English Language Arts 1

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Curriculum English Language Arts Grade 1 PDF Grade-Set: k-9
Introduction
Goals and Rationale
What's New
Curriculum Overview
Supports
Languages Template
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Big Ideas

Grandes idées

Language and story
story
narrative texts, whether real or imagined, that teach us about human nature, motivation, and experience, and often reflect a personal journey or strengthen a sense of identity. They may also be considered the embodiment of collective wisdom. Stories can be oral, written, or visual, and used to instruct, inspire, and entertain listeners and readers. 
can be a source of creativity and joy.
Stories
Stories
narrative texts, whether real or imagined, that teach us about human nature, motivation, and experience, and often reflect a personal journey or strengthen a sense of identity. They may also be considered the embodiment of collective wisdom. Stories can be oral, written, or visual, and used to instruct, inspire, and entertain listeners and readers. 
and other texts
texts
Text and texts are generic terms referring to all forms of oral, written, visual, or digital communication:
  • Oral texts include speeches, poems, plays, and oral stories.
  • Written texts include novels, articles, and short stories.
  • Visual texts include posters, photographs, and other images.
  • Digital texts include electronic forms of all the above.
  • Oral, written, and visual elements can be combined (e.g., in dramatic presentations, graphic novels, films, web pages, advertisements).
 

help us learn about ourselves
and our families.
Stories
Stories
narrative texts, whether real or imagined, that teach us about human nature, motivation, and experience, and often reflect a personal journey or strengthen a sense of identity. They may also be considered the embodiment of collective wisdom. Stories can be oral, written, or visual, and used to instruct, inspire, and entertain listeners and readers. 
and other texts
texts
Text and texts are generic terms referring to all forms of oral, written, visual, or digital communication:
  • Oral texts include speeches, poems, plays, and oral stories.
  • Written texts include novels, articles, and short stories.
  • Visual texts include posters, photographs, and other images.
  • Digital texts include electronic forms of all the above.
  • Oral, written, and visual elements can be combined (e.g., in dramatic presentations, graphic novels, films, web pages, advertisements).
 
can be shared through pictures and words.
Everyone has a unique story
story
narrative texts, whether real or imagined, that teach us about human nature, motivation, and experience, and often reflect a personal journey or strengthen a sense of identity. They may also be considered the embodiment of collective wisdom. Stories can be oral, written, or visual, and used to instruct, inspire, and entertain listeners and readers. 

to share.
Through listening and speaking,
we connect with others and
share our world.
Playing with language helps us discover how language works.
Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.

Learning Standards

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Curricular Competencies

Using oral, written, visual, and digital texts, students are expected individually and collaboratively to be able to:

Comprehend and connect (reading, listening, viewing)

Read fluently at grade level
Read fluently at grade level
reading with comprehension, phrasing, and attention to punctuation 
Use sources of information and prior knowledge
prior knowledge
personal stories and experiences 
to make meaning
Use developmentally appropriate reading, listening, and viewing strategies
reading, listening, and viewing strategies
examples include making predictions, making connections, making simple inferences, asking questions, engaging in conversation with peers and adults, showing respect for the contribution of others 
to make meaning
Use foundational concepts of print, oral, and visual texts
foundational concepts of print, oral, and visual texts
concepts include directionality of print, difference between letter and word, difference between writing and drawing, spacing, letter-sound relationship, understanding that pictures convey meaning, taking turns, expressing ideas and needs, role-playing, and phonological awareness 
Engage actively as listeners, viewers, and readers
Engage actively as listeners, viewers, and readers
connecting to personal knowledge, experiences, and traditions; participating in community and cultural traditions and practices; asking questions related to the topic at hand 
, as appropriate, to develop understanding of self, identity, and community
Recognize the importance of story
story
narrative texts, whether real or imagined, that teach us about human nature, motivation, and experience, and often reflect a personal journey or strengthen a sense of identity. They may also be considered the embodiment of collective wisdom. Stories can be oral, written, or visual, and used to instruct, inspire, and entertain listeners and readers 
in personal, family, and community identity
Use personal experience and knowledge to connect to stories
stories
narrative texts, whether real or imagined, that teach us about human nature, motivation, and experience, and often reflect a personal journey or strengthen a sense of identity. They may also be considered the embodiment of collective wisdom. Stories can be oral, written, or visual, and used to instruct, inspire, and entertain listeners and readers 
and other texts
texts
Text and texts are generic terms referring all forms of oral, written, visual, and digital communication:
  • Oral texts include speeches, poems, plays, and oral stories.
  • Written texts include novels, articles, and short stories.
  • Visual texts include posters, photographs, and other images.
  • Digital texts include electronic forms of all the above.
  • Oral, written, and visual elements can be combined (e.g., in dramatic presentations, graphic novels, films, web pages, advertisements).
 
to make meaning
Recognize the structure and elements of story
structure and elements of story
Students can use the vocabulary needed to talk about a story, such as beginning, middle, end, and main character; and can follow events in sequence. 
Show awareness of how story in First Peoples cultures
story in First Peoples cultures
Traditional and contemporary First Peoples stories take many forms (e.g., prose, song, dance, poetry, theatre, carvings, pictures) and are told for several purposes:
  • teaching (e.g., life lessons, community responsibilities, rites of passage)
  • sharing creation stories
  • recording personal, family, and community histories
  • “mapping” the geography and resources of an area
  • ensuring cultural continuity (e.g., knowledge of ancestors, language)
  • healing
  • entertainment
  • (from In Our Own Words: Bringing Authentic First Peoples Content to the K–3 Classroom, FNESC/FNSA, 2012)
 
connects people to family and community

Create and communicate (writing, speaking, representing)

Exchange ideas and perspectives
Exchange ideas and perspectives
involves taking turns in offering ideas related to the topic at hand, focusing on the speaker without interrupting, and generally contributing to the discussion 
to build shared understanding
Identify, organize, and present ideas in a variety of forms
Create stories
stories
narrative texts, whether real or imagined, that teach us about human nature, motivation, and experience, and often reflect a personal journey or strengthen a sense of identity. They may also be considered the embodiment of collective wisdom. Stories can be oral, written, or visual, and used to instruct, inspire, and entertain listeners and readers 
and other texts
texts
Text and texts are generic terms referring all forms of oral, written, visual, and digital communication:
  • Oral texts include speeches, poems, plays, and oral stories.
  • Written texts include novels, articles, and short stories.
  • Visual texts include posters, photographs, and other images.
  • Digital texts include electronic forms of all the above.
  • Oral, written, and visual elements can be combined (e.g., in dramatic presentations, graphic novels, films, web pages, advertisements).
 
to deepen awareness of self, family, and community
Plan and create a variety of communication forms
communication forms
examples include lists, journals, notes, simple stories, digital presentations, oral presentations, pictures, drama (e.g., puppet shows, dance, plays, storyboards) used to communicate ideas and information 
for different purposes and audiences
Communicate using letters and words and applying some conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation
conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation
common practices in writing, such as capitals and small letters printed legibly; familiar words spelled correctly; and correct use of periods, question marks, and capitals (including capitalized I); introduction to Canadian spelling 
Explore oral storytelling processes
oral storytelling processes
creating an original story or finding an existing story (with permission), sharing the story from memory with others, using vocal expression to clarify the meaning of the text 

Content

Students are expected to know the following:
Story/text
Strategies and processes
  • reading strategies
    reading strategies
    using illustrations and prior knowledge to predict meaning; rereading; retelling in own words; locating the main idea and details; using knowledge of language patterns and phonics to decode words; identifying familiar and “sight” words; monitoring (asking: Does it look right? Sound right? Make sense?); self-correcting errors consistently using three cueing systems: meaning, structure, and visual 
  • oral language strategies
    oral language strategies
    adjusting volume, pace, tone, and articulation; focusing on the speaker; taking turns; asking questions related to the topic; making personal connections; and making relevant contributions to discussion 
  • metacognitive strategies
    metacognitive strategies
    talking and thinking about learning (e.g., through reflecting, questioning, goal setting, self-evaluating) to develop awareness of self as a reader and as a writer 
  • writing processes
    writing processes
    may include revising, editing, considering audience 
Language features, structures, and conventions
  • concepts of print
    concepts of print
    the conventional features of written English, such as:
    • the symbolic nature of writing
    • the correspondence of spoken words to printed words (one-to-one matching)
    • the association of letters and sounds
    • the distinctive features of letters and words
    • the correspondence between uppercase and lowercase letters
    • left-to-right directionality
    • the use of space to mark word boundaries
    • the use of specific signs and symbols for punctuation (e.g., period, exclamation point, question mark)
     
  • print awareness
    print awareness
    understanding the nature and uses of print, including letters and print symbols; children’s print awareness is closely associated with their word awareness (the ability to recognize words as distinct elements of oral and written communication) and is an important precursor to literacy development and early reading achievement; includes awareness of the differences between letters, words, and sentences 
  • phonemic and phonological awareness
    phonemic and phonological awareness
    Phonological refers to the sounds of words (as opposed to their meanings):
    • Phonemic awareness is a specific aspect of a learner’s phonological awareness: a child’s ability to segment spoken words into phonemes (e.g., c / a / t) and to blend phonemes into words indicates a developing phonemic awareness.
    • Phonological awareness involves the abilities to hear and create rhyming words, segment the flow of speech into separate words, and hear syllables as “chunks” in spoken words.
     
  • letter formation
    letter formation
    legible printing with spacing between letters and words 
  • sentence structure
    sentence structure
    the structure of simple sentences 
  • conventions
    conventions
    common practices in punctuation (e.g., the use of a period or question mark at end of sentence) and in capitalization (e.g., capitalizing the first letter of the first word at the start of a sentence, people’s names, and the pronoun I) 
Note: Some of the learning standards in the PHE curriculum address topics that some students and their parents or guardians may feel more comfortable addressing at home. Refer to ministry policy regarding opting for alternative delivery.