COURSE TITLE

Grade 5 Broadcast Journalism

LENGTH

Quarter Year

Grade 5

DEPARTMENT

English

Megan Caughey, Supervisor of Elementary Education

Brian Ersalesi, Supervisor of English and Arts

SCHOOL

Pierrepont School

DATE

Primary Content - English Language Arts

Initial Approval: March 11, 2024

Embedded Content - Career Readiness, Life Literacies and Key Skills

Initial Approval: March 11, 2024

Embedded Content - Computer Science and Design Thinking

Initial Approval: March 11, 2024

Grade 5 Broadcast Journalism

I.        Introduction/Overview/Philosophy

This course covers the basics of news media production as well as news analysis. Students will study journalism fundamentals (What is news? What is the purpose of the news media in a democracy? How can bias be detected?), news writing, feature writing, editing, newspaper design, ethics, law and media ownership. Students will analyze and create texts for various styles of print media before moving on to analyzing and creating broadcast news examples.  Students will contribute to an in-class news-style program that involves writing and performing both live and on video.

Experience with and knowledge of the arts is a vital part of a complete education. Education in art, music and drama is an essential part of an academic curriculum for the achievement of growth. An understanding of these arts offers tools for student development. Furthermore, an introduction to the integrated arts cultivates a variety of the multiple intelligences.

For students, an education in an arts-infused course provides opportunities for:

• Creative and inventive decision-making
• A variety of ways of communicating ideas, thoughts, and feelings
• An enhanced sense of poise and self-esteem
• Confidence to undertake new and unusual tasks
• Increased ability to achieve success across the academic curriculum
• Teamwork that fosters leadership skills

II.        Objectives

Course Outline:

• Media Literacy

• “Is Media a Mirror or a Window?”
• The Business of Media
• Media Influence and Saturation

• “How Do You Know What You Know?”

• Slanting News
• Spinning News
• Propaganda

• Mass Media Genres

• The Print Media

• Book Industry
• Newspaper Industry
• Magazine Industry

• The Electronic Media

• The Recording Industry
• The Radio Industry
• The Movie Industry
• The Television Industry
• The Internet Industry
• The Video Game Industry
• The App Industry

• Journalistic Technique

• Writing Styles

• Subjective
• Objective
• Editorializing
• Writing with “Spin”

• The Essential Elements of Writing

• Grammar
• Mechanics
• Usage
• Modifiers
• Qualifiers
• Abstractions

• Techniques

• “Who, What, Where, When, Why & How”
• Styles of Interviewing and Questioning

• Presentation Techniques

• Live Reporting
• Recorded Reporting

• Technical Techniques

• Camera use
• Editing techniques

Student Outcomes:

After successfully completing this course, the student will be able to:

• Analyze live news, recorded news, and print news
• Utilize the same news content to generate recorded news, live news, and print news
• Create an in-class news program
• Learn and understand various careers in the journalism field
• Write a storyboard
• Write a script

Vision for English Language Arts Education in New Jersey

A New Jersey education in English Language Arts builds readers, writers, and communicators prepared to meet the demands of college and career and to engage as productive American citizens with global responsibilities. Throughout their kindergarten through grade 12 experience, students will:

• Develop the necessary skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening that are the foundations for creative and purposeful expression in language.
• Read rich, challenging texts that build their knowledge of the world, grow their confidence and identities as readers, and develop critical thinking skills and vocabulary necessary for long-term success.
• Engage in regular, meaningful, writing authentic tasks, exploring valued topics, writing for impact and expression, and sharing their work with others (including authentic audiences).
• Leverage complex texts and digital media to develop comprehension, active listening, and discussion skills.
• Ground daily writing and discussion in evidence, fostering an ability to read critically, build arguments, cite evidence, and communicate ideas to contribute meaningfully as productive citizens.
• Evaluate the reliability, credibility, and perspective of authors and speakers across all forms of media.
• Express ideas and knowledge through a variety of modalities and media, and serve as effective communicators who purposefully read, write, and speak across multiple disciplines.
• Learn to persist in reading complex texts, establishing lifelong habits to read voluntarily for pleasure, for further education, for information on public policy, and for advancement in the workplace.

Practices of English Language Arts

The English Language Arts Practices offer the capacities held by students who have progressed through a kindergarten through grade 12 English Language Arts program in New Jersey. These practices describe students who are proficient in literacy, possessing the abilities to read deeply, create their own works, and listen and speak to a broad range of ideas. As New Jersey students advance through the grades and demonstrate proficiency in the standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, they are able to exhibit with increasing fullness and regularity the following capacities of the literate individual.

Student capacities include:

• Developing Responsibility for Learning: Cultivating independence, self-reflection, and responsibility for one’s own learning.
• Adapting Communication: Adapting communication in response to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.
• Valuing Evidence in Argumentation: Constructing viable claims and evaluating, defending, challenging, and qualifying the arguments of others.
• Building Knowledge: Building strong content knowledge and connecting ideas across disciplines using a variety of text resources and media.
• Leveraging Technology: Employing technology and digital media thoughtfully, strategically and capably to enhance reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use.
• Understanding Self and Others: Using literacy as a vehicle to affirm all the aspects of one’s own identity, as well as understand, connect to and respect other perspectives and cultures.

Language Domain Anchor Statements

Language: System and structure, effective use, and vocabulary

The Language anchor statements include the system and structure of English, but they also approach language as a matter of craft and informed choice among alternatives. The vocabulary standards focus on understanding words and phrases, their relationships, and their nuances and on acquiring new vocabulary, particularly general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.

(RF) Foundational Skills: Reading Language: By the end of grade 5, develop understanding and conceptual knowledge of, phonics, syllabication patterns, letter-sound correspondences, word analysis, morphology, and other basic conventions of written English.

(WF) Foundational Skills: Writing Language: By the end of grade 5, develop understanding and conceptual knowledge of print, phonological processing, letter formation and handwriting, and other basic conventions of the English writing system.

(SS) System and Structure of Language: By the end of grade 12, demonstrate command of grammar and usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

(KL) Knowledge of Language: By the end of grade 12, apply knowledge of language and command of vocabulary to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

(VL) Vocabulary Acquisition, Use and Literal Meaning: By the end of grade 12, determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words using analysis of word parts (morphemes), word solving strategies, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

(VI) Vocabulary Acquisition, Use and Interpretative Meaning: By the end of grade 12, interpret figurative and connotative word meanings, including shades of meaning based on word relationships and context.

Reading Domain Anchor Statements

Reading: Text complexity and the growth of comprehension

The Reading anchor statements place equal emphasis on the sophistication of what students read and the skill with which they read. They define a grade-by-grade “staircase” of increasing text complexity that rises from beginning reading to the college and career readiness level. Whatever they are reading, students must also show a steadily growing ability to discern more from and make fuller use of text, including making an increasing number of connections among ideas and between texts, considering a wider range of textual evidence, and becoming more sensitive to inconsistencies, ambiguities, and poor reasoning in texts.

(CR) Close Reading of Text: By the end of grade 12, read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences and relevant connections from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

(CI) Central Ideas and Themes of Texts: By the end of grade 12, determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

(IT) Interactions Among Text Elements: By the end of grade 12, analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

(TS) Text Structure: By the end of grade 12, analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

(PP) Perspective and Purpose in Texts: By the end of grade 12, assess how perspective or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

(MF) Diverse Media and Formats: By the end of grade 12, synthesize content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

(AA) Analysis of an Argument: By the end of grade 12, evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning, the credibility and accuracy of each source as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

(CT) Comparison of Texts: By the end of grade 12, analyze and reflect on how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

Writing Domain Anchor Statements

Writing: Text types, responding to reading, and research

The Writing anchor statements acknowledge the fact that whereas some writing skills, such as the ability to plan, revise, edit, and publish, are applicable to many types of writing, other skills are more properly defined in terms of specific writing types: arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives. They stress the importance of the writing-reading connection by requiring students to draw upon and write about evidence from literary and informational texts. Because of the centrality of writing to most forms of inquiry, research standards are prominently included in this strand, though skills important to research are infused throughout the document.

(AW) Argumentative Writing: By the end of grade 12, write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

(IW) Informative and Explanatory Writing: By the end of grade 12, write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

(NW) Narrative Writing: By the end of grade 12, write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

(WP) Writing Process: By the end of grade 12, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, and publishing.

(WR) Writing Research: By the end of grade 12, conduct short as well as more sustained research projects, utilizing an inquiry-based research process, based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

(SE) Sources of Evidence: By the end of grade 12, gather relevant information and evidence from multiple sources to support analysis, reflection, and research, while assessing the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrating the information while avoiding plagiarism.

(RW) Range of Writing: By the end of grade 12, write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Speaking and Listening Anchor Statements

Speaking and Listening: Flexible communication and collaboration

Including but not limited to skills necessary for formal presentations, the Speaking and Listening anchor statements require students to develop a range of broadly useful oral communication and interpersonal skills. Students must learn to work together, express and listen carefully to ideas, integrate information from oral, visual, quantitative, and media sources, evaluate what they hear, use media and visual displays strategically to help achieve communicative purposes, and adapt speech to context and task.

(PE) Participate Effectively: By the end of grade 12, prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

(II) Integrate Information: By the end of grade 12, integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

(ES) Evaluate Speakers: By the end of grade 12, evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

(PI) Present Information: By the end of grade 12, present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

(UM) Use Media: By the end of grade 12, make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

(AS) Adapt Speech: By the end of grade 12, adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Grade 5

Language Domain

Foundational Skills: Reading Language

Phonics and Word Recognition

L.RF.5.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding and encoding words; use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

Fluency

L.RF.5.4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

1. Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
2. Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression.
3. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Foundational Skills: Writing

Sentence Composition (Grammar, Syntax, and Punctuation)

L.WF.5.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of writing, including those listed under grade four foundational skills.

1. Avoid fragments, run-ons and rambling sentences, and comma splices.
2. Maintain consistency in verb tense; place phrases and clauses; choose between adjectives and adverbs.
3. Ensure agreement between subject and verb and between pronoun and antecedent.
4. Distinguish between frequently confused words.
5. Use idiomatic language and choose words for effect; use punctuating for meaning and effect.
6. Use punctuation to separate items in a series; use commas in a series of phrases or clauses.
7. Use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence; use a comma to set off the words yes and no (e.g., Yes, thank you), to set off a tag question from the rest of the sentence (e.g., It’s true, isn’t it?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is that you, Emma?).
8. Spell grade appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

L.KL.5.1. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

1. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.
2. Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
3. Compare and contrast the varieties of English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas, or poems.

L.VL.5.2. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning academic and domain-specific words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

1. Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
2. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
3. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

L.VI.5.3. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

1. Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.
2. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
3. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words.

Reading Domain

RL.CR.5.1. Quote accurately from a literary text when explaining what the text says explicitly and make relevant connections when drawing inferences from the text.

RI.CR.5.1. Quote accurately from an informational text when explaining what the text says explicitly and make relevant connections when drawing inferences from the text.

RL.CI.5.2. Determine the theme of a literary text (e.g., stories, plays or poetry) and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

RI.CI.5.2. Determine the central idea of an informational text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

RL.IT.5.3. Analyze the impact of two or more individuals and events throughout the course of a text, comparing and contrasting two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific textual evidence (e.g., how characters interact).

RI.IT.5.3. Analyze the impact of two or more individuals and events throughout the course of a text, explaining the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific evidence in the text.

RL.TS.5.4. Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

RI.TS.5.4. Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.

RL.PP.5.5. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described, and how that may influence the reader’s interpretation.

RI.PP.5.5. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent and how that may influence the reader’s interpretation. 

RL.MF.5.6. Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

RI.MF.5.6. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, animations, or interactive elements on web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

RI.AA.5.7. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).

RL.CT.5.8. Compare and contrast the authors’ approaches across two or more literary texts within the same genre or about the same or similar topics.

RI.CT.5.8. Compare and contrast the authors’ approaches across two or more informational texts within the same genre or about texts on the same or similar topics.

Writing Domain

W.AW.5.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

1. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose.
2. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details from text(s), quote directly from text when appropriate.
3. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
4. Provide a conclusion related to the opinion presented.

W.IW.5.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

1. Introduce a topic clearly to provide a focus and group related information logically; include text features such as headings, illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aid in comprehension.
2. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
3. Link ideas within paragraphs and sections of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).
4. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
5. Provide a conclusion related to the information of explanation presented.

W.NW.5.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

1. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
2. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
3. Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
4. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
5. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

W.WP.5.4. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

1. Consider audience, purpose, and intent before writing.
2. Plan appropriately to use specialized, topic-specific language appropriate for the audience, purpose and subject matter.
3. Consider writing as a process, including self-evaluation, revision and editing.
4. With adult and peer feedback, and digital or print tools such as a dictionary, thesaurus, and/or spell checker, evaluate whether the writing achieved its goal and make changes in content or form as necessary.
5. After initial drafting, expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, audience, and style.

W.WR.5.5. Establish a central idea about a topic, investigation, issue or event and use several sources to support the proposed central idea.

W.SE.5.6. Gather relevant information from multiple valid and reliable print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, making note of any similarities and differences among ideas presented; and provide a list of sources.

W.RW.5.7. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Speaking and Listening Domain

SL.PE.5.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

1. Explicitly draw on previously read text or material and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
2. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
3. Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.
4. Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.

SL.II.5.2. Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, and orally).

SL.ES.5.3. Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.

SL.PI.5.4. Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

SL.UM.5.5. Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

SL.AS.5.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.

Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills Practices

CRLLKSP 1                Act as a responsible and contributing community member and employee.

Students understand the obligations and responsibilities of being a member of a community, and they demonstrate this understanding every day through their interactions with others. They are conscientious of the impacts of their decisions on others and the environment around them. They think about the near-term and long-term consequences of their actions and seek to act in ways that contribute to the betterment of their teams, families, community and workplace. They are reliable and consistent in going beyond the minimum expectation and in participating in activities that serve the greater good.

CRLLKSP 2                Attend to financial well-being.

Students take regular action to contribute to their personal financial well-being, understanding that personal financial security provides the peace of mind required to contribute more fully to their own career success.

CRLLKSP 3                Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions.

Students understand the interrelated nature of their actions and regularly make decisions that positively impact and/or mitigate negative impact on other people, organization, and the environment. They are aware of and utilize new technologies, understandings, procedures, materials, and regulations affecting the nature of their work as it relates to the impact on the social condition, the environment and the profitability of the organization.

CRLLKSP 4                Demonstrate creativity and innovation.

Students regularly think of ideas that solve problems in new and different ways, and they contribute those ideas in a useful and productive manner to improve their organization. They can consider unconventional ideas and suggestions as solutions to issues, tasks or problems, and they discern which ideas and suggestions will add greatest value. They seek new methods, practices, and ideas from a variety of sources and seek to apply those ideas to their own workplace. They take action on their ideas and understand how to bring innovation to an organization.

CRLLKSP 5                Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

Students readily recognize problems in the workplace, understand the nature of the problem, and devise effective plans to solve the problem. They are aware of problems when they occur and take action quickly to address the problem; they thoughtfully investigate the root cause of the problem prior to introducing solutions. They carefully consider the options to solve the problem. Once a solution is agreed upon, they follow through to ensure the problem is solved, whether through their own actions or the actions of others.

CRLLKSP 6                Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management.

Students consistently act in ways that align personal and community-held ideals and principles while employing strategies to positively influence others in the workplace. They have a clear understanding of integrity and act on this understanding in every decision. They use a variety of means to positively impact the directions and actions of a team or organization, and they apply insights into human behavior to change others’ action, attitudes and/or beliefs. They recognize the near-term and long-term effects that management’s actions and attitudes can have on productivity, morals and organizational culture.

 CRLLKSP 7                Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals.

Students take personal ownership of their own education and career goals, and they regularly act on a plan to attain these goals. They understand their own career interests, preferences, goals, and requirements. They have perspective regarding the pathways available to them and the time, effort, experience and other requirements to pursue each, including a path of entrepreneurship. They recognize the value of each step in the education and experiential process, and they recognize that nearly all career paths require ongoing education and experience. They seek counselors, mentors, and other experts to assist in the planning and execution of career and personal goals.

CRLLKSP 8                Use technology to enhance productivity, increase collaboration and communicate effectively.

Students find and maximize the productive value of existing and new technology to accomplish workplace tasks and solve workplace problems. They are flexible and adaptive in acquiring new technology. They are proficient with ubiquitous technology applications. They understand the inherent risks-personal and organizational-of technology applications, and they take actions to prevent or mitigate these risks.

CRLLKSP 9                Work productively in teams while using cultural/global competence.

Students positively contribute to every team, whether formal or informal. They apply an awareness of cultural difference to avoid barriers to productive and positive interaction. They find ways to increase the engagement and contribution of all team members. They plan and facilitate effective team meetings.

III.         Proficiency Levels

Grade 5 Broadcasting Journalism is designed for students in Grade 5.

IV.        Methods of Assessment

Student Assessment

• A variety of assessments will be provided including, but not limited to, the following items:

• Tests
• Quizzes
• Homework
• Classwork
• Class Participation/Group Participation
• Writing Assignments
• Oral Presentations
• Individual Projects, Presentations and Reports
• Group Projects, Presentations and Reports
• Technology Projects
• Journals

Curriculum/Teacher Assessment

The teacher will provide the subject area supervisor with suggestions for changes on an ongoing basis.

V.        Grouping

Grade 5 Broadcast Journalism is a heterogeneously grouped class that is open to all 5th grade students.  There is no prerequisite.

VI.        Articulation/Scope & Sequence/Time Frame

Grade 5 Broadcast Journalism is a quarter class.

VII.        Resources

Texts/Supplemental Reading/References

• References

• Teachers may contact the English Language Arts department office and the school and local libraries for additional resources. Nearby colleges and other organizations may also be excellent resources.

• Technology

• Use of technology will conform to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.
• Students shall use computers to complete research and for word processing. Teachers shall use appropriate technology to enhance lessons.  Students shall use computers for independent practice of developing skills and as part of the writing process.
• Students shall use computers to digitally edit video footage.
• Students shall use digital cameras for filming.

• Supplemental Readings/Materials

• Supplemental readings and/or materials must be relevant and appropriate and related to the course content.  Any supplemental readings/materials will be used with teacher discretion and/or supervisor/administrator approval.

Mandates

Classroom instruction and activities will include, where appropriate, activities on climate change. The New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) are designed to prepare students to understand how and why climate change happens, the impact it has on our local and global communities and to act in informed and sustainable ways. Where possible, activities are infused to foster an interdisciplinary approach to climate change education that is evidence-based, action-oriented and inclusive.

Classroom instruction and activities will include, where appropriate, activities on Asian American and Pacific Islander Education. As per, P.L.2021, c.416, the instruction will include inclusive materials that portray the cultural diversity of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Classroom instruction and activities will include, where appropriate, curricula on diversity and inclusion. As per 18A:35-4.36a (2021), the instruction shall:

• apply to grades Kindergarten through 12
• highlight and promote diversity
• examine the impact that unconscious bias and economic disparities have
• encourage safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments for all students

The following websites may also be used to infuse activities into diversity and inclusion into lessons. They are current as of the publication/approval of this document.

Diversity and Inclusion

• https://newsela.com/
• https://www.learningforjustice.org/
• https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/multiculturalism-and-diversity/
• https://diversebooks.org
• https://newsela.com/

Individuals with with Disabilities

• https://newsela.com/
• https://www.disabilitymuseum.org/dhm/index.html
• https://americanhistory.si.edu/disabilityrights/welcome.html
• https://getintoit.specialolympics.org/educators/

The Bergen County Curriculum Consortium has curated resources designed to work in tandem with existing curricula. These tools highlight the contributions of diverse groups and align to New Jersey Student Learning Standards. This resource was approved by the Rutherford Board of Education on August 23, 2021.

• https://sites.google.com/wwrsd.org/njsa1835-435to436/k-12-curriculum-toolkits 

Interdisciplinary Connections Mandated by the NJDOE

VIII.        Suggested Activities

• Analysis of:

1. Recorded news
2. Live news
3. Print news

• Use the same news item to create different genres and analyze genre impact

1. Recorded news
2. Live news
3. Print news

• Create an in-class news program
• Learn about professional careers in journalism
• Storyboard creation
• Script writing

IX.        Methodologies

Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills Mission:  Career readiness, life literacies, and key skills education provides students with the necessary skills to make informed career and financial decisions, engage as responsible community members in a digital society, and successfully meet challenges and opportunities in an interconnected global economy.

Vision: An education in career readiness, life literacies and key skills fosters a population that:

• Continually self-reflects and seeks to improve the essential life and career practices that lead to success
• Uses effective communication and collaboration skills and resources to interact with a global society
• Possesses financial literacy and responsibility at home and in the broader community
• Plans, executes, and alters career goals in response to changing societal and economic conditions
• Seeks to attain skill and content mastery to achieve success in a chosen career path

Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills are intended to:

• Promote the development of curricula and learning experiences that reflect the vision and mission of Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills
• Foster greater coherence and appropriate progressions across grade bands
• Establish meaning connections among the major areas of study
• Prioritize the important ideas and core processes that are central and have lasting value beyond the classroom
• Reflect the habits of mind central to Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key skills that lead to post-secondary success

A wide variety of methodologies in this course will be used.  The following are suggestions, not limitations, as to how the program may be implemented and facilitated while paying special attention to the skills.  Codes refer to the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards – Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills.

• Cooperative learning groups CRLLKSP1, CRLLKSP4, CRLLKSP5, CRLLKSP6, CRLLKSP8, CRLLKSP9
• Differentiated instruction methods CRLLKSP2, CRLLKSP6, CRLLKSP8
• Workshop approach CRLLKSP1, CRLLKSP4, CRLLKSP5, CRLLKSP6, CRLLKSP8, CRLLKSP9
• Individual assignments CRLLKSP2, CRLLKSP4
• Whole class instruction CRLLKSP2, CRLLKSP4
• Small group instruction CRLLKSP1, CRLLKSP4, CRLLKSP5, CRLLKSP6, CRLLKSP8, CRLLKSP9
• Technology-aided instruction CRLLKSP2, CRLLKSP4, CRLLKSP8
• Peer-to-peer instruction CRLLKSP1, CRLLKSP4, CRLLKSP9

X.        Interdisciplinary Connections

Interdisciplinary curriculum coordination will be done with the other departments on a regular basis.

The nature of an English Language Course demands varied text types and genres.  Students will be exposed to informational and literary texts that may encompass any of the following areas: art, history, music, science, mathematics, business, and/or technology.  Throughout the year, students will use resources from these areas in their English Language Arts class(es). This course reinforces concepts taught in:

• Social Studies
• Humanities
• Mathematics
• English Language Arts - RI.5.7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
• Science
• Technology
• Appropriate and competent use of relevant websites and digital software and equipment
• Recording student performances/projects using appropriate audio, video, and /or photographic means to facilitate classroom critique of student growth and progress
• Presentation and exploration of related career possibilities
• Working in teams to create group based learning activities and projects CRLLKSP1
• Application of skills learned in class to project based activities CRLLKSP2

XI.         Differentiating Instruction for Students with Special Needs: Students with Disabilities, Students at Risk, Students with 504 Plans, English Language Learners, and Gifted & Talented Students

Differentiating instruction is a flexible process that includes the planning and design of instruction, how that instruction is delivered, and how student progress is measured. Teachers recognize that students can learn in multiple ways as they celebrate students’ prior knowledge. By providing appropriately challenging learning, teachers can maximize success for all students.

Differentiating in this course includes but is not limited to:

Differentiation for Support (ELL, Special Education, Students at Risk and Students with 504 Plans)

• Peer mentoring on problems
• Differentiated teacher feedback on assignments
• Visual aids as we project problems on whiteboard
• Study guides
• Tiered assignments
• Scaffolding of materials and assignments
• Re-teaching and review
• Guided note taking
• Exemplars of varied performance levels
• Multi-media approach to accommodating various learning styles
• Use of visual and multi-sensory formats
• Use of assisted technology
• Use of prompts
• Modification of content and student products
• Testing accommodations
• Authentic assessments
• Pre-teaching of vocabulary and concepts
• Visual learning, including graphic organizers
• Use of cognates to increase comprehension
• Teacher modeling
• Pairing students with beginning English language skills with students who have more advanced English language skills
• Scaffolding

• word walls
• sentence frames
• think-pair-share
• cooperative learning groups
• teacher think-alouds

• Supplemental reading material for independent study
• Flexible grouping
• Tiered assignments
• Topic selection by interest
• Enhanced expectations for independent study
• Elevated questioning techniques using Webb's Depth of Knowledge matrix
• Adjusting the pace of lessons
• Curriculum compacting
• Inquiry-based instruction
• Independent study
• Higher-order thinking skills
• Interest-based content
• Student-driven
• Real-world problems and scenarios

XII.        Professional Development

The teacher will continue to improve expertise through participation in a variety of professional development opportunities.

XIII.        Curriculum Map/Pacing Guide