ConVal Language Arts Curriculum

Gathering and Organizing Information
New Hampshire Curriculum Standard #5- Students will demonstrate competence in using the interactive language processes of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing, to gather and organize information in a variety of subject areas. (pdf)

“Meeting the writing challenge requires a paradigm shift away from the limited view of writing as a discrete subject area or the exclusive domain of English language arts instructors. Because writing can support a high level of learning in all core subjects, it matters in any classroom where inquiry, knowledge, and expression are valued and recognized by students and teachers.”

~National Writing Project and Carl Nagin, Because Writing Matters

Theory and Principles: (pdf)
Rarely do students use the essential language processes of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing in isolation. Standard 5 addresses how these processes work together as students begin to put to gather and use information that they acquire in a variety of ways.

Because the sheer amount of information that is available in the 21st century continues to grow exponentially, it is crucial that students have the skills to locate and use the information that they need to perform certain tasks. A careful introduction to research tools and strategies over the years will equip them with the ability to find the most useful information available, and determine its pertinence to their task.

Students will use the internet and learn to evaluate the information that is found there. Learning appropriate uses of information found in all sources is important. Another key to success in all subject areas is the understanding of and adherence to standards for academic honesty.

Grade – Kindergarten

Students will:
• participate in group discussions to generate questions.
• locate a given letter in an alphabetical sequence.
• use alphabet books (e.g., to assist in identifying words that begin with individual letters, locate • specific letters, relate upper and lower case letters)
• listen to, view and understand factual information through a variety of resources including fiction and nonfiction, field trips, and observations.
• participate in group discussions to generate lists of facts on given topics.

Grade - 1

Students will:
• begin to ask appropriate questions to obtain information and clarify meaning.
• use picture and spelling dictionaries.
• use simple organizational structures such as alphabetical order using the first letter.
• listen to, view, and understand factual information through a variety of resources including literature, field trips, interviews, and observations.
• continue to participate in group discussions and begin to use a variety of resources to generate lists on given topics.

Grade - 2

Students will:
• ask appropriate questions to obtain information and clarify meaning.
• locate words/information using the first two letters.
• distinguish among a variety of types of text (e.g., reference: beginning dictionaries, glossaries, and practical/functional text: instructions/announcements, invitations).
• begin to use organizational features to locate information such as the table of contents, index, and glossary.
• read, listen to, view and understand factual information through a variety of resources including informational literature, field trips, interviews, and observations.
• gather facts from written, spoken, audio-visual and graphic materials.
• begin to discriminate between fiction and nonfiction.
• locate and record information to show understanding when given an organizational format (e.g., t-chart or Venn diagram).
• analyze and interpret informational text, citing evidence as appropriate by connecting information within a text.

Grade – 3

Students will:
• continue to ask appropriate questions to obtain information and clarify meaning.
• identify information needed and develop a strategy to find it.
• use simple reference tools such as dictionaries, maps and globes, encyclopedias, newspapers and magazines, and standard/automated card catalogues.
• use organizational features to locate information such as a table of contents, index, and glossary.
• begin to use organizational strategies such as time lines, highlighting, note-taking, and graphic organizers.
• continue to read, listen to, view, and understand factual information through a variety of resources with an emphasis on directions and how-to books.
• identify the main idea and supporting details in written, spoken, audio-visual, and graphic materials.

Grade – 4

Students will:
• continue to use a strategy to identify information.
• begin to evaluate questions according to established purpose.
• continue to use reference tools, including the thesaurus.
• begin to access the internet.
• continue to use organizational features including timelines.
• continue to use organizational strategies such as timelines, highlighting, note-taking, and graphic organizers.
• read, listen to, view, and understand a variety of informational resources at the appropriate grade level.
• begin to paraphrase main idea in written, spoken, audio-visual, and graphic materials, and begin to discriminate between fact and opinion.

Grade – 5

Students will:
• use a variety of strategies to identify information and to evaluate information gathered.
• continue to use reference tools, including the thesaurus.
• begin to use the library card catalogue, encyclopedia and access search engines on the internet.
• continue to use organizational strategies including note-taking, highlighting, and paraphrasing.
• read, listen to, view, and understand a variety of informational resources at appropriate grade level.
• paraphrase main idea in written, spoken, audio-visual, and graphic materials.
• discriminate between fact and opinion.

Grade – 6

Students will:
• continue to use a variety of strategies, including inferential questions, to obtain and evaluate information.
• use varied vocabulary to make a cross-reference.
• locate information from multiple sources including subject encyclopedias and atlases.
• use varied vocabulary and refine search terms to locate information using the internet.
• continue to use organizational strategies including venn diagrams and flow charts.
• read, listen to, view, and understand a variety of informational resources at appropriate grade level.
• summarize information including main idea and supporting data.

Grade – 7

Students will:
• continue to use a variety of questioning strategies to obtain and evaluate information.
• continue to locate and begin to compare and evaluate information from multiple sources on a given topic, including the world almanac and internet.
• continue to use a variety of organizational strategies at appropriate grade level.
• read, listen to, view, and understand a variety of informational resources at appropriate grade level.
• summarize information including main idea, supporting data, and begin to analyze for relevancy.

Grade – 8

Students will:
• continue to use a variety of strategies to obtain and evaluate information at appropriate grade level.
• compare and evaluate information from multiple sources.
• continue to use a variety of organizational strategies at appropriate grade level.
• read, listen to, view, and understand a variety of informational resources at appropriate grade level.
• summarize information including main idea, supporting data, relevance, and begin to identify bias.

Grade – 9

Students will:
• continue to use a variety of strategies to obtain and evaluate information at appropriate grade level.
• evaluate and begin to synthesize information from multiple sources.
• continue to use a variety of organizational features at appropriate grade level.
• read, listen to, view, and understand a variety of informational resources at appropriate grade level.
• summarize information including main idea, supporting data, relevance, and bias.
• begin to evaluate credibility.

Grade – 10

Students will:
• continue to use a variety of strategies to obtain and evaluate information at appropriate grade level.
• evaluate and synthesize information from multiple sources.
• continue to use a variety of organizational strategies at appropriate grade level.
• read, listen to, view, and understand a variety of informational resources at appropriate grade level.
• analyze information for clarity, relevance, bias, credibility, and supporting data.

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