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Writing is defined as generating a text (Basics: Writing 2023).

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Writing is the bread and butter of an English Language Arts classroom. If reading is the heart of ELA, writing is its soul.

The two are interconnected; indubitably, "a child’s writing development parallels the child’s development as a reader."(Basics: Writing 2023). One of my goals as an English teacher is to give students the tools to be effective writers; I believe this is arguably one of the most important parts of my job. Ultimately, I agree with Reading Rockets' statement concerning this skill: "Writing may be the most complex process that we expect our students to learn," (Basics: Writing 2023). Building writing skills will be given no small amount of attention in my classroom!

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Vocabulary is defined as "knowledge of the meaning and pronunciation of words" (Basics: Vocabulary 2023).

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In an ELA classroom, where reading and writing are key, vocabulary is a key ingredient for learning and growing. In addition to fluency, "vocabulary is key to reading comprehension," (Basics: Vocabulary 2023), which, as we have established, is another essential part of and ELA classroom. Furthermore, according to scientific research, "most vocabulary is learned indirectly and some vocabulary must be taught directly," (Basics: Vocabulary 2023). Thus, vocabulary instruction will definitely be a part of my classroom.

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Comprehension is defined as "the ability to understand what you are reading" (Basics: Reading Comprehension 2023).

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In order to be an effective participant in an ELA classroom, you must be able to, at some level, understand what you are reading. Comprehension involves more than merely the ability to define the words on the page; it is about being able to make inferences from the text, "read between the lines," and even being "aware of how a single word can subtly shift the meaning of a sentence or even a passage," (Basics: Reading Comprehension 2023).

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Fluency is defined as "the ability to read a text accurately, at a good pace, with proper expression and comprehension" (Basics: Fluency 2023).

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Fluency is an essential part of succeeding at reading, which is the heart of an ELA classroom. Being a fluent reader is about more than getting through a passage quickly; more importantly, "because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding the words, they can focus their attention on what the text means," (Basics: Fluency 2023). Fluency in reading allows students to understand and enjoy what they are reading--again, a must for ELA!

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Phonics is defined as "the systematic, predictable relationship between spoken sounds and written letters" (Basics: Phonics and Decoding 2023).

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In order for students to be successful readers in my ELA classroom, they must know how to approach unfamiliar words. A knowledge of phonics allows my students to sound out new words through their knowledge of the alphabet and English's spoken sound system. Reading Rockets asserts the following about the importance of learning phonics: "learning that there are predictable relationships between sounds and letters allows children to apply these relationships to both familiar and unfamiliar words, and to begin to read with fluency," (Basics: Phonics and Decoding 2023).

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Vocabulary can empower a student to understand how social justice is being spoken about and to speak up themselves for such issues. Students of all abilities and backgrounds need vocabulary instruction to "both understand what [they] hear and read, and to communicate clearly and with precision," (Basics: Vocabulary 2023). Promoting equity in the classroom starts with giving students equal footing in terms of vocabulary.

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Understanding what you are reading is crucial to building knowledge about equity and justice. According to Reading Rockets, "if readers can read the words but do not understand or connect to what they are reading, they are not really reading," (Basics: Reading Comprehension 2023). Thus, supporting students as needed in this area helps to create an equitable classroom with students who are empowered to learn more about social justice.

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Basics: Vocabulary. (2023). Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/vocabulary

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Basics: Reading Comprehension. (2023). Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/reading-comprehension

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Through writing, students immortalize their voice. They can take send their words places that sound cannot travel. They can scrutinize and adjust their words in a way unique to written text, providing them with the opportunity to "convey meaning clearly and appropriately" (Basics: Writing 2023) and alter the way their voice is heard. When a person listens to you speak, they hear your voice; when they read something you've written, they hear it in their own voice. Writing is a powerful tool for social justice; any equitable classroom will support students in their writing journey as they need.

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Students who have the skillset to sound out new words will be empowered to learn more about equity and justice. Furthermore, providing every student with the opportunity to develop their phonics skills promotes equity and inclusion. Finally, in order to be provided with an equitable education, students with reading disabilities should be provided with phonics support (Basics: Phonics and Decoding 2023).

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A fluent reader is an empowered reader. Students who can "make connections among the ideas in the text and their background knowledge" (Basics: Fluency 2023) are equipped to learn more about their own and others' rights, equity, and social justice. Supporting all students in fluency according to their needs helps to create an equitable classroom as well.

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Basics: Fluency. (2023). Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/fluency

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Basics: Phonics and Decoding. (2023). Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/phonics-and-decoding

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Oral language is defined as "communication through speaking and listening" (Fisher & Frey 2014).

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In order to effectively participate in an ELA classroom, students must have an age-appropriate grasp on oral language. Students must develop their communication skills in order to share their ideas and reflect on the ideas of others. Additionally, students must have the oral language skills to listen effectively in class, both to their teachers and their classmates. According to Fisher and Frey listening comprehension and reading comprehension go hand in hand, thus, "if we want to ensure that students read increasingly complex informational texts, it seems logical that students should be talking during their content area learning," (2014).

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Students who have a firm grasp on oral language will be empowered to speak out for equity and justice. Additionally, providing all students with a chance at developing their oral language skills supports equity and inclusion. According to Fisher and Frey, "[children] are hardwired to speak and listen," (2014)." Thus, all students should be expected to acheive an appropriate level of success in oral language.

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Phonological awareness is defined as "a group of skills related to the ability to recognize the parts of spoken words" (Basics: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness 2023).

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Knowing how words work is essential to functioning in an ELA classroom.  According to Reading Rockets, phonological awareness involves "identif[ing] words that rhyme, counting the number of syllables in a name, recognizing alliteration, segmenting a sentence into words, and identifying the syllables in a word," (Basics: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness 2023). In order for students to be effective speakers and writers, they need to develop these skills.  This might come into play in my classroom as I educate ELs or teach students to pronounce challenging vocabulary. Additionally, phonological awareness is important for students as they learn to play with language through poetry.

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Having phonological awareness enables students of all abilities to better understand the texts around them. Experts identify this as a "critical early literacy skill" (Basics: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness 2023); thus, in order to equitably teach students to be effective readers and writers, phonological awareness must be taught at each student's level.

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Basics: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness. (2023). Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/phonological-and-phonemic-awareness

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Fisher, D & Frey, N. (2014). Speaking and Listening in Content Area Learning. The Reading Teacher, 68(1), 64–69 doi: 10.1002/trtr.1296

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Basics: Writing. (2023). Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/writing