Organizing an English Language Arts Program

Organizational Approaches

Language use and language learning are fostered when learners are engaged with stimulating themes and issues that are meaningful to them. Courses and units organized by themes and issues offer students meaningful contexts for working with and learning language. This organization encourages the use of all language strands and accommodates a wide range of literacy and other resources.

Issue and theme-based courses help students learn language as they speak, listen, write, read, represent, and view issues, beliefs, and assumptions about life and the world and the language and texts that express them. They also allow for interdisciplinary study.

In addition, using themes and issues as a framework for discussion and inquiry requires students to use language and language conventions purposefully and effectively as they process information, make decisions, solve problems, and think creatively and critically.

Themes and issues help students put language learning into the larger context of discovering the "connectedness of things" (Boyer, 1995, p. 17). Secondary Level students find thematic and issue-based units appealing when the topics engage their interests and connect with their experiences and with issues that concern them.

In order to provide students with a range of experiences without giving the language processes or literary selections a superficial treatment, it is suggested that teachers plan a minimum of two units for each course.

English Language Arts A10

English Language Arts A10 (ELA A10) is organized around themes. Thematic units suggested in this curriculum are:

Canadian Frontiers and Homeland--Journeys and Discoveries

Possible sub-themes include: Roots and Identity, Traditions and Celebrations, Beliefs and Search for Meaning, Cultural Encounters.

Challenges--Opportunities and Obstacles

Possible sub-themes include: Quests and Adventures, Courage and Leadership, Struggle and Achievement, Conflict and Search for Peace.

The Unknown--Hopes and Fears Possible sub-themes include: Mystery and Suspense, The Unexplained, Fantasy, Science Fiction, The Future .

English Language Arts B10

English Language Arts B10 (ELA B10) is an issue-oriented course that is organized around the human concerns facing contemporary society. Issue-based units suggested in this curriculum are:

Decisions--Action or Apathy

Related issues include: Life Pressures, Values, Consequences, Career Decisions, Apathy versus Action.

Environment and Technology--Reality and Responsibility

Related issues include: Survival, Disasters, Animal Rights, Urban and Rural Issues, Ecology and Technology.

Equality--Pain and Pride

Related issues include: Judging and Misjudging Others, Rights and Responsibilities, Inequalities, Racial Tensions, Justice and Fairness.

One sample unit for ELA A10, The Unknown (50 hours), and one for ELA B10, Equality (50 hours), are provided in the curriculum guide. These sample units can be used as models for planning and teaching.

English Language Arts 20

English Language Arts 20 (ELA 20) is organized around themes that are of interest to adolescents and that focus on self, society, and what it means to be human. In this course:

• language processes are integrated

• language provides the foundation for all learning, including the study of literature and other forms of communication

• students use language to learn, think, and communicate effectively, and to understand the functions and forms of language.

Sample themes suggested in this curriculum are:

Recollection--A Journey Back

Possible subthemes include: Innocence and Experience, Family and Peer Relationships, School and Education, Wonder and Imagination, Triumphs and Defeats.

Anticipation--On the Threshold

Possible subthemes include: Roles and Responsibilities, Choices and Commitments, Perspectives and Passages, Values and Goals.

A sample unit for ELA 20, Recollection--A Journey Back, is provided in the curriculum guide.

English Language Arts A30

English language Arts A30 (ELA A30) is organized around themes that focus on Canadian literature and society. Themes in this curriculum are :

Canada--Diverse Landscapes and Peoples

Possible subthemes include: A Vast and Varied Land, Nature and the Seasons, Regional Landscapes, Identity and Diversity, Personalities and Values.

Canada--Diverse Voices

Possible subthemes include: Aboriginal Voices, Voices Through Time, Regional Voices, Multicultural Voices, Female and Male Voices, Marginalized Voices.

English Language Arts B30

English Language Arts B30 (ELA B30) is an issue-oriented course that is organized around human concerns in a global society. English Language Arts B30 examines global perspectives using traditional and contemporary world literature in a comparative manner. Issue-based units in this curriculum are:

The Human Condition--In Search of Self

Related issues include: Identity and Sense of Self, Human Qualities and Ideals, Human Relationships, Joy and Inspiration, Doubt and Fear.

The Social Experience--Beyond Personal Goals

Related issues include: Individual and Social Responsibility; Truth and Justice; Ambition, Power, and the Common Good; Social Criticism; Causes and Crusades.

Sample units for ELA A30, Diverse Landscapes and People (50 hours), and ELA B30, The Human Condition--In Search of Self (50 hours), are provided in the curriculum guide. These sample units can be used as models for planning and teaching.

Electives

Students at the Secondary Level also have the option of at least one of the following elective English language arts courses:

Creative Writing 20
Journalism Studies 20
Communication Studies 20
Media Studies 20.

Separate curricula and resources are identified by Saskatchewan Education for each of these elective courses. Corresponding resources have also been identified.

Resources

Suggested language resources as well as other resources are found in English Language Arts Bibliographies developed by Saskatchewan Education. Throughout each course, students should continue to hear, read, view, and study a range of significant texts that are complemented by the students' extended personal reading. Students should also learn about the English language and its use.

A resource-based curriculum encourages students and teachers to use a variety of resources in their learning and teaching. Teachers are encouraged to select and adapt their materials, instruction, and environment to meet the abilities, needs, and interests of each of their students.

This curriculum encourages teachers and students to explore a range of literature: traditional as well as contemporary voices, Aboriginal as well as non-Aboriginal voices, female as well as male voices, Saskatchewan and Canadian as well as world voices.

It is important to keep in mind that English language arts is more than literature. Literature is a vehicle for achieving the language arts objectives. When choosing selections, attention must be given to the language processes that students are to experience. The learning objectives and language study concepts provide the framework for all activities.

The program created should reflect a balance of experiences with all the language processes, and integration should be planned rather than being left to chance. Balance should also be reflected in the selection of resources. Selections that have withstood the test of time as well as contemporary selections should be included. Although it is possible to place some selections in more than one theme or unit, schools are encouraged to co-ordinate material selections as much as possible so that repetition can be avoided.

Media other than print can play two important roles in the English language arts classroom. Firstly, they can enrich students' appreciation and extend their literary experiences. For example, students might read a dramatic selection and then listen to an audiotape or adapt a stage play for radio. Secondly, students can explore media as legitimate literary forms. In this way, students should become informed and critical consumers of various media.

Students might also explore the specific techniques used by producers, directors, advertisers, or writers in a range of media. Either way, using various media extends students' literary and language experiences. In this curriculum, language and the language objectives form the basis for planning and activities. Print and other media selections should not be so numerous as to limit the range of experiences in the language arts. When planning units, teachers should choose carefully a minimum number of literary selections to accomplish the objectives of the program. The following chart provides guidance for this selection.

Minimum Guide for Resource Selection

An "intensive" selection is one that is studied in some detail for a specific purpose. It is usually part of a whole-class study. "Extensive" study is intended for application of previously learned strategies and/or for personal enjoyment.

For instructional, assessment, and evaluation purposes, teachers should choose resources and selections from the respective English language arts bibliographies or alternative resources that have not been suggested at previous grade levels and that pose comparable challenge to the students. The Shakespearean plays should be chosen from the plays listed in the English language arts bibliographies.

Sample Resource Selection Guide

Course Planning: Key Considerations

A curriculum guide gives suggestions for ways teachers can help students develop language competencies according to students’ abilities and potentials.

Foundational objectives are stated for each level. These objectives comprise the key knowledge and abilities that students should develop during their secondary school years.

The learning objectives describe specific knowledge and abilities for each grade level. They are designed to help students achieve the foundational objectives. They guide language experiences, resource selection, classroom activities, daily instruction, and assessment.

Because the curriculum is a guide, teachers are responsible for planning the actual program and activities that are appropriate for their students. This curriculum advocates an approach to instruction where learning objectives form the basis, and themes and issues provide the organizational framework for language use and development. Themes and issues provide an opportunity for students to speak, listen, write, and read about particular topics and issues.

Recommended Procedure for Planning

1. Review the foundational and specific learning objectives in the curriculum guide.

   • Decide upon the foundational objectives (keeping in mind the principle of balance) and appropriate specific learning objectives that could be accomplished within a unit.

   • Plan for flexibility so that you can adjust to individual needs when you know your students.

2. Identify the language activities, instructional strategies, resources, and assessment procedures, ensuring that they are consistent with the learning objectives. Consider the following:

   • What content, concepts, and issues will be emphasized?

   • How will the key learning objectives be assessed?

   • What print and non-print resources will be needed? How will these resources be used --intensively or extensively? How will student choice be accommodated?

   • What is the time frame? Can an appropriate amount of time be spent on a particular concept, selection, or theme?

   • What introductory activities will establish connections between students' existing knowledge and new learnings?

   • How can each student find a point of engagement?

   • How can activities be sequenced?

   • What teaching strategies (e.g., lecture, discussion, etc.) are appropriate? Can a balance of teaching strategies be used to accommodate individual learning styles?

   • What groupings--whole class, small group, individual study--will be used?

   • What activities are student-selected or student-originated? In what collaborative assessment and self-evaluation procedures will students participate?

   • What daily assessment strategies will be used? Are these strategies consistent with the learning objectives? What recordkeeping procedures will be used? How will students be involved in developing or defining assessment criteria? How will students be involved in monitoring their own growth and development?

   • How will closure be brought to the unit?

   • How will expectations be communicated to the students? How will students be involved in setting expectations?

3. Consider the language and learning needs, abilities, and interests of the students. What possible unit adaptations will have to be made to accommodate an individual's language needs and abilities in order to help him or her achieve the objectives of the curriculum?

Classroom Routines

In addition to course planning, teachers must give consideration to classroom focus, expectations, and routines. They must have realistic expectations of their students and these expectations must be communicated. At the beginning of a course, students should know the following:

• The balance of content, process, and product plays a role in learning and evaluation strategies. Because of the importance of process as well as content and product, student attendance will be a factor and, therefore, is important in learning and subsequent evaluation.

• The language processes of speaking and listening will be balanced with writing and reading. Representing and viewing will also be emphasized, where appropriate. This balance should be reflected in classroom activities and evaluation.

• Various methods of learning and evaluation will be practised. Teachers should be able to explain the rationale for any of the practices (e.g., the writing process) used in the classroom. It is important for students to experience a range of teaching and learning opportunities in order to broaden their ways of learning. Where possible, students should be involved jointly in determining assessment criteria.

• Particular classroom routines (e.g., deadlines, resource use, grouping procedures, product formats) should be communicated to the students. Where possible, joint decision making with students is preferred.

• Models or examples should be shared or developed with the students whenever possible.

An important goal of this program is to encourage students to become more responsible for their own learning. Students need to become active participants in the classroom and involved in the various processes, including assessment. When teachers set reasonable expectations in consultation with students, students have goals towards which they can move in order to become increasingly responsible for their own learning.