perspectives. They write to express their understandings of new concepts under exploration and
also to refine and consolidate their understanding of concepts. They engage in discussion to clarify
points; ask questions; summarize what they have heard, viewed, read, or otherwise experienced;
explain their opinions; and as they collaboratively work on
projects, hands-on investigations, and presentations. They
acquire language for new concepts through reading and
listening and use this language in speaking and writing. As
the language arts are employed in the content areas, skills
in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language
themselves are further developed. The reciprocal relationship
between the language arts and content learning is apparent
throughout California’s subject matter content standards.
Example content standards from grades four and five that
reveal this relationship include the following:
- Use the vocabulary of theatre, such as plot, conflict, climax, resolution, tone, objectives,
motivation, and stock characters, to describe theatrical experiences. (California Grade Four
Visual and Performing Arts Theatre Content Standard 1.1) - Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and
water. (California Grade Five Next Generation Science Standard 5-LS1-1) - Explain the difference between offense and defense. (California Grade Four Physical Education
Standard 2.1) - Describe the entrepreneurial characteristics of early explorers (e.g., Christopher Columbus,
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado) and the technological developments that made sea exploration
by latitude and longitude possible (e.g., compass, sextant, astrolabe, seaworthy ships,
chronometers, gunpowder). (California Grade Five History–Social Science Content Standard
5.2.1) - Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers
of 10, and explain patterns in the placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied
or divided by a power of 10. Use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10. (California
CCSS Grade Five for Mathematics Standard 5.NBT.2)
Similarly, the components of the CA ELD Standards—
”Interacting in Meaningful Ways,” “Learning About How
English Works,” and “Using Foundational Literacy Skills”—are
integrated throughout the curriculum in classrooms with ELs.
CA ELD Standards are addressed in ELA/literacy, science,
social studies, mathematics, the visual and performing arts,
and other subjects, rather than being addressed exclusively
during designated ELD.
Classroom snapshots and longer vignettes presented
throughout this chapter illustrate how the CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy strands, the CA ELD Standards, and other
content standards can and should be integrated to create an
intellectually-rich and engaging literacy program.
Key Themes of ELA/Literacy and ELD Instruction
This section discusses each of the five themes of California’s ELA/literacy and ELD instruction
described in the introduction to this framework and chapters 1 and 2 as they pertain to grades four
and five (see figure 5.1): Meaning Making, Language Development, Effective Expression,
Through the language arts,
students acquire knowledge
and inquiry skills in the
content areas. They read
to gain, modify, or extend
knowledge or to learn different
perspectives.Classroom snapshots and
longer vignettes presented
throughout this chapter
illustrate how the CA CCSS
for ELA/Literacy strands, the
CA ELD Standards, and other
content standards can and
should be integrated to create
an intellectually-rich and
engaging literacy program.Grades 4 and 5 Chapter 5 | 395