ConVal Language Arts Curriculum

Literature
New Hampshire Curriculum Standard #4- Students will demonstrate competence in understanding, appreciating, interpreting, and critically analyzing classical and contemporary American and British literature as well as literary works translated into English. (pdf)

“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.”

~James Bryce

Theory and Principles: (pdf)
Literature provides a lens through which students may view the world. Vicarious situations offer them a way to learn about past events, experience distant cultures, and even peer intimately into the lives of people very much like themselves. Through this process, students come to recognize that there are universal human experiences that connect us all through time and space. Ultimately, from learning more about others students come to learn more about themselves.

The goal of the study of literature is to help our students appreciate the possibilities existing in the vast array of the world’s literature. This is best achieved through a consistent and purposeful approach to literary study that will allow students to discuss, analyze, understand, and appreciate a variety of literary works and forms. Providing students with a “way in” to a work of literature is the key goal of the specific content of this standard. This is best accomplished through the teaching and modeling of the comprehension strategies described in Standard 1. Even with the youngest learner, careful modeling and questioning will provide students with the tools they need to be active readers, ultimately able to independently construct a meaning from their reading.

In order to guarantee that students will be exposed to essential literary concepts and genres, a list of appropriate titles is identified at each grade level. These books are considered “protected,” and may not be taught in any lower grade.

Teachers may choose from among the titles at their grade level or other titles of comparable merit. It is expected, however, that chosen titles will be given intensive consideration in teacher-directed activities. A specific number of titles, and in some cases specific genres, is provided at each grade level.

See Appendix for grade level protected books lists.

The titles have been chosen because they:
• represent quality writing.
• reflect age and grade-level appropriateness.
• provide opportunities for integration with other curricular areas.
• represent a range of literary styles and genres.

Grade level lists will be evaluated periodically in order to provide flexibility and the inclusion of new and important works as they become available.

Grade – Kindergarten

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• experience a variety of types of literature.
• listen to the read-aloud selection for a specific purpose, as identified by the teacher.
• understand the following literary terms, title, author, concepts of rhyme.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
• use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• begin to make text-to-self and text-to-text connections about works they hear and view.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions about texts.
• answer open-ended questions about texts. (e.g., What are you wondering about?).

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• use senses in response to texts with teacher supported experiences.

INFERRING
Students will:
• make predictions based on illustrations, rhyme, or portions of stories.

Grade – 1

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• begin to recognize the characteristics of a variety of types of literature.
• listen to read-aloud selections for specific purposes as identified by the teacher.
• understand the literary terms and concepts: rhyme, rhythm, title, author, alliteration, illustrator, and character.
• notice when difficulties are encountered in understanding the text.
• notice when difficulties are encountered in understanding the written sentence.
• stop, reread, and/or ask for help when difficulties are encountered in understanding the text.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
• use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections about works they read, hear, and view.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions about texts including questions about plot, sequence of events, setting, character, theme, and problem/conflict through works they read, hear, and view.
• answer questions about texts including questions about plot, setting, character, theme, and problem/conflict through works they read, hear, and view.

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• explain or draw their sensory reactions to written, spoken, and audio-visual texts.
• use their senses in response to texts with teacher support.

INFERRING
Students will:
• identify author’s purpose or intent in written, spoken, or audio-visual texts with teacher support.
• make predictions based on illustrations, rhyme, or portions of stories.

Grade – 2

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• begin to recognize the characteristics of a variety of types of literature.
• read to answer specific questions or for specific purposes.
• review literary concepts and terms taught in previous grades.
• understand the following literary terms: dialogue, setting, synonym and onomatopoeia.
• stop, reread, and/or ask for help when difficulties are encountered in understanding the text.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
• use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections about works they read, hear, and view.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions about texts including questions about plot, sequence of events, setting, character, theme, solutions, and problem/conflict through works they read, hear, and view.
• answer questions about texts including questions about plot, setting, character, theme, and problem/conflict, and solution through works they read, hear, and view.

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• explain or illustrate their sensory reactions to written, spoken, and audio-visual texts.

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE
Students will:
• identify the beginning, middle, and end of literary works.
• identify the problem/conflict and its solution.

INFERRING
Students will:
• identify author’s purpose or intent in written, spoken, or audio-visual texts with teacher support.
• make predictions based on illustrations, portions of stories, or knowledge of characters.

SYNTHESIZING
Students will:
• begin to compare and contrast literary works.

Grade – 3

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• Recognize the characteristics of a variety of types of literature with an emphasis on biography/autobiography.
• Read to answer specific questions or for specific purposes.
• Stop, reread, and/or ask for help when difficulties are encountered in understanding the text.
• Begin to distinguish between cause and effect, true and false, main idea and supporting details, and fact and opinion.
• Demonstrate think-aloud behaviors as modeled by the teacher.
• Understand the following literary terms and concepts: hero/heroine, theme, plot, antonym, homonym/ homophone, simile, and idiom.
• Self-select appropriate reading materials with consideration for ability and interest.
• Identify who is telling the story.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
• use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections about works they read, hear, and view.
• begin to develop an understanding of local culture.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions about texts including questions about plot, sequence of events, setting, character, theme, problem/conflict and solution through works they read, hear, and view.
• answer questions about texts including questions about plot, setting, character, theme, problem/conflict, and solution through works they read, hear, and view.

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• explain or illustrate sensory reactions to written, spoken, and audio-visual text.
• use the five senses to comprehend text.

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE
Students will:
• identify the beginning, middle, and end of literary works.
• identify the problem/conflict and its solution.
• distinguish important from less important ideas in fiction and nonfiction texts.

INFERRING
Students will:
• begin to identify author’s purpose or intent in written, spoken, or audio-visual text.
• make predictions based on illustrations, portions of stories, or knowledge of characters.

SYNTHESIZING
Students will:
• compare and contrast literary works.
• begin to apply concepts from books to personal experiences and to the local community.

Grade – 4

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• begin to understand the characteristics of a variety of types of literature with an emphasis on poetry.
• self-monitor comprehension.
• stop, reread, and/or ask for help when difficulties are encountered in understanding the text.
• repair faulty comprehension.
• read to answer specific questions or for specific purposes.
• begin to distinguish between cause and effect, true and false, main idea and supporting details, and fact and opinion.
• demonstrate think-aloud behaviors as modeled by the teacher.
• explain that literature can be used to better understand themselves and others.
• review literary concepts and terms taught in previous grades.
• understand literary terms and concepts: metaphor, climax, rising/developing action, exaggeration, conflict (add person vs. person), point-of-view (add 3rd person), and novel.
• self-select appropriate reading materials with consideration for ability and interest.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
• use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections about works they read, hear, and view.
• explore new points-of-view outside their range of experience through their identification with characters.
• develop an understanding of American culture and the world in which they live.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions about works including questions about plot, setting, character, theme, conflict and resolution, and point-of-view through works they read, hear, and view.
• answer questions about works including questions about plot, setting, character, theme, conflict and resolution, and point-of-view through works they read, hear, and view.

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• use all the senses to comprehend texts.
• visualize from a vivid piece of text.
• visualize in nonfiction texts to better understand the dimensions of size, shape, and time.

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE
Students will:
• distinguish important from less important ideas in fiction and nonfiction texts.
• begin to find evidence of character motivation in the text.
• identify the conflict and its resolution.

INFERRING
Students will:
• begin to independently identify author’s purpose or intent in written, spoken, or audio-visual texts.
• make predictions based on explicit or implicit information from the text and/or personal experience.
evaluate predictions.

SYNTHESIZING
Students will:
• compare and contrast literary works with a focus on character, setting, and conflict.
• apply concepts from works to their personal experiences, to the local environment, to current events, and to historical topics.
• understand that a single text, including poetry, novels, essays, spoken and audiovisual presentations, and accounts of events from real-life, may elicit a variety of responses and interpretations.

Grade – 5

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• begin to understand the characteristics of a variety of types of literature with an emphasis on historical fiction.
• read to answer specific questions or for specific purposes.
• distinguish between cause and effect, true and false, main idea and supporting details, and fact and opinion.
• demonstrate think-aloud behaviors as modeled by the teacher.
• explain that literature can be used to better understand themselves and others.
• self-select reading materials with consideration for ability and interest/
• identify the narrator.

NOTE: ALL PREVIOUSLY LEARNED LITERARY CONCEPTS (K-4) SHOULD CONTINUE
TO BE REINFORCED AS LITERARY TERMS.

• demonstrate knowledge of use of literary terms: metaphor, climax, rising/developing action, conflict (add person vs. person), point of view (add 3rd person), and novel.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
• use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

REPAIRING UNDERSTANDING
Students will:
• monitor the adequacy of their understanding.
• stop, reread, and/or ask for help when difficulties are encountered in understanding the text.
• repair faulty comprehension.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections about works they read, hear, and view.
• explore new points of view outside their range of experience through their identification with characters.
• develop an understanding of American culture and the world in which they live.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions about works including questions about plot, setting, character, theme, conflict and resolution, and point of view through works they read, hear, and view.
• answer questions about works including questions about plot, setting, character, theme, conflict and resolution, and point of view through works they read, hear, and view.

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• use all the senses to comprehend texts.
• visualize from a vivid piece of text.
• visualize in nonfiction texts to better understand the dimensions of size, shape, and time.

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE
Students will:
• distinguish important from less important ideas in fiction and nonfiction texts.
• begin to find evidence of character motivation in the text.
• identify the conflict and its resolution.

INFERRING
Students will:
• begin to independently identify author’s purpose or intent in written, spoken, or audio-visual texts.
• make predictions based on explicit or implicit information from the text and/or personal experience.
evaluate predictions.

SYNTHESIZING SYNTHESIZING
Students will:
• compare and contrast literary works with a focus on character, setting, and conflict.
• apply concepts from works to their personal experiences, to the local environment, to current events, and to historical topics.
• understand that a single text, including poetry, novels, essays, spoken and audio-visual presentations, and accounts of events from real-life, may elicit a variety of responses and interpretations.

Grade – 6

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• understand the characteristics of a variety of types of literature with an emphasis on realistic fiction.
• read to answer specific questions or for specific purposes.
• distinguish between cause and effect, true and false, main idea and supporting details, and fact and opinion in fiction or nonfiction texts.
• demonstrate think-aloud behaviors as modeled by the teacher.
• explain that literature can be used to better understand themselves and others.
• monitor the adequacy of their understanding.
• stop, reread, and/or ask for help when difficulties are encountered in understanding the text.
• repair faulty comprehension.

NOTE: ALL PREVIOUSLY LEARNED LITERARY CONCEPTS (K-5) SHOULD CONTINUE
TO BE REINFORCED AS LITERARY TERMS.

• Demonstrate knowledge of use of literary terms: free verse, hyperbole, legend, monologue, conflict (add person vs. society and person vs. self), foreshadowing, myth, and dialect.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
• use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections about works they read, hear, and view.
• explore new points of view outside their range of experience through their identification with characters.
• develop an understanding of American culture and the world in which they live.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions about works including questions about plot, setting, character, theme, conflict and resolution, and point of view through works they read, hear, and view.
• answer questions about works including questions about plot, setting, character, theme, conflict and resolution, and point of view through works they read, hear, and view.

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• use all the senses to comprehend texts.
• visualize from a vivid piece of text.
• visualize in nonfiction texts to better understand the dimensions of size, shape, and time.

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE
Students will:
• distinguish important from less important ideas in fiction and nonfiction text.
• produce evidence of character motivation in the text.

INFERRING
Students will:
• independently identify author’s purpose or intent in written, spoken, or audio-visual text.
• identify instances of foreshadowing to make predictions.
• make predictions based on explicit or implicit information from the text and/or personal experience.
evaluate predictions.

SYNTHESIZING
Students will:
• compare and contrast within and across literary works with a focus on character, setting, and internal/external conflicts.
• apply concepts from works to their personal experiences, to the local environment, to current events, and to historical topics.
• understand that a single text, including poetry, novels, essays, spoken and audiovisual presentations, and accounts of events from real-life, may elicit a variety of responses and interpretations.

Grade – 7

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• understand characteristics of a wide variety of genres with an emphasis on short stories.
• demonstrate think-aloud behaviors as modeled by the teacher.
• analyze text structure for organizational frameworks.
• understand that themes and events in literature often parallel real life.
• identify, analyze, and interpret literary themes and elements.
• monitor the adequacy of their understanding.
• use “fix-up” strategies flexibly to repair faulty comprehension

NOTE: ALL PREVIOUSLY LEARNED LITERARY CONCEPTS (K-6) SHOULD CONTINUE
TO BE REINFORCED AS LITERARY TERMS

• Demonstrate knowledge of use of literary terms: protagonist, antagonist, and symbol.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
• use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections about works they read, hear, and view.
• begin to analyze the ways that literature reflects the range of human experience.
• begin to analyze the ways readers and writers are influenced by personal, social, cultural, and historical contexts.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions of themselves about plot, theme, character, setting, and point of view to help them understand the text.

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• use sensory imagery from the text to visualize settings, characters and actions.
• create visual images in their minds based on literal and figurative language from the text to enhance comprehension.

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE
Students will:
• identify essential and supporting ideas which are central to the meaning.

INFERRING
Students will:
• begin to think abstractly to create an understanding of characters, theme, and meaning.
• make predictions based on explicit or implicit information from the text and/or personal experience.
• evaluate predictions.

SYNTHESIZING
Students will:
• synthesize information within and across texts and relate it to their prior reading and personal experiences.
• consider a text objectively by performing a range of tasks including comparing and contrasting, • understanding the impact of the organizational structure, and analyzing the use of such elements as humor, redundancy, metaphor, and symbolism.
• begin to critically analyze and evaluate texts for their practical, informational, or aesthetic value.
• begin to analyze and evaluate text for writer’s craft, writer’s biases, and the inherent ability of the work to communicate.

Grade – 8

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• understand characteristics of a wide variety of genres with an emphasis on drama.
• begin to recognize author’s bias.
• show an appreciation of literature from various cultures and historical and literary periods.
• demonstrate think-aloud behaviors as modeled by the teacher.
• identify, analyze, and interpret literary themes and elements.
• understand that themes and events in literature often parallel real life.
• analyze the structure of a play.
• analyze character-development using methods of characterization, direct and indirect.

NOTE: ALL PREVIOUSLY LEARNED LITERARY CONCEPTS (K-7) SHOULD CONTINUE
TO BE REINFORCED AS LITERARY TERMS

• Demonstrate knowledge of use of literary terms: characterization (direct and indirect), tone, analogy, satire, and narrative.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
• use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

REPAIRING UNDERSTANDING
Students will:
• monitor the adequacy of their understanding.
• use “fix-up” strategies flexibly to repair faulty comprehension.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections about works they read, hear, and view.
• continue to analyze the ways that literature reflects the range of human experience.
• continue to analyze the ways readers and writers are influenced by personal, social, cultural, and historical contexts.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions of themselves about plot, theme, character, setting, and point of view to help them understand the text.

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• use sensory imagery from the text to visualize settings, characters and actions.
• create visual images in their minds based on literal and figurative language from the text to enhance comprehension.

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE
Students will:
• identify essential and supporting ideas which are central to the meaning.

INFERRING
Students will:
• continue to think abstractly to create an understanding of characters, theme, and meaning.

SYNTHESIZING
Students will:
• synthesize information within and across texts and relate it to their prior reading and personal experiences.
• consider a text objectively by performing a range of tasks including comparing and contrasting, understanding the impact of the organizational structure, and analyzing the use of such elements as bias, satire, and analogy.
• continue to critically analyze and evaluate texts for their practical, informational, or aesthetic value.
• continue to analyze and evaluate text for writer’s craft, writer’s biases, and the inherent ability of the work to communicate.

Grade – 9

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• show an appreciation of literature from various cultures and historical and literary periods.
• utilize their knowledge of the structures of a wide variety of genres to enhance their understanding of literary works.
• demonstrate think-aloud behaviors as modeled by the teacher.
• recognize that common themes and symbols often occur in literary works from different time periods and cultures.

NOTE: ALL PREVIOUSLY LEARNED LITERARY CONCEPTS (K-8) SHOULD CONTINUE
TO BE REINFORCED AS LITERARY TERMS

• Demonstrate knowledge of use of literary terms: allusion, epic, irony, soliloquy, aside, poetic license, and blank verse.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
• use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

REPAIRING UNDERSTANDING
Students will:
• monitor the adequacy of their understanding.
• use “fix-up” strategies flexibly to repair faulty comprehension.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• analyze the ways that literature reflects the range of human experience.
• analyze the ways readers and writers are influenced by personal, social, cultural, and historical contexts.
• begin to refine and limit their connections to those that deepen their understanding.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions of themselves about the elements of literary structure to support understanding.

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• create visual images in their minds based on literal and figurative language from the text to enhance comprehension.
• use sensory imagery from the text to visualize settings, characters, and actions.

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE
Students will:
• limit their focus to ideas which are central to the meaning.

INFERRING
Students will:
• think abstractly to determine understanding of characters, theme, meaning, and the use of symbols.

SYNTHESIZING
Students will:
• employ the strategies above to synthesize information within and across texts and relate the information to other works of literature in terms of theme, conflict, and character development.
• analyze and share common books to enhance their understanding of theme and genre.
• stand apart from a text to perform a range of tasks including critically evaluating, comparing and contrasting, understanding the impact of the organizational structure, and analyzing the use of such elements as irony and poetic license.
• critically analyze and evaluate texts for their practical, informational, or aesthetic value.
• analyze and evaluate text for writer’s craft, writer’s biases, and the inherent ability of the work to communicate.

Grade – 10

READING BEHAVIORS
Students will:
• show an appreciation of literature from various cultures and historical and literary periods.
• utilize their knowledge of the structures of a wide variety of genres to enhance their understanding of literary works.
• demonstrate think-aloud behaviors as modeled by the teacher.
• apply various archetypal patterns (e.g., the Hero Cycle, the Tragic Hero, the Christ figure) to enhance their understanding of literary works.
• recognize that common themes and symbols often occur in literary works from different time periods and cultures.

NOTE: ALL PREVIOUSLY LEARNED LITERARY CONCEPTS (K-9) SHOULD CONTINUE
TO BE REINFORCED AS LITERARY TERMS

• demonstrate knowledge of use of literary terms: tragedy, archetype, allegory, and foil character.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES
use comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) while reading or listening to literature.

REPAIRING UNDERSTANDING
Students will:
• monitor the adequacy of their understanding.
• use “fix-up” strategies flexibly to repair faulty comprehension.

CONNECTING
Students will:
• analyze the ways that literature reflects the range of human experience.
• analyze the ways readers and writers are influenced by personal, social, cultural, and historical contexts.
• refine and limit their connections to those that deepen their understanding.

QUESTIONING
Students will:
• ask questions of themselves about the elements of literary structure to support understanding.

VISUALIZING
Students will:
• create visual images in their minds based on literal and figurative language from the text to enhance comprehension.
• use sensory imagery from the text to visualize settings, characters, and actions.

DETERMINING IMPORTANCE
Students will:
• limit their focus to ideas which are central to the meaning.

INFERRING
Students will:
• think abstractly to create an understanding of characters, theme, meaning, and the use of symbols.

SYNTHESIZING
Students will:
• employ the strategies above to synthesize information within and across texts and relate it to • other works of literature in terms of theme, conflict, character development, and archetypal patterns.
• analyze and share common books to enhance their understanding of theme and genre.
• stand apart from a text to perform a range of tasks including critically evaluating, comparing and contrasting, understanding the impact of the organizational structure, and analyzing the use of such elements as allegory.
• critically analyze and evaluate texts for their practical, informational, or aesthetic value.
analyze and evaluate text for writer’s craft, writer’s biases, and the inherent ability of the work to communicate.

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