The First Program’s Language Arts curriculum helps students develop the necessary skills for effectively communicating their ideas, opinions, and experiences in oral and written form, and for appreciating the oral and written expression of others. The development of literacy is a primary goal. Dalton’s Language Arts program ensures that children will use language to gain information and to develop critical thinking and comprehension skills. The curriculum supports all other content areas and includes instruction in speaking and listening, reading and writing,  spelling, and handwriting.

Through ongoing observation and assessment, appropriate instructional strategies are developed that match and support students’ learning styles. Children are taught to develop strategies using both phonemic awareness and syntactic cues. The program’s aim is to maximize each child’s potential. Students give expression to their ideas, thoughts, and feelings through different formats: handmade books that contain detailed stories and poems, social studies and science research reports, written representations of mathematical concepts, and technology-based projects.

COMMON GOALS FOR GRADES K-3

Speaking and Listening:

Developing students’ understanding of the spoken word and expanding their oral vocabularies are fundamental goals of our language arts program. Children learn to express themselves effectively in a variety of speaking and listening situations, with particular attention given to matching style to audience and purpose. Listening and inquiry-based learning sensitize children to a variety of points of view.

Reading:

Instilling a lifelong love of reading is another fundamental goal of the program. Students are encouraged to become purposeful learners who take pleasure in the reading process, learning to construct meaning by inferring, analyzing, and predicting outcomes. Using an eclectic approach to teaching reading, which includes a word analysis as well as a whole word sight recognition approach, students are exposed to a range of literary genres, experiencing literature from many cultures. Dalton strongly believes that a literature-based program that reflects diverse traditions effectively supports instruction. When skills are taught and reinforced within such a meaningful, contextual framework, understanding is deepened. In addition, specific strategies are introduced to bolster comprehension and assess progress, resulting in increased independence and mastery.

Writing Goals:

The School's goal is to help students increase their ability to construct and convey meaning through written expression. Through regular participation in a writing process workshop, students develop their own distinct voices as writers, resulting in a range of expressive possibilities. Starting with the youngest students, children are encouraged to record their thoughts and ideas using approximate spelling. Systematic word study, practice, and ongoing review help them gain more accuracy and success as spellers. Careful attention is also given to grammar, punctuation, and syntax. Proper formation of upper and lower case letters is taught in a developmentally appropriate manner, using a variety of strategies. Manuscript writing is taught initially, followed by instruction in cursive handwriting early in the third grade.