ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Building Strong Readers, Writers, and Thinkers
Our English Language Arts program helps students understand ideas and express their own ideas with confidence. Students make meaning from texts by reading, listening, and viewing, and they communicate their ideas through writing, speaking, and creating. Across all grade levels, students engage with a variety of texts and media, learn to use evidence, build strong vocabulary, and develop language skills. Through this approach, our ELA instruction develops thoughtful readers, effective writers, and confident communicators who think critically and make sense of the world.
Georgia’s English Language Arts standards are organized into four connected areas—Foundations, Language, Texts, and Practices. Together, these areas show how students learn to read, write, speak, and listen as they grow, helping them become confident communicators and thoughtful learners.
FOUNDATIONS
Students learn how reading and writing work. In the early grades, children build skills with letters, sounds, and words and learn to write clearly in print. As they progress, students develop reading fluency and learn to read and write in cursive to support accuracy, comprehension, and stamina.
LANGUAGE
Students learn how words and sentences work. Children build vocabulary and use grammar and conventions to communicate clearly. In the upper elementary grades, students also analyze word parts—such as prefixes, suffixes, and roots—to understand and use new words.
TEXTS
Students learn how to deeply understand and create meaningful texts. Students examine how texts are organized, how authors use language and techniques, and how purpose and audience shape meaning. They apply this understanding by writing, speaking, and creating texts that clearly communicate their own ideas.
PRACTICES
Students learn how to engage as readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. They read and write with purpose, ask questions, discuss ideas, and collaborate with others. Because these ways of thinking, communicating, and learning continue to grow over time, the Practices domain spans kindergarten through twelfth grade, supporting students as they become increasingly independent and thoughtful communicators.
