Language Arts Standards

Students effectively listen and speak in situations that serve different purposes and involve a variety of audiences.

FUNCTIONAL (AGES 3-21)
Within the functional context of home, school, work, and community environments, and using a variety of receptive (e.g., tangible objects, photographs, pictures, line drawings, symbols, speech) and expressive (e.g., gesture, pointing, sign, assistive technology, augmentative communication device, speech, drawing) communication modes, students know and are able to do the following:

• LS-FS1. Associate meaningful real life experiences with symbolic language.

PO 1. Localize sounds or other stimuli in a communicative context.

PO 2. Locate objects out of view (object permanence) (e.g., reach for crayons in desk, go to refrigerator for items needed to make a recipe, in response to question "Where is your lunch?" indicate by gaze that lunch is in backpack, locate spoon if dropped and out of sight).

PO 3. Communicate anticipation of consistent activities and familiar people in daily routines (e.g., door opens/head turns; see or touch shirt/extends arm; see or feel spoon /moves mouth towards spoon; turning lights off/on, play, songs, grooming routine, daily schedule).

PO 4. Associate cues, objects, pictures and their meaning as symbols to represent activities in schedule/routine (e.g., carpet square-circle time; songs; bells-lunch, recess).

PO 5. Identify familiar objects and pictures.

PO 6. Associate objects with their functions.

• LS-FS2. Follow simple directions.

PO 1. Respond to simple one step directions (e.g., shows recognition of name; "come here, please"; "look"; "line up"; inhibits to "no").

PO 2. Demonstrate understanding of 4-10 prepositions (e.g., in/out; on/off; up/down using objects and/or self) within natural context.

PO 3. Follow 2 step related directions (e.g., "go to the door and open it"; " pick up your clothing and put it in the hamper").

PO 4. Carry out 2 unrelated directions (e.g., "sit down and read a book"; " go to the office and pick up the mail").

• LS-FS3. Communicate a personal experience in a logical sequence using gestures, pictures, drawings or spoken words.

PO 1. Describe personal experiences.

PO 2. Relate events or personal experiences sequentially.

• LS-FS4. Use effective basic language structure and form.

PO 1. Imitate strings of words and gestures.

PO 2. Receptively understand a predetermined number of words. *IEP Team specifies number.

PO 3. Functionally express a predetermined number of words. *IEP Team specifies number.

PO 4. Communicate using 2-5 words together.

PO 5. Use simple sentences.

• LS-FS5. Share ideas, information, opinions (preferences/interests), and questions.

PO 1. Indicate needs, wants, pleasure and displeasure through non-symbolic/pre-linguistic communicative behaviors (e.g., cries, laughs, vocalizations, movements, touches, and gazes).

PO 2. Initiate intentional communicative behavior to gain attention; protest; make choices; indicate wants; start, continue, restart or end activity; (e.g., touches adult to indicate "more"; places adult hand on desired object; pushes object away; crying).

PO 3. Indicate wants for activities, items, or people that cannot be seen nor heard (e.g., cookies in the cupboard).

PO 4. Respond to and respond with "yes" and "no".

PO 5. Communicate physical and emotional needs in response to questions (e.g., "What's the matter?" " What do you want to do?" " What do you want to eat?").

PO 6. Ask for assistance (e.g., bathroom; position change; buttons; directions for turning on computer, using a tool, preparing a meal).

PO 7. Make comments appropriate to the activity (e.g., "Look at my picture").

PO 8. Communicate intended actions (e.g., "I'm leaving"; "I'm playing over there"; "I'm going on break").

PO 9. Initiate and respond to at least three different interrogative questions (e.g., "why", "how", "who", "what", "where', and "when").

PO 10. Relate personal information (e.g., identifies self with name/sign, knows first and last name, telephone number, displays identification card).

PO 11. Demonstrate beginning problem solving, alternative solutions or negotiation skills (e.g., if/what situations-"If we can't go to the video store now, can we go after dinner?").

• LS-FS6. Listen and respond to stories, poems, nonfiction, and age appropriate music.

PO 1. Attend to stories for 5-10 minutes.

PO 2. Anticipate patterns in familiar stories (e.g., repeating phrases, rhyming).

PO 3. Answer simple questions related to familiar story (e.g., "Was there a dog in the story?"; "What is the dog's name?").

PO 4. Relate personal experiences to story.

• LS-FS7. Participate in group discussions, activities, or peer/adult interactions.

PO 1. Participate during ongoing social interaction (e.g., comments; small talk on playground or in break room; or acknowledging through nodding/ smiling).

PO 2. Converse for 2-3 turns (e.g., using rules of conversing related to initiating conversation, wait time, turn taking, and maintaining topic of conversation).

READINESS (Kindergarten)
Students know and are able to do the following:

• Tell or retell a personal experience or creative story in a logical sequence
• Follow simple directions
• Share ideas, information, opinions and questions
• Listen and respond to stories, poems and nonfiction
• Participate in group discussions

FOUNDATIONS (Grades 1-3)
Students know and are able to do all of the above and the following:

• Use effective vocabulary and logical organization to relate or summarize ideas, events and other information
• Give and follow multiple-step directions
• Prepare and deliver information by generating topics; identifying the audience; and organizing ideas, facts or opinions for a variety of speaking purposes such as giving directions, relating personal experiences, telling a story or presenting a report

ESSENTIALS (Grades 4-8)
Students know and are able to do all of the above and the following:

• Prepare and deliver an organized speech and effectively convey the message through verbal and nonverbal communications with a specific audience
• Prepare and deliver an oral report in a content area and effectively convey the information through verbal and nonverbal communications with a specific audience
• Interpret and respond to questions and evaluate responses both as interviewer and interviewee
• Predict, clarify, analyze and critique a speaker’s information and point of view

PROFICIENCY (Grades 9-12)
Students know and are able to do all of the above and the following:

• Deliver a polished speech that is organized and well suited to the audience and that uses resource materials to clarify and defend positions
• Deliver an impromptu speech that is organized, addresses a particular subject and is tailored to the audience
• Deliver oral interpretations of literary or original works
• Conduct an interview, taking appropriate notes and summarizing the information learned
• Evaluate the effectiveness of informal and formal presentations that use illustrations, statistics, comparisons and analogies

DISTINCTION (Honors)
Students know and are able to do all of the above and the following:

• Use clear and concise language when presenting analytical responses to literature, conveying technical information, and explaining complex concepts and procedures
• Deliver creative and dramatic interpretations of literary or original works
• Communicate information expressively, informatively and analytically through a variety of media to audiences inside or outside of school
• Evaluate and improve personal communication skills