English Language Arts (ELA)

Elementary students will begin their literacy journey with the Amplify CKLA curriculum. In Grades K-2, the Amplify CKLA curriculum provides students with 2 separate blocks of time to practice 1.) their foundational phonological awareness, Phonics, and handwriting skills, and 2.) engage in knowledge-building, complex texts through Read-Alouds, collaborative discussions, and project-based activities. In the ‘Skills’ strand, students will be expected to separate the first, middle, and last sounds of simple words, such as cat (c-a-t), map (m-a-p), hit (h-i-t); recognize all uppercase (capital) and lowercase letters in the alphabet; recognize and understand some very common words: for example, the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, and does; and identify rhyming words and phrases read aloud. In the ‘Knowledge’ domain of the curriculum, students will be expected to listen to a story read aloud, and understand where and when the story takes place; compare what the same characters (like Henry and Mudge) do in different stories; explain how to find out who wrote a book (the author) or drew its pictures (the illustrator); and talk about the main idea of a text along with facts they learned from the text.

The writing curriculum is integrated into both ‘Skills’ and ‘Knowledge’ domains of the Amplify CKLA curriculum, which provides students with ample opportunities to practice their writing development and conventional skills.
 

For middle school students (grades 6-8), our English Language Arts program uses the Amplify ELA curriculum, which provides a rich, engaging, and developmentally appropriate foundation for literacy. The curriculum supports students in building key skills in reading comprehension, writing, and speaking while focusing on both fiction and non-fiction texts. Through Amplify ELA, students engage with diverse genres, from short stories to informational texts, and develop their ability to analyze and interpret literature with increasing complexity.

Key Areas of Study Include:

• Developing reading comprehension skills across various genres
• Exploring the structure and elements of literature
• Writing in different styles, including narrative, informative, and argumentative
• Expanding vocabulary through context and word analysis
• Engaging in group discussions to improve speaking and listening skills
   

The Malden High School ELA department develops all courses and units with scope and sequence documents that directly align with the grade-level skills and standards outlined in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education ELA frameworks:  

• Reading (literature, informational) 
• Writing Standards
• Speaking and Listening 
• Language 

The Malden High School English Department offers levels of instruction in each of the four years required for graduation: college preparatory (CP), honor (H) and in the junior and senior years, advanced placement(AP). The selection of appropriate English courses and the passing of each course are critical to the successful completion of an academic program. Guidance counselors and English teachers work collaboratively to help students make an appropriate choice of sequential courses.