the curriculum.
The needs of struggling learners will be met in a variety of ways in the classroom both
through informal intervention and formally prescribed intervention, as necessary.
Gifted students and students of high ability require, at times, differentiated instruction and
additional challenge beyond what the standard curriculum can provide. These provisions can
include but are not limited to: more challenging content or assignments, critical and higher
level thinking skills, instructional grouping, extension activities, and independent research.
Students at all ability levels benefit as they explore concepts in depth through inquiry-
based learning.
EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES – Board Policy #3000
Equal educational and extracurricular opportunities shall be available for all students without
regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religious beliefs, physical and mental handicap or
disability, or actual or potential marital or parental status. The District will not knowingly enter
into agreements with any entity or any individual that discriminates against students on the
basis of sex or any other protected status. Any student may file a discrimination grievance by
using the Uniform Grievance Procedure.
No student shall, on the basis of sex, be denied equal access to programs, activities, services, or
benefits or be limited in the exercise of any right, privilege, advantage, or denied equal access to
educational and extracurricular programs and activities. Any student may file a sex equity
complaint by using the Uniform Grievance Procedure.
Inquiries regarding discrimination of any kind should be directed to the District’s Title IX
Coordinator, who shall provide information and, if necessary, direct the individual to the
Uniform Grievance Procedure. The District will annually publish notice of these rights to
students and parents.
NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE – Board Policy #2100
The District recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of Native Americans and is
committed in the District’s educational goals to the preservation of such heritage.
In furtherance of the District’s educational goals, the District is committed to working
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document
Page 10
heritage of Native Americans, which will include but not necessarily be limited to considering
methods by which to provide books and materials reflecting authentic historical and
contemporary portrayals of Native Americans, and taking into account individual and cultural
diversity and differences among students.
The District will provide the necessary training to school personnel with the objective of gaining
an understanding and awareness of Native American culture which will assist the District’s staff
in its relations with Native American students and parents.
INDIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL
Hellgate Elementary is committed to developing for all students an understanding of
American and Montana Indian people and their histories, fostering respect for their cultures.
In view of the unique role of the American Indian peoples in the development of the United
States and the experience of Montana tribes in particular, their history and culture will be
integrated wherever appropriate in the instruction of Hellgate Elementary students, in
accordance with the state constitution, statues, and curriculum standards.
ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDINGS REGARDING MONTANA INDIANS
1. There is great diversity among the 12 tribal Nations of Montana in their languages, cultures,
histories, and governments. Each Nation has a distinct and unique cultural heritage that
contributes to modern Montana.
2. There is great diversity among individual American Indians as identity is developed,
defined, and redefined by many entities, organizations, and people. There is a continuum of
Indian identity ranging from assimilated to traditional and this is unique to each individual.
There is no generic American Indian.
3. The ideologies of Native traditional beliefs and spirituality persist into modern day life as
tribal cultures, traditions and languages are still practiced by many American Indian people
and are incorporated into how tribes govern and manage their affairs. Additionally, each
tribe has their own oral history beginning with their genesis that is a valid as written
histories. These histories pre-date the “discovery” of North America.
4. Reservations are land that have been reserved by the tribes for their own use through
treaties and was not “given” to them. The principle that land should be acquired from the
Indians only through their consent with treaties involved threeassumptions:
• That both parties to treaties were sovereign powers.
• Those Indian tribes had some form of transferable title to the land.
• That acquisition of Indian lands was solely a government matter not to be left to
individual colonists.
5. There were many federal policies put into place throughout American history that have
impacted Indian people and shape who they are today. Much of Indian history can be
related through several major federal policy periods.
6. History is a story most often related through the subjective experience of the teller.
Histories are being rediscovered and revised. History told from an Indian perspective
conflicts with what most of mainstream history tellsus.
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document
Page 11
tribal sovereignty is not the same for each tribe.
TEACHING ABOUT CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES – Board Policy #2105
The District will offer courses of study which will afford learning experiences appropriate to
levels of student understanding. The instructional program respects the right of students to face
issues, to have free access to information, to study under teachers in situations free from
prejudice, and to form, hold, and express their own opinions without personal prejudice or
discrimination.
Teachers will guide discussions and procedures with thoroughness and objectivity to acquaint
students with the need to recognize various points of view, importance of fact, value of good
judgment, and the virtue of respect for conflicting opinions.
The Board encourages and supports the concept of academic freedom, recognizing it as a
necessary condition to aid in maintaining an environment conducive to learning and to the
free exchange of ideas and information. In a study or discussion of controversial issues or
materials, however, the Board directs teaching staff to take into account the following
criteria:
• Relative maturity of students;
• District philosophy of education;
• Community standards, morals, and values;
• Necessity for a balanced presentation; and
• Necessity to seek administrative counsel and guidance in such matters.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS
• Argumentative (Opinion K-5) Writing:
An evaluation of a concept, issue, or problem written to persuade, change the reader’s point of
view or bring about action. The positions or beliefs are supported through textual evidence
from literature and informational pieces, primary and secondary sources, and/or scientific data.
Younger students can develop this form of argument by providing examples and offering
reasons for their assertions.
• Foundational Reading Skills (K-5):
Print Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency, and
Comprehension. In order to develop proficient readers who have a capacity to comprehend
text, these skills are the necessary components of any effective, comprehensive reading
program.
• Informational Text (also described as literary nonfiction):
Essays, speeches, opinion pieces, historical, scientific, and technical accounts or
articles, biographies, and memoirs.
• Informational/Explanatory Writing:
A written explanation that serves to increase a reader’s knowledge and understanding of a
subject, procedure, process, or concept. Literary analyses, reports, summaries, instructions,
Hellgate Elementary Curriculum Document
Page 12
• Language:
The essential “rules” of standard written and spoken English that include grammar, usage, and
spelling. Vocabulary standards focus on understanding of words and phrases and on acquiring
new general academic and content-specific terminology.
• Learning Targets:
Clear, student-friendly statements of intended learnings at a specific grade level or within a
given course that support or scaffold the mastery of a standard. They are a distillation of what
students should know and be able to do.
• Literature:
Stories, drama, and poetry traditionally thought of as fiction. Stories include, but are not limited
to, novels, short stories, myths, historical, science, and realistic fiction. One and multi-act plays
in both print and film also fall into this category, as do the different types of poetry, sonnets,
ballads, and epics.
• Montana Common Core State Standards:
A culmination of a broad-base effort to create K-12 standards that ensure students are college
and career ready upon graduation from high school. Research and evidence-based, aligned
with college and work expectations, rigorous, and internationally benchmarked, the standards
are divided into four strands: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language.
• Narrative Writing:
Fictional stories, memoirs, autobiographies, poetry, historical accounts, or narrative
descriptions of content or step-by-step procedures. Generally considered creative writing, these
forms can be used to persuade, inform, instruct, entertain, or enlighten.
• Reading:
Comprehending text at steadily increasing complexity. Upon graduation, students must be able to
read and understand independently and proficiently the kinds of printed materials commonly
found in college and careers.
• Speaking and Listening:
A range of oral communication and interpersonal skills that require students to collaborate,
express and listen carefully, integrate information from multiple sources, and strategically
incorporate media and visual graphs, tables, and pictures into presentations.
• Standards:
A set of measures by which student achievement and performance are assessed. They are divided
into four broad strands: Reading of Literature and Informational Text, Writing, Speaking and
Listening, and Language. Foundational Reading Skills are also listed for K-5.
• Textual Evidence:
Facts, statistics, examples, quotations, anecdotes, or other sources of data that provide support
for claims or analysis.
• Vocabulary:
Understanding of the explicit and implied meanings of words and phrases and acquiring new
academic and content-specific terminology.
MONTANA COMMON CORE STANDARDS
English Language Arts and
Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects
Grade-Band K-12
Table of Contents
Introduction ... 3
Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects K–5 ... 11
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading ... 12
Reading Standards for Literature K–5 ... 13
Reading Standards for Informational Text K–5 ... 15
Reading Standards: Foundational Skills K–5 ... 17
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing... 20
Writing Standards K–5 ... 21
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening ... 24
Speaking and Listening Standards K–5 ... 25
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language ... 27
Language Standards K–5 ... 28
Language Progressive Skills, by Grade ... 32
Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading K–5... 33
Staying on Topic within a Grade and Across Grades... 35
Standards for English Language Arts 6–12 ... 36
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading ... 37
Reading Standards for Literature 6–12 ... 38
Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12 ... 41
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing... 43
Writing Standards 6–12 ... 44
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening ... 50
Speaking and Listening Standards 6–12 ... 51
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language ... 53
Language Standards 6–12 ... 54
Language Progressive Skills, by Grade ... 57
Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading 6–12 ... 58
Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects ... 60
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading ... 61
Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6–12 ... 62
Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6–12 ... 63
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing... 64
Introduction
The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (“the Standards”) are the culmination of an extended, broad-based effort to fulfill the charge issued by the states to create the next generation of K–12 standards in order to help ensure that all students are college and career ready in literacy no later than the end of high school.
The present work, led by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA), builds on the foundation laid by states in their decades-long work on crafting high-quality education standards. The Standards also draw on the most important international models as well as research and input from numerous sources, including state departments of education, scholars, assessment developers, professional organizations, educators from kindergarten through college, and parents, students, and other members of the public. In their design and content, refined through successive drafts and numerous rounds of feedback, the Standards represent a synthesis of the best elements of standards-related work to date and an important advance over that previous work.
As specified by CCSSO and NGA, the Standards are (1) research and evidence based, (2) aligned with college and work expectations, (3) rigorous, and (4) internationally benchmarked. A particular standard was included in the document only when the best available evidence indicated that its mastery was essential for college and career readiness in a twenty-first-century, globally competitive society. The Standards are intended to be a living work: as new and better evidence emerges, the Standards will be revised accordingly.
The Standards are an extension of a prior initiative led by CCSSO and NGA to develop College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language as well as in mathematics. The CCR Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening Standards, released in draft form in September 2009, serve, in revised form, as the backbone for the present document. Grade-specific K–12 standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language translate the broad (and, for the earliest grades, seemingly distant) aims of the CCR standards into age- and attainment-appropriate terms.
The Standards set requirements not only for English language arts (ELA) but also for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Just as students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in a variety of content areas, so too must the Standards specify the literacy skills and understandings required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines. Literacy standards for grade 6 and above are predicated on teachers of ELA, history/social studies, science, and technical subjects using their content area expertise to help students meet the particular challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language in their respective fields. It is important to note that the 6–12 literacy standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are not meant to replace content standards in those areas but rather to supplement them. States may incorporate these standards into their standards for those subjects or adopt them as content area literacy standards.
The Montana Content Standards for English Language Arts reflect the constitutional mandate that all educators must provide instruction including the distinct and unique heritage and contemporary contributions of American Indians in a culturally responsive manner (See page XX for IEFA; MCA 20-1-501 Article X; resources; and materials). As a natural outgrowth of meeting the charge to define college and career readiness, the Standards also lay out a vision of what it means to be a literate person in the twenty- first century. Indeed, the skills and understandings students are expected to demonstrate have wide applicability outside the classroom or workplace. Students who meet the Standards readily undertake the close, attentive reading that is at the heart of understanding and enjoying complex works of literature. They habitually perform the critical reading necessary to pick carefully through the staggering amount of information available today in print and digitally. They actively seek the wide, deep, and thoughtful engagement with high-quality literary and informational texts that build knowledge, enlarge experiences, and broaden worldviews. They familiarize themselves with varied literary perspectives, including those by and about American Indians, to gain a better understanding of themselves and their fellow citizens.
They reflexively demonstrate the cogent reasoning and use of evidence that is essential to both private deliberation and responsible citizenship in a democratic republic. In short, students who meet the Standards develop the skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening that are the foundation for any creative and purposeful expression in language.
Key Design Considerations
CCR and grade-specific standards
The CCR standards anchor the document and define general, cross-disciplinary literacy expectations that must be met for students to be prepared to enter college and workforce training programs ready to succeed. The K–12 grade-specific standards define end-of-year expectations and a cumulative progression designed to enable students to meet college and career readiness expectations no later than the end of high school. The CCR and high school (grades 9–12) standards work in tandem to define the college and career readiness line—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity. Hence, both should be considered when developing college and career readiness assessments.
Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards, retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades, and work steadily toward meeting the more general expectations described by the CCR standards.
Grade levels for K–8; grade bands for 9–10 and 11–12
The Standards use individual grade levels in kindergarten through grade 8 to provide useful specificity; the Standards use two-year bands in grades 9–12 to allow schools, districts, and states flexibility in high school course design.
A focus on results rather than means
By emphasizing required achievements, the Standards leave room for teachers, curriculum developers, and states to determine how those goals should be reached and what additional topics should be addressed. Thus, the Standards do not mandate such things as a particular writing process or the full range of metacognitive strategies that students may need to monitor and direct their thinking and learning. Teachers are thus free to provide students with whatever tools and knowledge their professional judgment and experience identify as most helpful for meeting the goals set out in the Standards. Montana teachers can use American Indian topics, resources, and literature to meet standards, even where Indian Education for All is not specifically mentioned.
An integrated model of literacy
Although the Standards are divided into Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language strands for conceptual clarity, the processes of communication are closely connected, as reflected throughout this document. For example, Writing Standard 9 requires that students be able to write about what they read. Likewise, Speaking and Listening standard 4 sets the expectation that students will share findings from their research.
Research and media skills blended into the Standards as a whole
To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society, students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and report on information and ideas, to conduct original research in order to answer questions or solve problems, and to analyze and create a high volume and extensive range of print and non print texts in media forms old and new. The need to conduct research and to produce and consume media is embedded into every aspect of today’s curriculum. In like fashion, research and media skills and
understandings are embedded throughout the Standards rather than treated in a separate section.
Shared responsibility for students’ literacy development
The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language be a shared responsibility within the school. The K–5 standards include expectations for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language applicable to a range of subjects, including but not limited to ELA. The 6–12 standards are divided into two sections, one for ELA and the other for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. This division reflects the unique, time-honored place of ELA teachers in developing students’ literacy skills while at the same time recognizing that teachers in other areas must have a role in this development as well.
Part of the motivation behind the interdisciplinary approach to literacy promulgated by the Standards is extensive research establishing the need for college and career ready students to be proficient in reading complex informational text independently in a variety of content areas. Most of the required reading in college and workforce training programs is informational in structure and challenging in content; postsecondary education programs typically provide students with both a higher volume of such reading than is generally required in K–12 schools and comparatively little scaffolding.
The Standards are not alone in calling for a special emphasis on informational text. The 2009 reading framework of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) requires a high and increasing proportion of informational text on its assessment as students advance through the grades.
Distribution of Literary and Informational Passages by Grade in the 2009 NAEP Reading Framework
Grade Literary Informational
4 50% 50%
8 45% 55%
12 30% 70%
Source: National Assessment Governing Board. (2008). Reading framework for the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
The Standards aim to align instruction with this framework so that many more students than at present can meet the requirements of college and career
readiness. In K–5, the Standards follow NAEP’s lead in balancing the reading of literature with the reading of informational texts, including texts in history/social
studies, science, and technical subjects. In accord with NAEP’s growing emphasis on informational texts in the higher grades, the Standards demand that a
significant amount of reading of informational texts take place in and outside the ELA classroom. Fulfilling the Standards for 6–12 ELA requires much greater
attention to a specific category of informational text—literary nonfiction—than has been traditional. Because the ELA classroom must focus on literature
(stories, drama, and poetry) as well as literary nonfiction, a great deal of informational reading in grades 6–12 must take place in other classes if the NAEP
assessment framework is to be matched instructionally.
1To measure students’ growth toward college and career readiness, assessments aligned with the
Standards should adhere to the distribution of texts across grades cited in the NAEP framework.
1 The percentages on the table reflect the sum of student reading, not just reading in ELA settings. Teachers of senior English classes, for example, are not required to devote 70 percent of reading to
NAEP likewise outlines a distribution across the grades of the core purposes and types of student writing. The 2011 NAEP framework, like the Standards,
cultivates the development of three mutually reinforcing writing capacities: writing to persuade, to explain, and to convey real or imagined experience. Evidence
concerning the demands of college and career readiness gathered during development of the Standards concurs with NAEP’s shifting emphases: standards for
grades 9–12 describe writing in all three forms, but, consistent with NAEP, the overwhelming focus of writing throughout high school should be on arguments
and informative/explanatory texts.
2See following table.
Distribution of Communicative Purposes by Grade in the 2011 NAEP Writing Framework
Grade To Persuade To Explain To Convey Experience
4 30% 35% 35%
8 35% 35% 30%
12 40% 40% 20%
Source: National Assessment Governing Board. (2007). Writing framework for the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, pre-publication edition. Iowa City, IA: ACT, Inc.
It follows that writing assessments aligned with the Standards should adhere to the distribution of writing purposes across grades outlined by NAEP.
Focus and coherence in instruction and assessment
While the Standards delineate specific expectations in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, each standard need not be a separate focus for
instruction and assessment. Often, several standards can be addressed by a single rich task. For example, when editing writing, students address Writing
standard 5 (“Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach”) as well as Language standards 1–3
(which deal with conventions of standard English and knowledge of language). When drawing evidence from literary and informational texts per Writing
standard 9, students are also demonstrating their comprehension skill in relation to specific standards in Reading. When discussing something they have read or
written, students are also demonstrating their speaking and listening skills. The CCR anchor standards themselves provide another source of focus and
coherence.
The same ten CCR anchor standards for Reading apply to both literary and informational texts, including texts in history/social studies, science, and technical
subjects. The ten CCR anchor standards for Writing cover numerous text types and subject areas. This means that students can develop mutually reinforcing
skills and exhibit mastery of standards for reading and writing across a range of texts and classrooms.
What is not covered by the Standards
The Standards should be recognized for what they are not as well as what they are. The most important intentional design limitations are as follows:
1) The Standards define what all students are expected to know and be able to do, not how teachers should teach. For instance, the use of play with
young children is not specified by the Standards, but it is welcome as a valuable activity in its own right and as a way to help students meet the
expectations in this document. Furthermore, while the Standards make references to some particular forms of content, including mythology,
foundational U.S. documents, and Shakespeare, they do not—indeed, cannot—enumerate all or even most of the content that students should learn.
The Standards must therefore be complemented by a well-developed, content-rich curriculum consistent with the expectations laid out in this
document.
2) While the Standards focus on what is most essential, they do not describe all that can or should be taught. A great deal is left to the discretion of
teachers and curiculum developers. The aim of the Standards is to articulate the fundamentals, not to set out an exhaustive list or a set of restrictions
that limits what can be taught beyond what is specified herein.
3) The Standards do not define the nature of advanced work for students who meet the Standards prior to the end of high school. For those students,
advanced work in such areas as literature, composition, language, and journalism should be available. This work should provide the next logical step
up from the college and career readiness baseline established here.
4) The Standards set grade-specific standards but do not define the intervention methods or materials necessary to support students who are well below
or well above grade-level expectations. No set of grade-specific standards can fully reflect the great variety in abilities, needs, learning rates, and
achievement levels of students in any given classroom. However, the Standards do provide clear signposts along the way to the goal of college and
career readiness for all students.
5) It is also beyond the scope of the Standards to define the full range of supports appropriate for English language learners and for students with special
needs. At the same time, all students must have the opportunity to learn and meet the same high standards if they are to access the knowledge and
skills necessary in their post–high school lives.
Each grade will include students who are still acquiring English. For those students, it is possible to meet the standards in reading, writing, speaking,
and listening without displaying native-like control of conventions and vocabulary.
The Standards should also be read as allowing for the widest possible range of students to participate fully from the outset and as permitting
appropriate accommodations to ensure maximum participation of students with special education needs. For example, for students with disabilities
reading should allow for the use of Braille, screen-reader technology, or other assistive devices, while writing should include the use of a scribe,
computer, or speech-to-text technology. In a similar vein, speaking and listening should be interpreted broadly to include sign language.
6) While the ELA and content area literacy components described herein are critical to college and career readiness, they do not define the whole of such
readiness. Students require a wide-ranging, rigorous academic preparation and, particularly in the early grades, attention to such matters as social,
emotional, and physical development and approaches to learning. Similarly, the Standards define literacy expectations in history/social studies,
science, and technical subjects, but literacy standards in other areas, such as mathematics and health education, modeled on those in this document
are strongly encouraged to facilitate a comprehensive, schoolwide literacy program.
Students Who are College and Career Ready in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Language
The descriptions that follow are not standards themselves but instead offer a portrait of students who meet the standards set out in this document. As students advance through the grades and master the standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, they are able to exhibit with increasing fullness and regularity these capacities of the literate individual.
• They demonstrate independence.
Students can, without significant scaffolding, comprehend and evaluate complex texts across a range of types and disciplines, and they can construct effective arguments and convey intricate or multifaceted information. Likewise, students are able independently to discern a speaker’s key points, request clarification, and ask relevant questions. They build on others’ ideas, articulate their own ideas, and confirm they have been understood. Without prompting, they demonstrate command of standard English and acquire and use a wide-ranging vocabulary. More broadly, they become self-directed learners, effectively seeking out and using resources to assist them, including teachers, peers, and print and digital reference materials.
• They build strong content knowledge.
Students establish a base of knowledge across a wide range of subject matter by engaging with works of quality and substance. They become proficient in new areas through research and study. They read purposefully and listen attentively to gain both general knowledge and discipline-specific expertise. They refine and share their knowledge through writing and speaking.
• They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.
Students adapt their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, and discipline. They set and adjust purpose for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use as warranted by the task. They appreciate nuances, such as how the composition of an audience should affect tone when speaking and how the connotations of words affect meaning. They also know that different disciplines call for different types of evidence (e.g., documentary evidence in history, experimental evidence in science).
• They comprehend as well as critique.
Students are engaged and open-minded—but discerning—readers and listeners. They work diligently to understand precisely what an author or speaker is saying, but they also question an author’s or speaker’s assumptions and premises and assess the veracity of claims and the soundness of reasoning.
• They value evidence.
Students cite specific evidence when offering an oral or written interpretation of a text. They use relevant evidence when supporting their own points in writing and speaking, making their reasoning clear to the reader or listener, and they constructively evaluate others’ use of evidence.
• They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
Students employ technology thoughtfully to enhance their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use. They tailor their searches online to acquire useful information efficiently, and they integrate what they learn using technology with what they learn offline. They are familiar with the strengths and limitations of various technological tools and mediums and can select and use those best suited to their communication goals.
• They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.
Students appreciate that the twenty-first-century classroom and workplace are settings in which people from often widely divergent cultures and who represent diverse experiences and perspectives must learn and work together. Students actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures, including those of American Indians, and specifically, Montana Indians, through reading and listening, and they are able to communicate effectively with people of varied backgrounds. They evaluate other points of view critically and constructively. Through reading great classic and contemporary works of literature representative of a variety of periods, cultures, and worldviews, students can vicariously inhabit worlds and have experiences much different than their own.
