Guide - Concordia Publishing Housesites.cph.org/curriculumguide/samples/Grade1_LanguageArts.pdf · One example of writing to fill a need resulted in my book, Josephus—the Essential

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Christian schools have the challenge of balancingquality, current textbooks with their Christian missionand focus.

The Concordia Curriculum Guide series is a comprehensive set of curriculum guides for Christianschools. Each volume equips teachers to integrateChrist and Christian concepts into every LanguageArts lesson, regardless of the textbook series yourschool uses.

Each grade-level volume features articles about teaching Language Arts from a Christian perspective,helpful background information for those teaching in Christian classrooms, and standards-based activities to help students apply their faith to the lesson and totheir own lives.

A searchable CD allows for flexibility in searching,lesson planning, and creating customized curriculumobjectives to match your dynamic Christian educationprogram.

ISBN 13: 978-0-7586-1561-9ISBN 10: 0-7586-1561-2

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Copyright © 2008 Concordia Publishing House 3558 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63118-3968

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All rights reserved. Unless specifically noted, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other-wise, without the prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House.

The purchaser of this publication is allowed to reproduce this resource for personal use. These resources may notbe transferred or copied to another user.

Prepared with materials provided by Donna Bobb, Drew Gerdes, Carol Kluth, Juanita Krueger, and PhyllisLebrecht

Edited by Gail Marsh

Series editors: Carolyn Bergt and Rodney L. Rathmann

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®.Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois. Used bypermission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rightsreserved.

Quotations marked TLH are from The Lutheran Hymnal, copyright © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. All rightsreserved.

This publication may be available in braille, in large print, or on cassette tape for the visually impaired. Please allow8 to 12 weeks for delivery. Write to Lutheran Blind Mission, 7550 Watson Rd., St. Louis, MO 63119-4409; calltoll-free 1-888-215-2455; or visit the Web site: www.blindmission.org.

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C O N T E N T S

Preface 4

Chapter 1: Words from Writers about Writing 7

Chapter 2: Teaching and Learning Language Arts from a Christian Perspective 11

Chapter 3: Using the Twelve Standards for the English Language Arts 15

Chapter 4: Language Arts Curriculum Standards for Students in Grade 1 21

Chapter 5: Information and Activities for Integrating the Faith as Keyed 27to Grade 1 Standards

Appendix 92

Index 95


7

Words from Writers about Writing

C H A P T E R 1

Dr. Paul Maier is the Russell H. Seibert Professorof Ancient History at Western MichiganUniversity. He is also a Lutheran pastor and hasserved as the Second Vice-President of TheLutheran Church—Missouri Synod. He is a grad-uate of Harvard University and ConcordiaSeminary, St. Louis. On a Fulbright Scholarship,Dr. Maier also studied at the University ofHeidelberg, Germany, and Basel, Switzerland. Dr.Maier is the author of numerous articles andbooks, both fiction and nonfiction. His historicaldocumentaries include Pontius Pilate and TheFlames of Rome. He also wrote the best-selling ASkeleton in God’s Closet and its sequel More Than aSkeleton: It Was One Man against the World. Dr.Maier also produced a translation of Josephus—The Essential Works and The Ecclesiastical History ofEusebius of Caesarea, and coauthored The Da VinciCode: Fact or Fiction?, which critically refuted the2003 best-seller The Da Vinci Code. Maier has alsowritten a number of children’s books, includingThe Very First Christmas and The Very First Easter.More than five million Maier books are now inprint in a dozen languages, as well as over 250scholarly articles in professional journals. Dr.Maier lectures widely; appears frequently innational radio, television, and newspaper inter-views; and has received numerous awards. He hasalso produced three four-hour video series dealingwith Jesus, St. Paul, and the Early Church.

Julie Stiegemeyer writes books for children, fea-ture articles, and Sunday School curriculum. Julielives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where her husbandserves as a pastor. She was born and raised inDenver, Colorado, and graduated as a Lutheranteacher from Concordia, Ann Arbor, Michigan.Later, she received a Master of Arts for Teachers(MAT) in English Education from IndianaUniversity. Julie has taught sixth grade in a

Lutheran school as well as English as a SecondLanguage. She also edited Higher Things: Dare toBe Lutheran, a quarterly youth magazine. Hernumerous children’s books include Things I See inChurch, Colors I See in Church, Things I Do inChurch, Things I Hear in Church, Things I See atEaster, Things I See at Christmas, Things I See atBaptism, Stephen Stands Strong, Saint Nicholas: TheReal Story of the Christmas Legend, Thanksgiving: AHarvest Celebration, Baby in the Manger, BrightEaster Day, Bethlehem Night, Mommy Promises, andCheep! Cheep! Julie is also an author for theGrowing in Christ Sunday School materials,numerous journal and magazine articles, andpoetry. She presents at workshops, conferences,and retreats on topics relating to writing andgrowing in the Christian faith.

Paul Maier and Julie Stiegemeyer are dissimilar inmany ways. They grew up in different parts of thecountry, went to different schools, and differ inage and gender. But they also have much in com-mon. Both came to know of God’s love and carefor them at an early age. Both believe in Jesus asGod’s Son who was born long ago in Palestine toa virgin named Mary, lived a sinless life and died atormented death in our place to redeem and saveus, and who rose victorious from the dead onEaster morning. Paul and Julie also share a lovefor words and a gift for using words in writing tocommunicate with others. Both have writtenextensively and thank God for the opportunity totell and write about Jesus. We asked Paul andJulie several questions about their experiences incommunicating through writing. Their responsesoffer valuable insights for all who desire to growin their ability to communicate more effectivelythrough the use of words, and especially for thosewho belong to God through faith in Christ Jesus.Their responses follow.

This chapter consists of an interview with two respected and well-known authors, Paul Maier and JulieStiegemeyer—first, a little bit about them.


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Question: One of the qualities of good writing isfreshness—the quality of creating text that comesoff as real, not contrived or artificial. Whatprocess or strategies do you use to generate ideasfor what to write?

Paul: I’m usually prompted to write in responseto something that puzzles me or even angersme—a desire to dig deeper for explanations toanswer the whys, to correct bad or sensationalpseudo-scholarship, or to fill an obvious need.One example of writing to fill a need resulted inmy book, Josephus—the Essential Works. Few peo-ple were reading the crucially important informa-tion available in the works of first-century Jewishhistorian Flavius Josephus (AD 37–100) becauseof the huge amount of his material and the poortranslations of it. I felt that some very valuableperspectives were being overlooked.

Josephus, for example, supplies about a thousandtimes as much data on Herod the Great as doesMatthew’s Gospel. Twice, Josephus refers toJesus. His second reference (in Antiquities 20:200)concerns the episode involving James, whom hedefines as “the brother of Jesus who was calledthe Christ” (from Maier’s Josephus—The EssentialWorks [Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications,1994]). Earlier, in the middle of his reports onPontius Pilate’s administration, Josephus has alonger passage on Jesus. For centuries, this hadbeen dismissed as a Christian interpolation. Butwhat is doubtless the original wording ofAntiquities 18:63 has now been restored. It reads,“At this time there was a wise man called Jesus,and his conduct was good, and he was known tobe virtuous. Many people among the Jews andthe other nations became his disciples. Pilatecondemned him to be crucified, and to die. Butthose who had become his disciples did not aban-don his discipleship. They reported that he hadappeared to them three days after his crucifixion,and that he was alive. Accordingly, he was per-haps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophetshave reported wonders. And the tribe of theChristians, so named after him, has not disap-peared to this day” (from Schlomo Pines’s AnArabic Version of the Testimonium Flavinium and Its

Implications [Jerusalem: Israel Academy ofSciences and Humanities, 1971]).

I’m moved to write because I believe I havesomething important that needs to be recordedso that it may be shared with others. It’s hardlyever a case of “Gee, what can I write about nowfor my next article or book?” I am prompted towrite when I detect unanswered questions, voidsof information, or obvious needs.

Question: Do you enjoy writing?

Paul: Sure. For me another motivation for writ-ing is just to have fun, which I indulged in thecase of my novels A Skeleton in God’s Closet andMore Than a Skeleton. Though these booksinvolved doing research and applying what Ilearned, the fun came in developing the charac-ters and giving them personality, placing them inan interesting setting, and giving them conditionsand stressors to which they must react andrespond.

Question: Fictional books, such as those youmention, make for a great way to learn about his-tory while at the same time getting you to thinkabout your faith and why you believe as you doabout God and the world He has created for us.How do you begin what must be the enormoustask of writing a piece of historical fiction?

Paul: I begin by doing three things: research,research, and more research. Careful research isvitally important if you are writing nonfiction.But good research also helps fiction. Then, whenyou have all the data you need, you superimposea good outline on it and start writing. In the caseof fiction, be prepared for exciting changes in theplot that you hadn’t thought of earlier. In thatsense, one of the great trade secrets of authorshipis this: you can’t believe how close writing is toreading.

Question: That’s interesting. What exactly doyou mean?

Paul: When you read something, you gaininsights and grow in understanding and percep-tion because of what the action, thoughts, and


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Teaching and Learning Language Artsfrom a Christian Perspective

C H A P T E R 2

First among Subjects

With the exception of religion, language artsleads all school subjects. First considered andcontinually pursued by those on an educationaljourney, language arts opens doors for students toknowledge, exploration, comprehension, andresponse in all subject areas. Language arts dealswith communication through words. Wordsexpress human emotions, entertain, motivate, andinform.

Language arts can be understood and approachedaccording to the six separate arts of reading, writ-ing, listening, speaking, viewing, and represent-ing. These arts are interconnected and are neverexperienced in isolation. Nevertheless, threedevelopmental stages can be identified in emergingproficiency. First, students need a solid foundationin communication skills. Upon this foundationthey next build comprehension and develop anunderstanding of how to apply their communica-tion skills. Then, finally, students combine theirabilities and understandings and respond asinformed producers and critical consumers of themeans of communication.

Language arts and all other subjects can betaught and learned in Christian schools throughthe following overall goals, which have been thehallmark of the Christian education materialsprepared by Concordia Publishing Housethrough the years. These materials aim to assistteachers and leaders so that students

• through the Word of God and the work of theHoly Spirit, may know God, especially Hisseeking and forgiving love in Christ, and mayrespond in faith and grow into Christianmaturity;

• see themselves as the reconciled, redeemedchildren of God and individual members of

Christ’s body, the Church, and live happily inpeace with God, themselves, and their fellowhuman beings;

• may be encouraged to express their joy in wor-ship of God and in loving service to others;

• may, by the grace of God, value all of God’screative work in His world and Church, wit-ness openly to Christ as the Savior of all peo-ple, and participate actively in God’s missionto the Church and the world; and

• may joyfully live in the Christian hope of newlife in Christ now and in eternity.

Language Arts and the Things of God

For God’s people, language arts connects withmatters of faith in the following ways:

• God used words to call the world into being.

• He sent Jesus, the Word made flesh, to save us.

• God gives us language so that we may learnand grow in Him through His Word as it isheard, read, and studied and as it is receivedtogether with the elements in the Sacraments.

• God blesses us with language to admonish,comfort, and build up our sisters and broth-ers in the faith.

• God’s grace leads us to use words to thank,praise, and petition God and to bring to othersthe Good News of Jesus and His forgivinglove.

God Is the Author of Communication

God instituted communication. Through wordsand actions, He tells us about Himself. Hismajesty and awesome power are revealed to usthrough His creation. The psalmist proclaims,“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).


When He created our first parents as the crownof His handiwork, they were holy and interactedin perfect harmony with God and each other. Butsin destroyed that full and completely satisfyingcommunion, causing God such anger andremorse that He later devastated the world in agreat flood, saving only faithful Noah and hisfamily. Afterward, when sinful pride gained theupper hand among Noah’s descendants, Goddelivered judgment, introducing varieties ofhuman languages and scattering the human racethroughout the world in separate cultural settle-ments. God chose from among these a people forHis own and kept alive among them the promiseof a Savior who would come to save all peoplefrom their sins. This promise continued a prom-ise initially given to our first parents, Adam andEve, after the very first sin.

By His own hand, God wrote the Ten Com-mandments by which He desired His people tolive and delivered them to His people throughthe prophet Moses. Through the years, God con-tinually communicated with the people throughother prophets, telling them about their sin andits harsh consequences and about the Savior whowould come to take all human sin and its conse-quences upon Himself.

Moses and other writers recorded the history ofGod’s saving actions among His people togetherwith His promises as God’s Spirit gave them thevery words, thoughts, and ideas to record. “Forno prophecy was ever produced by the will ofman, but men spoke from God as they were car-ried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

Finally, Jesus, the Savior, was born. The writer ofHebrews summarizes, “Long ago, at many timesand in various ways, God spoke to our fathers bythe prophets, but in these last days He has spo-ken to us by His Son” (1:1–2). As He lived andserved God and others in complete and flawlessobedience, Jesus brought healing, truth, andpeace to those touched by His love.

Through His Son, Jesus, God reconciled Himselfand fallen humanity. Long ago, the apostle Paulwrote these words to describe our Savior to

Timothy: “There is one God, and there is onemediator between God and men, the man ChristJesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5–6). Reconciled with our heavenlyFather, we can now communicate regularly andeven continuously with Him in prayer. In Jesus’name we may now “with confidence draw near tothe throne of grace, that we may receive mercyand find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews4:16).

After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended bod-ily into heaven, the Holy Spirit descended uponbelievers in Jerusalem. These believers thenbegan to speak in languages they had not learned,proclaiming the Good News of Jesus’ forgivenessand salvation to those of various cultures assem-bled there from all over the world. By God’sgrace, the barriers in communication that origi-nated as judgment after the incident at Babelwere set aside by the Holy Spirit so that peopleof all languages and cultures might learn of Jesusand believe in Him. As followers of God throughfaith in Christ Jesus, we carry on the work ofthose first Christian believers, joining in the taskof bringing the Good News of His forgivenessand salvation to all people everywhere.

The Ability to Read

Our alphabet represents the letters used in thewords we speak and write to convey meaning.God has given us the ability to understand thesounds and symbols we combine and manipulatein our language to form words, sentences, para-graphs, and books. God has blessed us with peo-ple who have translated the most significant of allbooks—the Bible—into our own language so thatwe can read, hear, and learn the Word of God. InHis Word, God tells us about Himself, specifical-ly about His person and nature and the salvationHe freely offers through His Son. Further, Godinvites and commands us to read and study HisWord as the very means through which He givesus His gifts.

Considering the meaning and influence God’sWord had in the life of a young man namedTimothy, Paul reflects, “From childhood you

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15

Using the Twelve Standards for theEnglish Language Arts Developed by the IRA/NCTE

C H A P T E R 3

The International Reading Association and theNational Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)have developed twelve standards for the Englishlanguage arts. These organizations believe thatEnglish language arts standards must be groundedin what we know about language and languagelearning. If the standards do not have this veryimportant foundation, then they could undermineour nation’s commitment to educating all studentsand to emerging conceptions of literacy. The stan-dards presented here grew out of current researchand theory about how students learn—in particular,how they learn language.

The vision guiding these standards is that all stu-dents must have the opportunity and resources todevelop the language skills they need to pursuetheir life’s goals and to participate fully as informed,productive members of society. These standardsassume that literacy growth begins before childrenenter school as they experience and experimentwith literacy activities: reading, writing, and associ-ating spoken words with their graphic representa-tions. Recognizing this fact, these standardsencourage the development of curriculum andinstruction that make productive use of the emerg-ing literacy abilities that children bring to school.Furthermore, the standards provide ample roomfor the innovation and creativity essential to teach-ing and learning. They are not prescriptions forparticular curriculum or instruction.

The IRA and the NCTE have given permissionfor the standards to be included in ConcordiaLanguage Arts Curriculum Guides and to beelaborated upon to incorporate elements of theChristian faith. These English language arts stan-dards are included as follows, together with a dis-cussion of how these standards may be uniquelyapplied in Lutheran schools.

1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts,of themselves, and of the cultures of theUnited States and the world; to acquire newinformation; to respond to the needs anddemands of society and the workplace; andfor personal fulfillment. Among these textsare fiction and nonfiction, classic and con-temporary works.

God has gifted humans with amazing intellectualcapacities. Among these is the ability to representthoughts and concepts as symbols and to recordinformation through these symbols so that it maybe retrieved by the recorder or by others at a latertime. Through reading and writing, we communi-cate with purposes of informing, enlightening,entertaining, and motivating. Through the wordsGod Himself has caused to be written, we havecome to know not only God’s will for our lives,but also the means of salvation He offers freelythrough His Son, our Savior.

Because we are able to read, we are able to learnabout life in other periods of time, including thebeginning of the human experience in the Gardenof Eden and the eternal joy we will one day knowand forever experience in heaven. We can readabout life in other parts of the world and aboutour explorations into the reaches of space.

Very young children can experience print as theyinteract with story books and other age-appropri-ate materials. They can take part in discussionsabout the characters and plot and project whatthey think may happen next as the story unfolds.As parents, siblings, and caregivers read and tellstories from the Bible, children learn about God’spower and might and their uniqueness as childrenindividually loved, created, and saved by God.


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As children grow, they learn to experience increas-ing varieties of reading materials from numerouscontexts and written for many purposes. Theseinclude the Bible and devotional material, articles,books, novels, newspaper and magazine articles,poetry, plays, personal and family documents, ref-erence materials, journals, letters, and games.

Spoken and visual texts also assist students inlearning the interconnectedness of various formsof communication. As children grow, they dowell when encouraged to read those texts that arerelevant, in line with individual interests, and atvarious levels so that they are able to both im-prove reading fluency and experience the chal-lenge and mastery of more difficult texts.

Through a variety of reading materials, childrenwill be able to recognize and reflect upon theelements common among all people. All areunder the curse of sin and need a Savior. JesusChrist came to redeem and save all people. Longago, He took upon Himself the punishment forall the sins ever committed. Understanding thesethings helps the children of God to share theGood News of Jesus with those who have not yetheard and do not yet believe.

2. Students read a wide range of literature frommany periods in many genres to build anunderstanding of the many dimensions (e.g.,philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of humanexperience.

Like a good friend, a good book teaches us aboutthe world, about others, and about ourselves.Literary works record the essence of humanity.Through many literary genres, the human expe-rience is recorded and finds creative expression.

As children experience a variety of genres, theybecome familiar with metaphor, imagery, rhyme,and other figurative devices. They learn to iden-tify and understand characters and plot, conflictand tension, climax and resolution. They becomeable to differentiate between fantasy and reality,fact and fiction.

Literary texts provide students with the opportu-nity to grow as they reflect on the dilemmas facedby others, their actions, and the consequences

that result from these actions. As children of Godthrough faith in Christ Jesus, students can learnto discern whether a character’s attitudes, actions,and behaviors reflect the old sinful nature intowhich all of us are born or the new natureimparted to believers in Baptism, which God’sSpirit daily causes to arise. They can learn tounderstand that each follower of Jesus remainssimultaneously saint and sinner and needs the for-giveness and strength our God promises toimpart through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

3. Students apply a wide range of strategies tocomprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appre-ciate texts. They draw on their prior experi-ence, their interactions with other readersand writers, their knowledge of word mean-ing and of other texts, their word identifica-tion strategies, and their understanding oftextual features (e.g., sound-letter correspon-dence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

As children grow in reading proficiency, manydifferent skills and understandings come intoplay. Children realize what they must give to thereading process in order to achieve the desiredresult. In becoming familiar with a variety ofgenres, they come to know what each genre willrequire of them. They come to know, for exam-ple, that locating information in a phone bookrequires a different skill set than reading a shortstory—although both require the ability to workwith words. Children also need to acquire a vari-ety of strategies for understanding and evaluatingspoken and visual language. Comprehensionoccurs when readers are able to take in andprocess information correctly and appropriatelyand to make the necessary application of thisknowledge in their life.

Ongoing dialogue that occurs throughout thereading process helps students to make predic-tions and then to modify their predictions asmore information or clues become available.Finally, they are able to reach conclusions andexplain their conclusions by virtue of what theyhave read. Students demonstrate the ability tointerpret text when they apply its meaning intheir lives. They evidence competency in evaluat-


Language Arts Curriculum Standards for Students in Grade 1This chapter includes language arts standards that have been compiled from the individual state depart-ments of education. They are organized, grade by grade, into the following five areas:

1. Reading

2. Literature

3. Writing

4. Speaking, Listening, and Viewing (Media Literacy)

5. World Languages

The Concordia standards have been systematized according to the following numerical designations toindicate grade level, area, category, and performance objective:

The first digit indicates the grade level (e.g., the 2 in 2.5.1.3 designates that the performance expectationis for grade 2).

The second digit indicates the area of language arts, as listed above, addressed by the standard (e.g., the5 in 2.5.1.3 designates that the standard is in the area of World Languages).

The third digit identifies a category within the area. These categories are the same at every grade level(e.g., the 1 in 2.5.1.3 relates to the category Use the target language to develop an understanding of customs,arts, literature, history, and geography associated with its use, which is the first category of World Languagesat every grade level).

The fourth digit indicates the number of the specific performance expectation. These expectations willvary from level to level (e.g., 2.5.1.3, as found in the World Languages area of the grade 2 standardsrelating to the category Use the target language to develop an understanding of customs, arts, literature, history,and geography associated with its use, refers to the third item in that category).

Chapter 5 provides faith-integration activities organized by category. These activities provide manyopportunities to teach aspects of the Christian faith in conjunction with each area of the language artscurriculum. Each activity is keyed to a specific performance expectation.

A complete list of language arts standards performance expectations for this grade level is provided onthe remaining pages of this chapter.

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C H A P T E R 4


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R E A D I N G1.1 First-grade students will acquire reading skills and fluency to gain information

and ideas, while using strategies for constructing meaning that connect what is read to present understandings so as to build a strong foundation for growthas lifelong learners.

1.1.1 Develop reading proficiency.

1.1.1.1 Distinguish vowel and consonant sounds.

1.1.1.2 Recognize sounds within words.

1.1.1.3 Match spoken and printed words.

1.1.1.4 Verbalize rhyming words, including those with consonant blends.

1.1.1.5 Recognize letters, words, and sentences.

1.1.1.6 Read common and sight words, compound words, and contractions.

1.1.1.7 Recognize that sentences begin with capital letters and end with punctuation such as periods, question marks, and exclamation points.

1.1.1.8 Read fluently using appropriate phrasing and expression.

1.1.2 Build an extensive vocabulary.

1.1.2.1 Use base words to build vocabulary.

1.1.2.2 Use context clues to build vocabulary.

1.1.2.3 Tell the meaning of simple affixes.

1.1.2.4 Identify synonyms and antonyms to determine the meaning of words.

1.1.2.5 Recognize words that have more than one meaning.

1.1.2.6 Classify words.

1.1.3 Comprehend what is read.

1.1.3.1 Use pre-reading strategies to access prior knowledge, preview, predict with evidence, and set a purpose for reading.

1.1.3.2 Use strategies to self-question and correct, infer, predict, and check using cuing systemsduring reading.

1.1.3.3 Develop and apply post-reading skills to respond to text including reflection, analysis,and drawing conclusions.

1.1.3.4 Retell the central ideas of expository or narrative passages.

1.1.4 Read for a purpose.

1.1.4.1 Locate and use information found in the title, pictures, and names of author and illustra-tor.

1.1.4.2 Identify and explain story elements.

1.1.4.3 Identify the purpose of various types of print materials, such as lists, signs, cereal boxes,fairy tales, fables, and informational/trade books.

1.1.4.4 Read and explain labels and environmental print.

1.1.4.5 Set a reading goal.

1.1.5 Distinguish types of text.

1.1.5.1 Contrast narrative, expository, and technical texts.


Information and Activities for Integratingthe Faith as Keyed to Grade 1 StandardsThe language arts standards included in this chapter have been compiled from the individual statedepartments of education and organized, grade by grade, into the following five areas:

1. Reading

2. Literature

3. Writing

4. Speaking, Listening, and Viewing (Media Literacy)

5. World Languages

The Concordia standards have been systematized according to the following numerical designations toindicate grade level, area, category, and performance objective as described on the first page of chapter 4.

Performance expectations are numbered sequentially (e.g., 2.5.1.3 is found in grade 2, in the area ofWorld Languages, relating to the category Use the target language to develop an understanding of cus-toms, arts, literature, history, and geography associated with its use, and is the third item in that catego-ry). A complete list of language arts standards performance expectations for this grade level is providedin chapter 4.

On the pages of chapter 5, you will find an easy-to-reference two-column format for faith integrationwith the language arts standards. The left-hand column under the heading “Information by Topic” pro-vides helpful teaching background information and insights relevant for integrating some aspect of theChristian faith. The number following the topic identifies the performance expectation to which thetopic relates (see chapter 4). Beside each entry, in the right-hand column under the heading “DiscussionPoints/Activities,” you will find ideas helpful for planning and organizing student learning experiencesthat reinforce and expand upon these faith connections.

Be sure to consult the index at the end of this volume for a complete listing of topics and where theymay be found.

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C H A P T E R 5


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INFORMATION BY TOPIC DISCUSSION POINTS/ACTIVITIES

Vowel and Consonant Sounds

1.1 First-grade students will acquire reading skills and fluency to gain informationand ideas, while using strategies for constructing meaning that connect what isread to present understandings so as to build a strong foundation for growthas lifelong learners.

1.1.1 Develop reading proficiency.

Our language, written and spoken, containssentences. These sentences are composed ofwords, with words composed of individual letters.We distinguish the letters in our language as vow-els or consonants. Talk about the importance ofwritten and spoken communication in language.Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God’sWord was recorded in written language. Inspiredwriters of the Old Testament wrote in Hebrew,and New Testament writers wrote in Greek. SinceJesus’ death and resurrection, the Bible has beentranslated into hundreds of languages worldwide.Why does this fact have eternal importance topeople throughout the earth? God’s Word is themeans that He uses to bring the message of salva-tion to us to bring us to faith in Jesus. All peopleneed to know and believe in Jesus for forgivenessof sins and eternal life. (Note: God’s Word and theSacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord’sSupper, which contain God’s Word, are called themeans of grace, the means or method by which Godbrings His grace and mercy to us.) (1.1.1.1)

• Locate John 3:16, or another familiar Bibleverse, recorded in a foreign language. (An Internetsearch engine like Google or a Web site likewww.biblegateway.com will facilitate this task.)Specifically look for languages that use alphabeticletters or symbols different from our own, likeJapanese, Greek, or Arabic.• Remind students that our printed alphabet isdivided into two different categories: vowels andconsonants. Provide vowel and consonant identifi-cation practice for students. Print John 3:16 onposter paper. Invite volunteers to circle the vowelsand underline the consonants.• Print this week’s Bible memory verse on theboard using only the consonants and placing blanklines where vowels are needed. Have volunteerssuggest vowels to be placed on the blank lines.• Use a highlighter or stickers to identify vowelson your classroom alphabet chart. Remind stu-dents that vowels are set apart from consonantsounds. Although vowels are mixed within theconsonants in the alphabet, they retain their ownspecial identity. In a similar way, as Christians weretain our unique identity as we live among andwork to influence nonbelievers around us. Godhas set us apart by faith and in Baptism to be Hisown people. We are not to be like this world (notconformed to the world—Romans 12:2). Instead,we are to be like Jesus (conformed to the image ofthe Son of God—Romans 8:29). This is our spe-cial identity while we live in this world.

R E A D I N G


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INFORMATION BY TOPIC DISCUSSION POINTS/ACTIVITIES

Sounds Within Words

Most children learn from a very young age thatletters of the alphabet make specific sounds.Students must also learn that certain letter combi-nations can form additional sounds, as is the casewith blends and digraphs. As children learn theseletter sounds and combination sounds, they willrequire practice to become proficient in identify-ing specific sounds within words. Such practicewill enable children to identify sounds at thebeginning, middle, and end of words.

As you begin to practice locating and identify-ing specific sounds at the beginning, middle, andend of words, remind children of Jesus’ promisefrom Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, tothe end of the age.” Jesus was present at ourbeginning (see Psalm 139:13). He is with us now,and Jesus will be with us eternally (Revelation22:13). Rejoice in His loving presence! (1.1.1.2)

• Duplicate student copies of Reproducible Page1.1.1.2 from the Appendix in the back of this book.Give each student a craft stick. Ask students to usethe sticks to point to the beginning (head), middle(abdomen), and end (tail) of the gecko. Then,explain that words also have beginning, middle,and ending sounds. Students will use their sticks topoint to the beginning, middle, or end of thegecko as they identify where the specified targetsound is located in the word you provide. Forexample, if you target the t sound, you might saythe word cat. Students will point to the tail of thegecko because the t sound is heard at the end ofthe word. If given the word table, students will usetheir sticks to point to the head (beginning) of thegecko because the target sound t is located at thebeginning of the word. Continue in the same man-ner with other words with target sounds. To endthe lesson, thank God in prayer for the languageHe has given us. Suggest that the children namespecific blessings that contain the target sound atthe beginning, middle, or end, and thank God forthose blessings.• Children must listen carefully in order to deter-mine the position of a targeted sound. Write a spe-cific phonetic sound (the targeted sound) on thechalkboard. Form three groups of students. Thefirst group of children will stand if they hear thetargeted sound at the beginning of the word youwill provide. The second group will stand if theyhear the targeted sound in the middle of the word,and the third group will stand if they hear the tar-geted sound at the end of the word. For example,if you say Moses, and the targeted sound is s, boththe middle and ending groups will stand. If youprovide the word Samuel, only the first group willstand to indicate that the s sound is at the begin-ning of the word. Continue with other biblicalnames or concepts that you are currently studying.


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I N D E X

AActing to Demonstrate Knowledge 1.4.1.7Affixes 1.1.2.3Alliteration 1.1.5.3Alphabet 1.1.1.1, 1.1.1.2, 1.3.5.2Alphabetization 1.3.1.9, 1.3.5.2Analysis 1.1.3.3Antonyms 1.1.2.4Audience, Target 1.3.3.3Authors and Illustrators 1.2.1.5

BBrainstorming 1.3.2.1

CCapitalization 1.3.1.3Characters 1.1.4.2, 1.2.1.1Communication, Nonverbal 1.4.1.3Computer Language 1.1.5.4Conclusions, Drawing 1.1.3.3Consonant Sounds 1.1.1.1Context Clues 1.1.2.2Contractions 1.1.1.6, 1.3.1.2Cuing Systems 1.1.3.2Cultures Reflected in Literature 1.2.3.4

DDeclarative Sentences 1.2.2.1Descriptive Words (in Speech) 1.4.1.4Directions, Giving and Following 1.2.2.3, 1.4.1.5

EEditing 1.3.2.5Exclamation Point 1.3.1.4Exclamatory Sentences 1.2.2.1Expository Descriptions (with Sensory Details)

1.3.4.1Expository Texts 1.1.5.1

FFantasy and Reality 1.2.3.2Fiction 1.1.5.2Fluency in Reading 1.1.1.8

HHandwriting, Legible 1.3.1.8

IIdea, Main 1.1.3.4Ideas, Clarifying 1.2.2.2Interrogative Sentences 1.2.2.1Invitations 1.3.4.3

LLanguage, Formal and Informal 1.5.1.7Letters, Words, and Sentences, Recognizing

1.1.1.5Letters 1.3.4.3Listening Behaviors, Appropriate 1.4.1.1Literature Genres 1.2.3.3

MMaterials, Recognition and Use of 1.3.5.4Media Strategies 1.4.2.1Media, Evaluation of 1.4.2.2Media, Fact, Opinion, and Fiction in 1.4.2.3

NNames and Addresses 1.3.4.4Narrative Texts 1.1.5.1Narrative, Writing a Personal 1.3.4.2Narratives, Problems and Solutions in 1.2.1.3Nonfiction 1.1.5.2Nouns 1.3.1.1

PPeriods 1.3.1.4Plot 1.1.4.2, 1.2.1.1Poetry 1.1.5.2Post-reading Skills 1.1.3.3Predicting 1.1.3.1Pre-reading Strategies 1.1.3.1Previewing 1.1.3.1Print Materials, Types of 1.1.4.3Print, Environmental 1.1.4.4Pronouns 1.3.1.1Proofreading 1.3.2.5


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Publishing Written Work 1.3.2.6Punctuation 1.1.1.7Purpose, Setting a 1.1.3.1

QQuestion Marks 1.3.1.4Questioning 1.2.2.2Questions, Clarifying 1.4.1.2

RReading Goals 1.1.4.5Reading Time, Quiet 1.1.4.5Reflection 1.1.3.3Researching Resources 1.3.5.1Resources, Oral and Visual 1.3.5.3Rhythm and Rhyme 1.1.1.4, 1.1.5.3

SSentence End Marks 1.3.1.4Sentences, Complete 1.3.1.5Setting 1.2.1.1Sounds within Words 1.1.1.2Speech, Parts of 1.3.1.1Spelling 1.3.1.6Spelling Resources 1.3.1.7Stories, Relating Personally to 1.2.2.4Story Components (Title, Story, Author,

Illustrator) 1.1.4.1, 1.2.1.1Story Sequence (Beginning, Middle, End) 1.2.1.2Strategies, Reading 1.1.3.2Summarizing 1.2.3.1Synonyms 1.1.2.4

TTarget Culture, Activities and Arts of the 1.5.1.3Target Culture, Etiquette in the 1.5.2.8Target Culture, Experiences and Events in the

1.5.2.7

Target Culture, Folktales of the 1.5.1.4Target Culture, Identifying Objects Typical of the

1.5.1.5Target Culture, Rhymes and Songs from the

1.5.2.6Target Language, Common Nouns in 1.5.1.1Target Language, Comparing English and the

1.5.1.6Target Language, Counting in the 1.5.1.2Target Language, Descriptive Words in the

1.5.2.4Target Language, Following Directions in the

1.5.2.3Target Language, Formal and Informal 1.5.1.7Target Language, Questioning and Answering in

the 1.5.2.1Target Language, Simple Messages in the 1.5.2.2Target Language, Telling a Story in the 1.5.2.5Technical Texts 1.1.5.1Themes in Writing 1.2.1.4

VVerbs 1.3.1.1Visual Aids (in Presentations) 1.4.1.6Vowel Sounds 1.1.1.1

WWord Classification 1.1.2.6Words (Spoken and Printed) 1.1.1.3Words with Multiple Meanings 1.1.2.5Words, Base 1.1.2.1Words, Compound 1.1.1.6Words, Sight 1.1.1.6Writing in Various Genres 1.3.3.1Writing, Descriptive 1.3.2.4Writing, Focus in 1.3.2.2Writing, Purpose in 1.3.2.3Written Communication, Forms of 1.3.3.2


Documents

Guide - Concordia Publishing Housesites.cph.org/curriculumguide/samples/Grade1_LanguageArts.pdf · One example of writing to fill a need resulted in my book, Josephus—the Essential