Week # 2 Reflection on ELA standards video:

A person’s success in life and in learning environments is mostly determined by competence in language. Being that we live in the USA where English is the primary language, mastering the English language is vital. As I reflect on the instructional videos I viewed, I see that I came to an in depth understanding of what ELA means for me as an educator. To be a professional English Language teacher I need to be aligned with ELA standards. Standards imply that students need to master; reading, writing, speaking/ listening and comprehension of the English language.

The first of the 5 ELA standards are that students should be taught to read properly. Included in this is, teaching them to read words and then to read between words as they learn to comprehend what they are reading. The learning to read process should include; guided and independent reading as well as a stress on letter recognition, decoding, phonics etc. Most importantly there should be a focus on comprehension.

Reading properly is very much linked with writing. Through students’ written work, a teacher can easily discern whether the student has comprehended what she has read/ learnt. Students should be taught skills that enable them to write summaries and narratives as well as edit and publish texts about what they have read. Included in the writing aspect is learning to spell properly and learning to express ideas in words. 

Another aspect of grasping language is learning to speak and listen. Students need to learn to properly communicate orally with others. They also need to be able to listen and understand what they are being told. In short students need to acquire skills to express, listen and understand.

The fifth component of ELA standards is language; the rules of standard written and spoken English. This obviously includes teaching the students vocabulary.

By setting up my lessons according to these ELA standards I will ensure that my students will be gaining their utmost and learning the English language in the most effective manner.