Curriculum For English Language Arts

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What Basic English Language Arts Skills Should Students Learn in School?

English is used in numerous countries all over the world. It is used in schools, offices, businesses, and other a wide range of other undertakings. Therefore, parents and teachers should teach students the importance of the English language. They should teach them how to communicate in English. The school leaders should also help the students learn how to read and write in English properly.

Grammar and spelling are English language aspects that students need to learn. Teachers in the K-12 education system have to teach students whether they are Americans or not. It should be kept in mind that knowing how to speak English is not enough. Many citizens of the United States and other English-speaking country can speak the language but cannot construct proper grammar. Most of them cannot even spell the words properly.

Generally, spoken language is unplanned and spontaneous. It is transient and irrevocable. When the speaker is speaking, the listener can respond or even interrupt the speaker while still in the middle of a sentence. Part of the message of the speaker can also be conveyed by intonation. On the other hand, written language is usually planned beforehand. It is permanent, and the writer does not know who his readers are. Oftentimes, he does not receive any feedback or response. Intonation does not have any bearing on written language.

When teaching spelling, teachers in the K-12 education system should provide spelling guidelines and patterns to students so that they would be able to develop a foundational phonologic approach to spelling. Every lesson in spelling should present and explain a guideline as well as include a list of related words to practice the application of such guideline. The teachers in the K-12 education system should encourage their students to read and review the guidelines and patterns.

They should make the students write spelling words that meet the guidelines. By reading and reviewing the guidelines and then writing or spelling the words, the students would be able to practice the expected pattern. Teachers should keep in mind that memorization is not the key. It is not ideal for the students to memorize the words or spelling. Instead, they should be able to learn and understand the guidelines and patterns.

Proper pronunciation of words is another important language skill that students need to learn. For students with English as a second language, it might be difficult to pronounce certain words correctly. However, with enough time and practice, they would be able to master the correct pronunciation of words. It should be noted that the better the pronunciation, the better people will understand the messaged that is being conveyed.

In order to be successful in teaching proper pronunciation of English words, the teachers should use phonemic symbols. There are twenty-six letters in the English alphabet, but these letters can be a poor guide to pronunciation. Hence, phonemic symbols should be used because they are more reliable. They are also ideal to be used in visual aids. Every symbol represents a single sound. When students learn the phonemic symbols, they would be able to use dictionaries more effectively. They would also be independent learners.

Learning the English language is very important in this day and age. Almost every establishment and country uses this language. Native English speakers should enhance their knowledge by taking up classes in grammar and spelling. Foreign students, on the other hand, should enroll in educational institutions that would help them learn the language better and faster. They should aim to learn how to spell, write, and pronounce English words in the correct manner. They should be able to construct grammatically correct sentences, as well.

English Language Arts Teacher Web Sites

We compile these these web sites based on the recommendations of dozens of Language Arts Teachers. If you know of any invaluable site we miss, please let us know.

1. CanTeach - Beginning Reading and Writing
2. EDSITEment
3. The English Association
4. Journal Writing In the Classroom
5. The Literacy Center
6. Scripts for Schools