| Language Arts
The Tennessee English Language Arts Curriculum Framework for Kindergarten through Grade 12 was adopted by the State Board of Education on December 5, 1996. "The framework includes the Content Strands and Learning Expectations necessary to insure K-12 Tennessee students develop the language skills needed to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in their lives."
The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) has been developed by the Tennessee State Department of Education to measure student competency in essential skills in the area of Language Arts.
English 9
The Tennessee End-of-Course Tests for language arts include an English I test. English I is a course that seeks to integrate the standards of reading, writing, viewing and representing, and speaking and listening. Students will work to comprehend and produce a wide variety of texts, including traditional works of literature, practical and persuasive forms of communication that involve speaking and listening skills, and the use of appropriate technology and media forms. The course will emphasize the communication and critical thinking skills that empower students to function effectively in a rapidly changing world.
The Tennessee English Language Arts Curriculum Framework identifies the learning expectations for Grade 9.
Genres
The Genres Unit includes identifying and comparing key characteristics of literary genres, as designated by a work's subject, theme, style, and time period. Some examples of genres are science fiction, poetry, drama, British literature, and multicultural literature.
Language Expressions
The Language Expressions Unit focuses on language conventions, structure, usage, and language study. It also addresses parts of speech, figures of speech, syntax, paragraph and sentence structure, word agreement, modifiers, and grammar.
Language Mechanics
The Language Mechanics Unit includes comprehending and applying the rules that govern punctuation and capitalization when writing and editing written works.
Listening
The Listening Unit includes identifying and distinguishing between sounds and patterns in sounds, constructing meaning from information delivered verbally, and understanding and responding to verbal information.
Media
The Media Unit includes the study of information and entertainment communications. Topics include: advertising, art, journalism, film, and media messages, forms and productions.
Reading Operations
The Reading Operations Unit includes constructing meaning from fiction and non-fiction selections at comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and judgment levels of understanding. It includes skills which address identifying, discussing, and comparing both concrete and abstract elements of selections (setting, plot, characterization, genre, historical period, theme, tone, moral message, and psychological and political implications).
Speaking
The Speaking Unit focuses on techniques and strategies (voice modulation, body language, ordering of ideas, visual aids, etc.) to convey meaning and to present information and opinions to groups. This unit includes formal and informal communication, debate skills, and verbal/nonverbal communication.
Spelling
The Spelling Unit includes studying language and word structure knowledge to discern the correct spelling of words. It includes skills related to editing passages for correct spelling by making connections between spelling, meaning, and structure.
Study and Research Skills
The Study and Research Skills Unit includes developing organization and research skills needed to find appropriate resources, to judge resources as relevant or not relevant to a given topic, to categorize and synthesize information, to take notes in class, and to study for exams.
Technology
The Technology Unit addresses technology applicable to all content areas. It includes educational technology, hardware, software, programming, communications, and word processing.
Viewing/Representing
The Viewing and Representing Unit focuses on constructing meaning from visual sources and conveying meaning through visual representation. Meaning is conveyed by applying writing processes (prewriting, writing, revising, publishing) to visual representations of information.
Vocabulary
The Vocabulary Unit includes studying and applying knowledge of word structure (bases and affixes), concrete analogies, synonyms, antonyms, and syllables. It also includes applying knowledge of connotation, denotation and words with multiple levels of meaning.
Word Analysis
The Word Analysis Unit focuses on examining word structure and sound. It includes topics such as consonants, vowels, rhyming, and word building.
Writing
The Writing Unit focuses on each stage of the writing process: prewriting, writing, revising, and publishing. It includes skills covering a variety of organizational formats and purposes for writing (communicating ideas, opinions, and feelings, clarifying thoughts, and solving problems). Some example writing formats are expository, narrative, poetry, and drama.
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