Person writing in a notepad

Teaching Language Arts: Resources for Educators

Introduction

The ability to read and write plays a major role in a student’s ability to succeed in the classroom. It also has enormous implications regarding mental and emotional development, self-esteem, and even health. Highly literate students are more likely to have higher IQs, develop a love for reading, and become sought-after employees as adults.

Those are just a few reasons why a focused language arts curriculum is so vital to a child’s development. Exposure to the concepts of spelling, grammar, storytelling, and composition gives students a basis for how to write and communicate effectively.

Writing Activities

The best writing comes from a place of creativity that is easier to access when assignments are fun and engaging. The resources below include classroom exercises that teach students how to write clearly while also holding their attention.

Teaching Figurative Language

Figurative language is language that is not meant to be taken literally; it deviates from the normal meaning of words and phrases to communicate in a different and more interesting.

Students often use figurative language without even realizing it. Here are the six types of figurative language that students are most likely to come across and use when they’re reading and writing.

  • simile
  • metaphor
  • synecdoche
  • hyperbole
  • personification
  • puns

Figurative language allows students to find different and more creative ways to express themselves, both verbally and in writing.

Language Arts Lesson Plans Per Grade

The language arts curriculum should be taught according to the developmental stage of students. Younger students (grades 1 to 3) should be taught the building blocks of language. Students in grades 4 to 6 should be expected to start combining concepts and building vocabulary. Middle school students are taught delve into more long-form reading and writing, while high school students should begin putting everything they have learned together.

Learning Language Arts Through Literature

One of the most effective ways to teach students the building blocks of language is to give them the opportunity to see those building blocks in action.

Literature melds grammar, spelling, figurative language, and many other tenets of the language arts curriculum into a single, cohesive composition. Reading allows students to practice interpreting the meaning of certain words and phrases through context and to develop ideas regarding how to use them in their own work.

Teaching Essay Writing

Essay writing allows students to apply what they have learned from the language arts curriculum. It gives them practice expressing themselves personally, and it teaches how to conduct effective research to support an argument.

Written communication is critical for success, so the consequences of not writing essays include missing out on the ability to clearly and concisely communicate with the written word.

The below links give inspiration for assigning essays and assignments that help students develop their research abilities.

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