Meaning Making
As discussed in chapter 2 of this framework, meaning
making is central in each of the strands of the CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy and in all aspects of the CA ELD Standards.
Reading standards for literature and informational text focus on
understanding and integrating ideas and information presented
in diverse media and formats as well as how the author’s craft
influences meaning. Writing standards reflect an emphasis
on meaning making as students produce clear and coherent
texts to convey ideas and information and as they engage
in research and demonstrate understanding of the subject
under investigation. Speaking and listening standards call for
students to communicate their understandings and ideas clearly
in ways that are appropriate for the context and task and to
request clarification and explanation from others when they
do not understand their ideas and comments. Language standards emphasize a growing awareness
of how vocabulary, grammatical structures, and dialect and register differences affect how meaning
is conveyed in different contexts. The foundational skills standards in the Reading strand, too, are
crucial for meaning making as their achievement is critical for the proficiency with the code that is a
necessary but not sufficient condition for comprehension.
In transitional kindergarten through grade three, students learned about meaning making in and
through the language arts. They asked and answered questions to demonstrate understanding of
text (RL/RI.K–3.1). They learned to determine the central message of texts they read themselves
(RL/RI.K–3.2), texts read aloud to them, and information presented in diverse media and formats
(SL1.3.2). Transitional kindergarten through grade-three children learned to describe elements of
texts and how they contribute to meaning (RL/RI.K–3.3), use information from illustrations to make
meaning (RL/RI.K–3.7), and compare the themes and content of texts (RL/RI.K–3.9). By the end
of grade three, they independently and proficiently comprehended texts at the high end of the text
complexity band for grades two and three.
During the transitional kindergarten through grade-three
years, students also learned to express and share meaning
through writing, communicating opinions, information, and
stories with others (W.K–3, Standards 1–3), and through
discussions and presentations (SL.K–3, Standards 1–6). And,
in order to clearly convey meaning, they learned many oral
and written language conventions (L.K–3, Standards 1–6).
In short, students in transitional kindergarten through grade
three learned that the language arts are meaningful acts and
they learned how to use the language arts to access and
share grade-level ideas and information in all the content
areas.
During the transitional kindergarten through grade-three years, ELs were learning English as
an additional language while also developing the abilities to fully engage with the academic grade
level curricula that the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and other content standards call for. The CA ELD
Standards guided teachers to support their EL students to interact in meaningful ways (ELD.PI.K–3,
Standards 1–12) and learn about how English works (ELD.PII.K–3, Standards 1–7), all the while
developing foundational skills in English, through integrated and designated ELD.
Meaning making continues to be a dominant focus of ELA/literacy and ELD instruction in the
fourth- and fifth-grade span. Students have many opportunities to read exceptional literary and
Writing standards reflect an
emphasis on meaning making
as students produce clear
and coherent texts to convey
ideas and information and as
they engage in research and
demonstrate understanding of
the subject under investigation.398 | Chapter 5 Grades 4 and 5