Speaking and Listening for Preschool through Third Grade

The Standard - Talking A Lot in Preschool

Preschoolers need to talk a lot to develop oral language skills. Activities involving high-quality, purposeful talk and attentive feedback are critical for the development of language skills. An informal, snack-time discussion provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate meeting the following speaking and listening expectations for preschool children:

• Respond to direct questions
• Talk and listen in small groups
• Share and talk daily about their own experiences, products, or writing

For more descriptions and examples of speaking and listening standards for preschool through third grade students, get your copy of Speaking and Listening for Preschool Through Third Grade today!

Speaking and Listening for Preschool Through Third Grade, Revised Edition
Book plus DVD
Lauren B. Resnick, Catherine E. Snow
© 2009 / 208 pp. /ISBN 978-0-87207-769-0
IRA Members $31.95 • Nonmembers $39.95

Reading and Writing Grade By Grade

The Standard - Discussing Books in Third Grade

By third grade, students are expanding their discussion of books to include themes and content, author's craft, and inferred meanings of the text.

A book discussion about making connections between their knowledge of Japanese culture and their current reading of Pearl S. Buck's novel The Big Wave gives this third grade class an opportunity to demonstrate their skill with these expectations:

• Referring to knowledge built during discussion
• Using information that is accurate, accessible, and relevant

Get more grade-by-grade literacy expectations, demonstrations, and thoughtful commentaries with your copy of:

Reading and Writing Grade By Grade, Revised Edition
Book plus DVD
Lauren B. Resnick, Sally Hampton
© 2009 / 264 pp. /ISBN 978-0-87207-768-3
IRA Members $31.95 • Nonmembers $39.95

Reading and Writing With Understanding: Comprehension in Fourth and Fifth Grades

The Standard - Writing Different Kinds of Texts in Fourth and Fifth Grade

Fourth and fifth graders are expected to produce many different kinds of writing. Content area writing becomes even more important in these grades as students are challenged to express their understanding of various academic subjects through writing. Criteria for evaluation reflect each content area's values. For example, in history writing one criterion for evaluation is authenticity of sources; in science, the scientific validity of the writer's conceptual framework would be evaluated. Clarity of expression, coherence of ideas, and correctness is important regardless of subject matter.

Real Kids in Real Classrooms

The following writing sample is part of a report on crystals created by Samantha, a fourth grade student. This report demonstrates this student's proficiency in writing an informational text on a science subject.