The Core Knowledge Language Arts Listening and Learning Strand is designed to help students build the background knowledge and vocabulary critical to listening and reading comprehension. The decoding skills needed for future independent reading are taught separately in the Core Knowledge Language Arts Skills Strand. The two strands complement each other, building the requisite decoding and comprehension skills that comprise fluent, mature reading. The teaching of the two strands, however, need not be correlated, i.e., teachers may provide instruction and practice in a given unit of the Skills Strand as needed, while moving on to new topics and anthologies in the Listening and Learning Strand.
The Skills Strand teaches the mechanics of reading–students are taught systematic and explicit phonics instruction as their primary tool for decoding written English. By the end of grade 2, students have learned all of the sound‐spelling correspondences in the English language and are able to decode written material they encounter. In addition to phonics, students also are taught spelling, grammar, and writing during the Skills Strand.
ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES:
Assessments are formative and summative. Other types of assessments may include teacher observations, checklists, rubrics, tests, presentations and online comprehension assessments.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS:
Students are taught through a variety of methods. Whole class instruction is used for activities such as shared stories and shared class writing. Small group activities or “centers” are used for many Language Arts activities including guided reading groups.