English Language Arts
Elementary ELA
Elementary English Language Arts
In English Language Arts (ELA), students learn the PA Common Core Standards for reading, writing, speaking and listening through literature, close reading, phonics, and vocabulary instruction. They are taught to express their ideas and analyze author’s craft through oral and written expression. This instruction is supported with additional reading instruction where it is indicated.
Curriculum Guides and Parent/Guardian Resources
Kindergarten
Kindergarten Curriculum Guide
Parent/GUARDIAN Resources
- Reading Home-School Connections
- Prompts to Use During Reading Grades K-2
- Bookmarks for Talking about Metacognitive Strategies Grades K-5
- Sample Questions to Use During Reading Grades K-5
- Questions for Comprehension Conversations Grades K-1
- Reading Response Ideas
Fundations
| Kindergarten Units of Instruction | ||
| Unit | Metacognitive Strategy | Text-Dependent Comprehension Strategies |
| 1 | Ask questions | Identify main idea and supporting details |
| 2 | Visualize | Analyze character |
| 3 | Determine text importance | Identify sequence of events |
| 4 | Summarize & Synthesize | Analyze story elements |
| 5 | Make connections | Make inferences |
| 6 | Fix-up monitoring | Summarize information |
| 7 | Make inferences | Make predictions |
| 8 | Determine text importance | Compare & contrast |
| 9 | Make connections | Identify cause & effect |
| 10 | Make inferences | Draw conclusions |
Grade 1
Grade 1 Curriculum Guide
Parent/GUARDIAN Resources
- Reading Home-School Connections
- Prompts to Use During Reading Grades K-2
- Bookmarks for Talking about Metacognitive Strategies Grades K-5
- Sample Questions to Use During Reading Grades K-5
- Questions for Comprehension Conversations Grades K-1
- Questions for Comprehension Conversations Grades 1-2
- Reading Response Ideas
Fundations
| Grade 1 Units of Instruction | ||
| Unit | Metacognitive Strategy | Text-Dependent Comprehension Strategies |
| 1 | Ask questions | Identify main idea and supporting details |
| 2 | Visualize | Analyze character |
| 3 | Determine text importance | Identify sequence of events |
| 4 | Summarize & Synthesize | Analyze story elements |
| 5 | Make connections | Make inferences |
| 6 | Fix-up monitoring | Summarize information |
| 7 | Make inferences | Make predictions |
| 8 | Determine text importance | Compare & contrast |
| 9 | Make connections | Identify cause & effect |
| 10 | Make inferences | Draw conclusions |
Grade 2
Grade 2 Curriculum Guide
Parent/Guardian Resources
- Reading Home-School Connections
- Prompts to Use During Reading Grades K-2
- Bookmarks for Talking about Metacognitive Strategies Grades K-5
- Sample Questions to Use During Reading Grades K-5
- Questions for Comprehension Conversations Grades 2-5
- Reading Response Ideas
Keyboarding Without Tears may be accessed through the student's Clever login
Fundations
- Home Support Pack
- Lowercase Letter Formation
- Uppercase Letter Formation
- Proper Writing Position Guide
- Grade 2 Trick Word List
| Grade 2 Units of Instruction | ||
| Unit | Metacognitive Strategy | Text-Dependent Comprehension Strategies |
| 1 | Ask questions | Identify main idea and supporting details |
| 2 | Visualize | Analyze character |
| 3 | Determine text importance | Identify sequence of events |
| 4 | Summarize & Synthesize | Analyze story elements |
| 5 | Make connections | Make inferences |
| 6 | Fix-up monitoring | Summarize information |
| 7 | Make inferences | Make predictions |
| 8 | Determine text importance | Compare & contrast |
| 9 | Make connections | Identify cause & effect |
| 10 | Make inferences | Draw conclusions |
Grade 3
Grade 3 Curriculum Guide
Parent/Guardian Resources
- Reading Home-School Connections
- Bookmarks for Talking about Metacognitive Strategies Grades K-5
- Sample Prompts to Use During Reading Grades K-5
- Questions for Comprehension Conversations Grades 2-5
- Reading Response Ideas
Keyboarding Without Tears may be accessed through the student's Clever login
Fundations
| Grade 3 Units of Instruction | ||
| Unit | Metacognitive Strategy | Text-Dependent Comprehension Strategies |
| 1 | Ask questions | Identify main idea and supporting details |
| 2 | Visualize | Analyze character |
| 3 | Determine text importance | Identify sequence of events |
| 4 | Summarize & Synthesize | Analyze story elements |
| 5 | Make connections | Make inferences |
| 6 | Fix-up monitoring | Distinguish, Evaluate Fact & Opinion |
| 7 | Make inferences | Make predictions |
| 8 | Determine text importance | Compare & contrast |
| 9 | Make connections | Identify cause & effect |
| 10 | Make inferences | Draw conclusions |
Grade 4
Grade 4 Curriculum Guide
Parent/Guardian Resources
- Reading Home-School Connections
- Bookmarks for Talking about Metacognitive Strategies Grades K-5
- Sample Prompts to Use During Reading Grades K-5
- Questions for Comprehension Conversations Grades 2-5
- Reading Response Ideas
- Cursive Writing Home Support
- Cursive Letter Formation
- Proper Writing Position Guide
- Guided Proofreading Procedures
Keyboarding Without Tears may be accessed through the student's Clever login
| Grade 4 Units of Instruction | ||
| Unit | Metacognitive Strategy | Text-Dependent Comprehension Strategies |
| 1 | Ask questions | Identify main idea and supporting details |
| 2 | Determine text importance | Identify sequence of events |
| 3 | Visualize | Make inferences |
| 4 | Fix-up monitoring | Summarize information |
| 5 | Determine text importance | Compare & contrast |
| 6 | Make connections | Identify cause & effect |
| 7 | Make inferences | Draw conclusions |
| 8 | Summarize & Synthesize | Evaluate Author's Purpose |
| 9 | Make connections | Distinguish, Evaluate Fact & Opinion |
| 10 | Ask questions | Make judgments |
Grade 5
Grade 5 Curriculum Guide
Parent/Guardian Resources
- Reading Home-School Connections
- Bookmarks for Talking about Metacognitive Strategies Grades K-5
- Sample Prompts to Use During Reading Grades K-5
- Questions for Comprehension Conversations Grades 2-5
- Reading Response Ideas
- Cursive Writing Home Support
- Cursive Letter Formation
- Proper Writing Position Guide
- Guided Proofreading Procedures
Keyboarding Without Tears may be accessed through the student's Clever login
| Grade 5 Units of Instruction | ||
| Unit | Metacognitive Strategy | Text-Dependent Comprehension Strategies |
| 1 | Ask questions | Identify main idea and supporting details |
| 2 | Determine text importance | Identify sequence of events |
| 3 | Visualize | Make inferences |
| 4 | Fix-up monitoring | Summarize information |
| 5 | Determine text importance | Compare & contrast |
| 6 | Make connections | Identify cause & effect |
| 7 | Make inferences | Draw conclusions |
| 8 | Summarize & Synthesize | Evaluate Author's Purpose |
| 9 | Make connections | Distinguish, Evaluate Fact & Opinion |
| 10 | Ask questions | Make judgments |
Middle School ELA
Middle School English Language Arts
English Literature and History instruction in the secondary schools builds on the comprehension strategies taught in prior grades while increasing the academic challenge of the text. These include rigorous and engaging literature selections as well as primary and secondary source documents. Students are taught how to interact with text, synthesize and evaluate what they have read, and develop an argument with substantive evidence. Through collaborative discussions and seminars, students develop skills to be ready for college and beyond.
Curriculum Guides
High School ELA
High School English Language Arts
English Literature instruction in secondary schools builds on the comprehension strategies taught in prior grades while increasing the academic challenge of the text. These include rigorous and engaging literature selections as well as primary and secondary source documents. Students are taught how to interact with text, synthesize and evaluate what they have read, and to develop an argument with substantive evidence. Through collaborative discussions and seminars, students develop skills to be ready for college and beyond.
Please see the Haverford High School Course Selection Guide for information on English Language Arts courses.
For additional information, please contact Ms. Sandra Connelly, K-12 Humanities Coordinator.