DISTRICT HOME
Curriculum HOME
Annual Progress Report
Comprehensive School Improvement Plan
Curriculum Frameworks
English as a Sec. Lang
Foreign Language
Home Schooling
Homeless Children
Inst. Materials Center
Mentoring for Teachers
No Child Left Behind
Program of Studies
Special Education
Standards & Benchmarks
Talented/Gifted
Test Scores
Title One

 
QuickLinks
About Us
Boundaries
Lunch Menu
Newcomer's Section
School Board
Transportation

Program of Studies
Elementary K-6 Language Arts Scope and Sequence

Elementary Language Arts

Components of our elementary language arts program present possibilities, raise awareness, and provide direct instruction in what constitutes a balanced literacy program.  These components are organized by the teacher and students and include the following:

  • Dialogue and discussion
  • Independent reading
  • Reading aloud
  • Shared reading
  • Shared writing
  • Guided reading
  • Guided writing
  • Writing Workshop

The literacy framework reflects the scope of knowledge, skills and strategies taught and monitored at K-6 grade levels.  It articulates language arts expectations and provides a guide for the teaching of literacy skills throughout all content areas.  These literacy expectations are included in the literacy framework in the areas of writing process, writing genre, mechanics, grammar and reference skills.

Click on the links below to go to the appropriate table.

Writing: Process

Prewriting

Kdg.

Gr. 1

Gr. 2

Gr. 3

Gr. 4

Gr. 5

Gr. 6
Brainstorming and Selecting a Topic

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Gathering Information

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Organizing Information

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Drafting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Considering the Task

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Considering the Audience

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Considering the Purpose (to describe, persuade, entertain, inform, to reflect)

 

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

X
Considering Formal and Informal Situations

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Development of Beginning, Middle and Ending

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Deciding Title

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Using Vivid Words (colorful words, sensory images, similes, metaphors, personification)

 

 

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

X
Using Exact/Precise Words

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
Replacing Trite Words, Overused Words, Clichés

 

 

 

 

 

X

 

X

 

X

Responding and Revising

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Using Details to Tell Who, What, When, Where, Why, How

 

 

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

X
Using Examples

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Using Dialogue

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Quoting from written/reference material

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Using Comparisons (Analogies, similes, metaphors)

 

 

 

 

 

X

 

X

 

X
Checking accuracy of Information

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Checking Organization

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Keeping to the Topic

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Joining Related Sentences into a Paragraph

 

 

 

  

 

X

X
Using Effective Transition

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Checking Language

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Correcting Run-on Sentences

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

Correcting Sentence Fragments

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Combining Sentences

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
Varying Sentence Structure/Word Order

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
 Varying Sentence Length

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
Using Consistent Verb Tense

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Avoiding Wordy Language

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Proof Reading

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Capitalization

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Punctuation

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Grammar

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Usage

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Spelling

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

Publishing

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Desk Top Publishing *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Desktop Publishing integrates word processing skills with language arts.  It is an alternative to paper and pencil tasks that begins at the first grade level.  It includes the incorporating of graphics, design page layouts and text enhancements for the production of publications such as newsletters, reports, stories, sign posters and books.

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Basic Word Processing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Create Information

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Edit Information

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
Save Information

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
Print Information on the Computer

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Advanced Word Processing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Text Formatting (fonts, print size, bold face, italics, underline and justification.)

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Copy text from one place to another

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Utilize a Spell checker (on-line)

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
Utilize a thesaurus (on-line)

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Computer Graphics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Load graphics

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Print graphics

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Incorporate graphics

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Incorporate graphics into a word processing document

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

WRITING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GENRE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling/Learning Logs

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Narrative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Understands Story Structure

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Develops Personal Narratives

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Develops Paragraphs

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Writes Stories

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Creates Good Characters

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Writes Effective Dialogue

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Establishes a Point of View

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
Creates a Mood

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Foreshadows Action

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Expository Writing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Develops Paragraphs

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
Writes Letters, Invitations, Thank You Notes

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Writes Business Letters

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
Reports News Stories

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
Writes Explanations/Directions

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
Develops Research Reports

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
Books Shares/Literary Letters

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Develops Essays

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

Descriptive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Develops Paragraphs

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
Writes Stories

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Reflects on Writing, Goal Setting

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Creates Poetry

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Persuasive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Develops Paragraphs

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Develops Essays

 

 

 

 

 

 

X
Writes Business Letters

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

return to top

Writing: Mechanics

 

Kdg.

Gr. 1

Gr. 2

Gr. 3

Gr. 4

Gr. 5

Gr. 6

Capitalization

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Word of a Sentence

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Pronoun “I”

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Proper Nouns and Adjectives:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Calendar Items

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Days

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Months

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Holidays

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
People’s Names

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Titles of People

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Initials

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Titles (Books, Stories, TV shows)

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Place Names (Cities, States, etc.)

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Abbreviations

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

Organizations

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Languages

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Historical Events

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Letter Parts

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

Envelopes

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

Outline Form

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Direct Quotations

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Bibliographic Form

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Punctuation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indentation

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

Period:

 

 

 

 

 

 

X
To End Declarative/Telling Sentences

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
To End Imperative Sentences

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
In Titles and Abbreviations

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
In Outline Form

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
In Bibliographic Form

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Question Mark

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Exclamation Point

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Comma:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
In Dates

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
In Addresses

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
In Letter Parts

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
In Compound Sentences

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
In a Series

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
After Introductory Words/Phrases

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
In Direct Quotations

 

 

 

 

X

X

X
In Direct Address

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
In Bibliography Form

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
With Appositives

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

Underlining (Including Book Titles)

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

Apostrophe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
In Contractions

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
In Possessive Nouns

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

Quotation Marks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
In Titles of Stories, Poems, etc.

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
In Conversation

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
In Bibliographic Form

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Colon

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Semi-Colon

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

Hyphen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
In Compound Words

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
To Divide Words at End in Line

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Ellipse

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Parentheses

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

return to top

Writing: Grammar

 

Kdg.

Gr. 1

Gr. 2

Gr. 3

Gr. 4

Gr. 5

Gr. 6

Sentences

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definition

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Types of Sentences:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Declarative/Telling

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Interrogative/Asking

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Exclamatory/Showing Strong Feeling

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Imperative

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

Sentence Structure:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Simple Sentence

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Compound Sentence

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Complex Sentence

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Fragments and Run-On Sentences

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Sentence Parts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Complete Subject

 

 

 

 

 

 

X
Simple Subject

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
You (understood)

 

 

 

 

 

 

X
Compound Subject

 

 

 

 

 

 

X
Complete Predicate

 

 

 

 

 

 

X
Simple Predicate

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Compound Predicate

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

Nouns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definition

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

Types of Nouns:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Singular and Plural

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Common and Proper

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Possessive Nouns

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

Abbreviations of Nouns

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Using Nouns Correctly

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Verbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definition

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

Types of Verbs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Action Verbs

 

 

 

X

X

X

X
Helping Verbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

X
Linking Verbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

Irregular Verbs

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Verb Tenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Present Tense

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Past Tense

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Future Tense

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Verb Contractions

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Using Verbs Correctly

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Adjectives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definition

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Types of Adjectives:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Common Adjectives

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Comparisons with Adjectives

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Using Adjectives Correctly

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Pronouns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definition

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Types of Pronouns:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Subject Pronouns

 

 

 

 

 

X

X
Object Pronouns

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Subject/Object Agreement

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Students in Grades 1 - 6 will be using grammatical structures in context through the writing process.  Definition and correct use of nouns, verbs and adjectives as well as adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections are considered part of the Grade 7 - 12 English and Foreign Language curricula.  Throughout the elementary grades, the emphasis is on natural usage of language in writing rather than labeling of grammatical terms.

Writing: Reference/Learning Skills

 

Kdg.

Gr. 1

Gr. 2

Gr. 3

Gr. 4

Gr. 5

Gr. 6

Orientation to the Media Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Name, identify and define roles of media personnel

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Recognize and demonstrate Media Center Rules

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Know checkout and return procedures

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Understand and practice proper care of materials and equipment

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

On Line Public Access Catalog (OPAC)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Use Media Center Catalog

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Select appropriate search strategy: author, title, subject, keyword

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Interpret information on screen

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Locate material

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Use information on OPAC to make an entry for a bibliography

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Classification of Material

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Non Fiction

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Fiction

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
Biography

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Dewey Decimal System

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

Information Search Strategies:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRINT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using the Dictionary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alphabetical Order

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Guide Words

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

Entry Words

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

Pronunciation Key

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Etymology

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

Parts of Speech

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Vocabulary Study

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Using the Thesaurus

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

Using Reference Sources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parts of a Book (Table of Contents, title, Dedication, Spine, Index, Glossary)

 

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

X

Encyclopedia, Atlas, Almanac

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Using Periodicals

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Multi Media Materials

 

X

X

X

X

X

X

Using Graphic Aids

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charts

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Bar Graphs

X

 

X

X

X

X

X

Line Graphs

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Pie Charts

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Tables and Diagrams

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Maps/Globes

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

ELECTRONIC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using Technology Tools as Reference Sources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
CD-ROM’s

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
On line databases (keyword, indexes)

 

 

X

X

X

X

X
Video discs

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Computerized card catalog

 

X

X

X

X

X

X
Internet Research

 

 

 

X

X

X

X

Integration of Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summarizing

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Webbing/Outlining

 

 

X

X

X

X

X

Paraphrasing

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Test Taking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Studying For a Test

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Taking a Test

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

Taking An Essay Test

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Reading Strategies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skimming

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Scanning

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

Filling Out Forms

 

 

 

 

X

X

X

 

return to top

 

2007-08 Program of Studies
Table of Contents

The following are brief synopses of the total curriculum, activity programs and services available to students for the 2007-08 school year.

Some of the files are saved as PDF files, and require Adobe Reader.

Elementary (K-6)

Junior High (7-8)

Valley Southwoods (9)

Valley High School (10-12)

Walnut Creek Campus Alternative High School

Other

 

 

 

About Us | Calendars | Community Education | Construction Plans | Curriculum | Finance | Job Openings | Nutrition | Programs | Registration | Schools | School Board | Technology | Transportation

LINKS FOR Parents | Students | Staff Login | Job Seekers | Campus Portal | Staff Directory | Website Privacy Statement | Search | HOME

West Des Moines Community Schools
3550 Mills Civic Parkway
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265-5556
Phone (515) 633-5000 | Fax (515) 633-5099
Email Us | Email Webmaster