Hello I am back after a crazy, busy end of quarter three with a post that I hope will make life in the world of middle school ELA, just a little bit easier for you to understand. Unless you consistently have been living in a classroom for the last ten year, the language of education is fluid and ever changing. I thought this post should focus on the jargon of ELA that might help you understand my comments to your children, as well as my emails home, so that you are better able to help your children talk about their reading and writing experiences.
Schoolwide is the name of the curriculum materials we use at MJDS to support a readers and writers workshop model of instruction. It includes several reading, writing, and grammar units for each grade level. The units are interconnected and support the consistent implementation of the ELA Common Core Standards.
Common Core Standards are the national standards which identify what students should know and be able to produce at the end of each grade level. From kindergarten through 12th grade these standards are similar, but each year they increase in rigor, detail and depth.
Schema is a term used in all curricular areas and refers to students activating prior knowledge. It is a “before reading strategy” and encourages students to use headings, pictures, and other text features in order to make an educated guess about the content of the text based on what we know or. The questions students ask is: What do I already know about the topic, author, or genre?
Story Elements are the collective name given to the terms used when reading and writing fiction. They include: plot, characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. Because of the importance of understanding and applying theme to the fiction we read, I also include theme on this list, even though Schoolwide materials break the concept into various categories and lessons.
Inferences are educated guesses or what you know + what you think based on the text.
Author craft is something we look at during reading and writing and apply to fiction and nonfiction. An author’s style is what make the author unique, so when we read we analyze what an author does that compares and contrasts with other authors we read. In writing I encourage the students to use specific devices and try different things in their writing and as they experiment and decide what they like and don’t like in terms of words, structures, syntax, grammar, and figurative language.They eventually begin to find their author style as a writer.
Analytical writing is argumentative or persuasive writing that is focused on making inferences and analyzing what we read. It is used across content areas at MJDS and the type I do in my class I also call CLAIM + EVIDENCE + EXPLANATION. I usually say, “If iyou can’t find three pieces of evidence to support your ideas, you may want to rethink your claim.
A Reading Notebook is used to keep track of what we read and the skills and strategies we use as we read. This year the notebook was separated into sections, but I have already decided that next year we will just write a name and student goal at the top of the entries. Right now these rarely leave my room, but next year the students in 7th and 8th grade may have the added responsibility of bringing this to and from class regularly.
The Writers Notebook is a spot for kids to write their ideas and topics for writing, as well as drafting. It is not a journal, but there is a lot of freedom for how this tool is used.
Anchor charts are the large “post it paper” posters I create to support the skills and strategies we are learning, and they support our reading environment. I also provide the anchor charts electronically by taking pictures of them and sharing folders of pictures with the students, so they can have access to them when they are doing work at home.
Meeting vs exceeding grade level expectations is a phrase your children clearly understand. It refers to the difference between earning an A or a B. I frequently give examples and use models to demonstrate the differences. I show them samples of finished products, so they understand the expectations for the completed assignment. I often ask during discussions, “ what do you think makes a work sample one that meets or one that exceeds grade level expectations?” The students understand that the difference between “meets and exceeds” standards is usually related to the amount of details and depth that students demonstrate in their writing. The details students provide allow me insights into their thinking and insights into where each student is on the continuum of reading and writing skills for a particular grade level. I also use grading models, rubrics, to determine student grades. These are often provided within the Schoolwide support materials. Some of our student work samples truly might become models for the nationally recognized Schoowide resources.
Subgenres are the more specific categories or topics related to the texts we read. There is always a visible anchor chart associated with these subgenre studies, because we use these terms often, and I want students to be constantly exposed to them.
Citations create the Works Cited or Bibliography page of our writing. These citations give the people, from whom we borrow intellectual property, the credit needed to avoid plagiarism. A citation indicates that ideas of others have been used to to strengthen a student’s writing, and it is a critical life-long skill. If students do not use citations, the consequences in a school setting or the real world can cause significant consequences; from expulsion from college to lawsuits.
MLA is the citation style for English classes. Other content areas have their own citation styles.
I hope this post helped you better understand ELA with Schoolwide at MJDS. Next post is about summer reading;)