ELA Reflection

According to the Common Core, the key ELA Standards are comprised of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language. These components work hand-in-hand; if you want your students to be completely proficient in Language Arts, they must be able to excel in each of these areas. In the early years of education, children usually learn all this from one teacher. However, as they grow older, this learning branches out and they learn the information through a diverse curriculum of numerous subjects delivered by multiple educators.

When teaching children to read, our focus should be on comprehension and the students’ ability to apply their readings to the real world. Students respond to their reading through writing, mainly in the categories of argumentative, informative and explanatory, and narrative writing. They must be able to plan, revise, edit and eventually publish their finished products.

Speaking and listening work together, where we aim to have students who can communicate what they understood from their reading. Promoting teamwork between students will help them express themselves while being open to the suggestions of others. Lastly, we strive for effective use of language and vocabulary, something that can be integrated throughout Language Arts.

In today’ tech-savvy generation, incorporating technology into education can help us achieve desired results. The use of eBooks can encourage children to read and make connections between texts, students can work together to produce audio or movie projects to promote oral communication and collaboration, and online games and programs can be utilized to enhance their vocabulary.

These five core standards must be followed correctly on each grade level, as they are critical to the college and career readiness of our pupils.