Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Language and 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
our families, and
our communities.
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 Text and texts are generic terms referring to all forms of oral, written, visual, and digital communication:
help us learn about ourselves,- 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).
our families, and
our communities.
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.
can be understood from different perspectives
Using language in creative and playful ways helps
us understand how language works.
us understand how language works.
Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.
Content
Learning Standards
Content
Story/text
- elements of storycharacter, plot, setting, conflict, and theme
- functions and genres of stories and other texts
- text featureshow text and visuals are displayed (e.g., headings, diagrams, columns, and sidebars)
- literary elements and devicesdescriptive language, poetic language, figurative language, images, imagery, rhythm, rhyme, simile, alliteration
Strategies and processes
- reading strategiesusing 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 strategiesfocusing on the speaker, asking questions to clarify, listening for specifics, expressing opinions, speaking with expression, staying on topic, taking turns, connecting with audience
- metacognitive strategiestalking 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 processesmay include revising, editing, considering audience
Language features, structures, and conventions
- features of oral languageincluding tone, volume, inflection, pace, gestures
- word patterns, word families
- legible handwritinglegible handwriting with spacing between words
- sentence structurethe structure of compound sentences
- conventionscommon practices in punctuation of sentences and in apostrophe use in contractions
Curricular Competency
Learning Standards
Curricular Competency
Comprehend and connect (reading, listening, viewing)
Read fluently at grade level
reading with comprehension, phrasing, and attention to punctuation
Use sources of information and prior knowledge
personal stories and experiences
to make meaning
Make connections between ideas from a variety of sources and prior knowledge
personal stories and experiences
to build understanding
Use developmentally appropriate reading, listening, and viewing strategies
examples include making logical predictions using prior knowledge and story structure; visualizing; making connections to text and self; making inferences; asking questions; engaging in conversation with peers and adults; showing respect for the contribution of others
to make meaning
Recognize how different texts
Text and texts are generic terms referring to all forms of oral, written, visual, and digital communication:
reflect different purposes.
- 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).
Engage actively as listeners, viewers, and readers
offering relevant ideas, asking questions to find out and clarify others’ views, sharing opinions supported by reasons
, as appropriate, to develop understanding of self, identity, and community
Explain the role that 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.
plays in personal, family, and community identity
Use personal experience and knowledge to connect to text
Text and texts are generic terms referring to all forms of oral, written, visual, and digital communication:
and make meaning
- 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).
Recognize the structure and elements of 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.
Show awareness of how 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:
connects people to family and community
- 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)
Develop awareness of how story in First Peoples cultures connects people to land
First Peoples stories were created to explain the landscape, the seasons, and local events.
Create and communicate (writing, speaking, representing)
Exchange ideas and perspectives
offering ideas related to the problem, asking relevant questions to find out and clarify others’ views, sharing opinions supported by reasons
to build shared understanding
Create 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 Text and texts are generic terms referring to all forms of oral, written, visual, and digital communication:
to deepen awareness of self, family, and community
- 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).
Plan and create a variety of communication forms
examples include personal writing, letters, poems, multiple-page stories, simple expository text that is non-fiction and interest-based, digital presentations, oral presentations, visuals, dramatic forms used to communicate ideas and information.
for different purposes and audiences
Communicate using sentences and most conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Develop and apply expanding word knowledge
morphology, including roots, affixes, and suffixes
Explore and appreciate aspects of First Peoples oral traditions
the means by which culture is transmitted over generations other than through written records
- Among First Peoples, oral tradition may consist of told stories, songs, and other types of distilled wisdom or information, often complemented by dance or various forms of visual representation, such as carvings or masks.
- In addition to expressing spiritual and emotional truth (e.g., by symbol and metaphor), it provides a record of literal truth (e.g., about events and situations).
- The oral tradition was once integrated into every facet of life of First Peoples and was the basis of the education system.
Use 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