English Language Arts

APS Curriculum utilizes evidence-based high quality resources aligned to the science of reading for all students to reach the Virginia Standards of Learning. Scarborough’s Reading Rope highlights that students need both instruction in word recognition and language comprehension to become skilled and fluent readers.

• Students in grades K-3 receive explicit and direct instruction in phonics through 95 Phonics Core Program or Fundations.
• Students in grades K-5 receive explicit instruction in language comprehension to include vocabulary, background knowledge, and shared learning experiences with our newest resource CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts).

Specific Information by Grade

Kindergarten CKLA Domains (23-24SY)

• Quarter 1-  Nursery Rhymes (Spanish); The Five Senses (Spanish)
• Quarter 2- Seasons and Weather (Spanish); Stories (Spanish); Farms (Spanish)
• Quarter 3- Art and the World Around Us (Spanish); Kings and Queens (Spanish)
• Quarter 4-Plants (Spanish); Taking Care of the Earth (Spanish)

First Grade CKLA Domains (23-24SY)

• Quarter 1-  Fables and Stories (Spanish); The Human Body (Spanish)
• Quarter 2- Different Lands, Similar Stories (Spanish);  Early World Civilizations (Spanish)
• Quarter 3- Astronomy (Spanish); History of the Earth (Spanish); Tales from the Edge of the Earth (Spanish)
• Quarter 4- Animals and Habitats (Spanish); Fairy Tales (Spanish)

Second Grade CKLA Domains (23-24SY)

• Quarter 1- Fairy Tales and Tall Tales (Spanish); Early Asian Civilizations (Spanish)
• Quarter 2- The Ancient Greek Civilization (Spanish); Greek Myths (Spanish)
• Quarter 3- Cycles in Nature (Spanish); Insects (Spanish)
• Quarter 4- The Human Body (Spanish); Fighting for a Cause (Spanish)

Third Grade CKLA Domains (23-24SY)

• Quarter 1- The Wind in the Willows, Classic tales (Spanish);
• Animal Classifications (Spanish)
• Quarter 2- The Ancient Roman Civilization (Spanish);
• Light and Sound (Spanish)
• Quarter 3- Astronomy, our solar system (Spanish)
• Quarter 4- Stella Diaz Has Something to Say novel (Spanish); All That Jazz (Spanish)

Fourth Grade CKLA Domains (23-24SY)

• Quarter 1- Empires in the Middle Ages, Part 1 (Spanish); Empires in the Middle Ages, Part 2 (Spanish)
• Quarter 2- Poetry (Spanish); Geology (Spanish)
• Quarter 3- American Revolution (Spanish); The Season of Styx Malone novel (Spanish)
• Quarter 4- Treasure Island (Spanish)

Fifth Grade CKLA Domains (23-24SY)

• Quarter 1- Early American Civilization (Spanish);  Beyond Juneteenth: 1865-Present (Spanish)
• Quarter 2- Poetry (Spanish)
• Quarter 3- Adventures of Don Quixote (Spanish); The Renaissance (Spanish)
• Quarter 4- novel (Spanish)

Fifth Grade Writing Assessment Rubrics

• English English 5th Grade Writing Rubric
• Spanish Spanish 5th Grade Writing Rubric
• Mongolian Mongolian 5th Grade Writing Rubric
• Amharic Amharic Rubric
• Arabic Arabic 5th Grade Writing Rubric

APS has a variety of researched-based intervention programs and approaches available. It is our goal to provide reading intervention to any student who is in need of additional explicit instruction and support in one or more areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency.

Students participate in intervention based on individual needs to master specific literacy skills to become successful readers, as a supplement to core instruction.  Each intervention approach utilizes assessment to determine precise individual needs and allow teachers to provide explicit education, guided practice, and monitor student progress.

APS is committed to multiple tiers of support for all students which begins with quality classroom instruction involving whole group, small group, and individualized settings.

For more information on specific tiers of instruction, please visit the ATSS website.

Visit the Dyslexia page

Visit the ELA Assessments page

Elementary ELA Resources