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ELA and its disciplines make up some of the core subjects in K-12 education. Though the acronym stands for English and language arts, these classes are more than just teaching students how to read and write. There are many other ELA skills that students learn along the way, which help them succeed both inside and outside the classroom.
Today, we’re focusing on the ELA skills that K-12 students need to learn and how these skills can enhance their communication, interpretation, analysis, and evaluation of texts, conversations, and other interactions.
[Why do students need to master ELA skills?](id-why)
Reading and writing aren’t just school subjects. They’re fundamental life skills. We need to master them to perform well in school, secure and excel in a job, and complete personal and everyday tasks. Here are a few more reasons why students need to build ELA skills during their K-12 education:
Enhance academic success: ELA skills empower students to succeed in all subjects, including social studies, science, math, and beyond. When they have solid ELA foundations, they’re better equipped to understand texts, visuals, and conversations across subjects.
Become better communicators: Learning ELA skills helps students develop their communication methods through writing and speaking. This can help them share their ideas and express themselves more effectively.
Develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities: ELA skills teach students how to interpret texts, evaluate perspectives, solve problems, and make decisions. These are also skills people use every day to navigate the world.
Get ready for college and career: Foundational ELA skills prepare students for higher education and to be successful in any career they choose.
Become an active participant in society: ELA skills can help students navigate society, understand social expectations, and fulfill civic duties, such as voting.
[6 ELA skills students need to learn](id-skills)
ELA skills are the building blocks that help students learn to read, write, and communicate. Here are six key ELA skills that students need to learn during their K-12 education to engage with texts, media, and others more effectively:
1. Reading
Reading skills are likely the first ones that come to mind when thinking about ELA skills. Reading is an umbrella that covers a variety of other essential literacy skills that students learn in K-12 schooling. They progress from learning their alphabet to synthesizing meaning from complex texts. And within that range, there are many subskills to learn. We can break these down into two categories: Learn-to-read skills and read-to-learn skills:
Learn-to-read skills
In grades K-2, students learn to read. They must understand that letters make sounds and when put together, letters form words that make different sounds. They also learn that writing letters in a specific order or saying a specific combination of sounds attaches meaning to a person, place, thing, or idea. To make all of these things happen, students focus on building the following learn-to-read skills:
Phonemic awareness: The ability to identify, manipulate, and distinguish individual sounds, called phonemes, in spoken language.
Phonics: Learning the relationships between letters and sounds, or graphemes, and phonemes. These skills involve understanding how written letters represent sounds that you can use to decode and encode words.
Spelling: Learning the order of letters that make up commonly used words.
Vocabulary: Building a mental library of new words with attached meanings, and discovering when to use them in the proper context.
Fluency: The ability to read text quickly and accurately with the proper expression and inflection, when spoken aloud. This skill helps bridge the gap between learn-to-read and read-to- learn skills.
Read-to-learn skills
Typically, after third grade (though sometimes it’s later in a student’s academic career), students become proficient in their learn-to-read skills. At this stage, they transition into reading to learn, or focusing their time and energy on reading comprehension and making meaning from a text. Here are some of the read-to-learn subskills students cover in grades 3-12:
Text structure: Engaging with texts organized in a variety of ways and how this organization affects the message or meaning of the piece.
Point of view: Determining who the speaker is, who the audience is, and how these perspectives affect the message.
Arguments and claims: Determining the point an author is trying to make in a text and what information they use to get others to agree with their perspective.
Main idea and key details: Finding the primary goal, message, or argument of a text and the supplementary information that supports it.
Summarizing: Paring down a larger text to convey just its main points.
Word meaning and choice: Exploring new vocabulary and understanding why writers use the words and phrases they do to convey their message.
2. Writing
Similar to reading, writing is another essential ELA skill that students learn in K-12 education. Also, like reading, writing encompasses a range of skills that help students learn to write and write to learn.
Learn-to-write skills
Learn-to-write skills are exactly what they sound like: Students learning how to write letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs to share information. Some of the skills that fall into this category include:
Handwriting: Learning to hold a writing utensil and form letters correctly.
Typing: Learning how to locate and use letters to make words and words to make sentences using devices like keyboards or touch screens.
Grammar: Learning that different parts of speech exist and when and how to use them.
Sentence construction: Learning how to put words together in an order that makes sense to convey meaning.
Conventions: Learning what punctuation, capitalization, and other mechanics are and when and how to use them correctly in sentences.
Write-to-learn skills
Unlike in reading, there is less of a significant transition point from learning to write to writing to learn. That’s because students continue learning some of the learn-to-write skills, like grammar and conventions, throughout their K-12 education.
Students typically start writing to learn in upper elementary school, starting in grades 3-5, and continue building on those foundations in middle and high school. Similar to read-to-learn skills, this transition begins when students start writing to convey original ideas, share messages, and understand the world. Some write-to-learn skills include:
Brainstorming: Thinking of or researching topics, ideas, and questions that interest or confuse you, that may prompt you to write about them.
Paraphrasing: Paring down a larger text to convey the main points in your own words.
Questioning and analysis: Looking at texts and ideas critically to better understand their meaning.
Reflecting: Sharing thoughts, feelings, and questions about a subject or idea.
Arguing or debating: Taking a stance on a topic or issue and supporting your point of view with evidence.
Synthesizing: Combining ideas, information, and perspectives from various sources into a new text to deliver a message or make meaning.
3. Speaking and listening
While reading and writing are essential, some ideas are shared orally. That means learning speaking and listening skills can help students become better overall communicators. While students likely know how to speak one or more languages before they start school, the ELA speaking skill is more than just being able to say words aloud. It’s about sharing messages with an audience orally.
This may occur in a large setting, such as giving a public speech or presenting a class project. It may also involve learning how to interact with people one-on-one, such as during an interview or with friends and family. The goal is to help students understand elements such as tone, inflection, and presentation when speaking to communicate effectively and connect with their audience.
Listening is a paired skill because we aren’t always the ones talking. Listening is one way we can absorb information and understand the experiences and perspectives of others. When we teach students to be active listeners, they’re fully concentrating on and understanding what someone else is saying. Active listeners exhibit the following behavior:
Pay attention: Listeners are giving the speaker their full attention, facing them, and making eye contact. They also don’t interrupt the speaker while they’re talking.
Acknowledge the information: Listeners use verbal and nonverbal cues to signal they understand what the speaker is saying. This may include nodding or saying things like “yes” at appropriate times.
Keep an open mind: Listeners avoid forming opinions about the speaker or their topic until they’re done talking.
Respond appropriately: Active listeners ask questions and provide their comments if prompted. They’re respectful, honest, and specific in their responses to continue the conversation.
4. Viewing
Texts, especially multimedia texts, often contain more than just words. They also have charts, maps, videos, photos, illustrations, audio clips, and more to tell a bigger story about the content. That’s why another essential ELA skill is viewing and processing multimedia information.
To help students with their viewing skills, make sure you’re sharing more than just traditional written texts in the classroom. The more exposure they have to different types of multimedia, the easier it becomes for them to learn how to read, interpret, and engage with these types of sources. Subskills of viewing include:
Element identification: Students can learn how to find titles, labels, legends, scales, and other identifiers that are part of specific resources.
Data extraction: Students can learn how to read a graphic or chart to extract specific data points and utilize elements such as value groupings on a chart or graph.
Data relationships: Students can discover how one piece of data relates to another and look for patterns, trends, outliers, or anomalies in a data set.
Spatial relationships: Students can learn how to extract information such as direction, location, distance, and scale from resources like maps.
Sequences: Students can learn how events or items sequenced in a specific order can tell a story using both words and visuals.
5. Critical thinking
Critical thinking is a necessary component of reading and writing to learn. It helps students analyze texts, evaluate arguments, identify biases, and form an opinion or point of view on an issue.
Students build critical thinking skills when they’re allowed to engage with a variety of sources, ask questions, consider new ideas, and encounter diverse perspectives on all topics. To help students develop critical thinking skills in ELA, try:
Explicit instruction: Model what critical thinking looks like throughout a lesson and in different contexts. Provide opportunities for students to practice critical thinking and provide guidance and feedback while they do.
Metacognitive prompts: Encourage students to reflect on their thinking. Ask them how they made a conclusion, why they made that decision, and what strategies they used to get there.
Student-centered instruction: Move from a teacher-centered classroom model to a student-centered approach where they are actively constructing knowledge. You serve as a facilitator and guide, rather than a leader or authority figure, during the lesson.
Cross-curricular integration: Critical thinking isn’t just an ELA skill. Reinforce what you teach in the ELA classroom across all subjects.
6. Disciplinary literacies
When we think of literacy in education, we often think about traditional reading literacy. But that’s not the only kind that exists. One of the definitions of literacy is “competence or knowledge in a specified area.” Students aren’t just becoming literate in reading and writing; they’re working to become literate across all subjects.
Here are some types of disciplinary literacies you can introduce to help students have a more well-rounded understanding of various topics:
Data literacy: Learning how to interpret and use data to draw insights and conclusions.
Media literacy: Learning how to interpret information from media channels and verify sources.
Digital literacy: Learning how to use technology and navigate digital tools and channels.
Financial literacy: Learning how to manage money and personal or business finances.
[ELA skills FAQ](id-faq)
Still have questions about the ELA skills your students need to know? Find the answers here!
How do students develop ELA skills?
Students develop ELA skills through explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction during their K-12 education and beyond. Each skill builds upon the last and lays a foundation for the next.
Aside from modeling how to develop and use ELA skills, students also learn from frequent opportunities to practice the skills they’re learning. This may involve completing a project, engaging in independent reading or writing, taking a formative assessment, or working in peer groups, among other methods.
The more exposure they get to high-quality, diverse texts and media, the more it can also help with ELA skill development.
How can I identify students struggling with their ELA skills?
Being able to identify which students are struggling with specific ELA skills can help you better support them and provide the differentiation and tools they need to progress. Here are some ways you can identify when students need additional help learning their ELA skills:
Use ongoing formative assessment: Low-stakes assessments like bell ringers, exit tickets, and response logs can help you detect gaps in students’ ELA skills in real time and provide necessary support.
Review diagnostic and standardized test results: Reviewing students’ summative assessment results from the previous school year can help you spot those struggling with skills at below-grade-level proficiency.
Observe your students: Circle the classroom during group or independent work time and look for students who may avoid reading or writing, don’t follow instructions, or appear frustrated with their assignments. These behaviors, especially when repeated, may indicate students who are struggling.
Hold conferences: Build in-class time to meet with all students one-on-one to ask them where they feel stuck or overwhelmed. You can also use this time to have students read aloud for you or to review written work together to help spot gaps in ELA skill development.
Collaborate: Especially for students in Upper Elementary and above, collaborate with other teachers who have the same group of students throughout the day. Compare assessment data and observed behaviors, and work together on creating a support action plan.
What can I do to support struggling students in building their ELA skills?
Students who struggle with building their ELA skills may compare themselves to peers who don’t need extra help. This can lead to feelings of embarrassment that may make them more reluctant to keep practicing. Here are some tips you can use to help struggling students continue to build confidence in their ELA skills:
Create a welcoming environment: Developing a classroom culture of iteration, curiosity, and discovery can help struggling students feel more comfortable making mistakes, asking questions, and practicing until they start to see improvement.
Model often: Explicit, systematic modeling for reading, writing, and thinking instruction can provide the scaffolds students need to start doing these things on their own.
Focus on strategies: Teaching students how to use strategies rather than just what they are can help them discover when and how to apply techniques such as summarizing, questioning, or making inferences.
Segment assignments: Break down assignments into steps or more manageable chunks to keep students from becoming overwhelmed or distracted by the volume of work in front of them.
Make real-world connections: Pair reading texts, writing prompts, and thinking questions with real-world topics and experiences to keep students engaged in their lessons and skill-building.
What are some examples of ways to track student progress on ELA skills?
To help you collect data and provide scaffolds and support to all students, you need to track their progress when learning and building ELA skills. Use tools like reading response journals to track comprehension and critical thinking. Comprehension quizzes can help you understand your students' literal and inferred understanding of texts. Reading logs can help you determine how often students read and the range of material they’re choosing.
For writing skills, writing portfolios can show growth over time, while rubrics can help you see how students perform in terms of skills on a given assignment. Writing conferences and peer feedback forms can help you review individual writing progress throughout the writing process.
Self-assessments, such as reflection checklists or goal trackers, are also helpful because they allow students to track and monitor their own ELA skills progress. This can help them feel more ownership of their learning and provide motivation to continue working and improving.
How can I support diverse learners in the ELA classroom?
Differentiating instruction is one of the most common ways to support diverse learners in any classroom, including when students are building ELA skills. Providing texts at the appropriate complexity level and allowing students to choose a preferred method to demonstrate their understanding on specific assignments can help adapt lessons to meet the needs of every learner.
Here are some other ways you can support diverse learners in your ELA classroom:
Incorporate relevant, authentic teaching methods: Use materials and strategies that reflect students' identities and experiences. Share texts from diverse authors and allow students to have autonomy to choose reading material and writing prompts with personal cultural connections.
Provide language scaffolds: Support your English language learners (ELLs) by using visual aids like anchor charts in the classroom, pre-teaching new vocabulary, and offering opportunities for them to use their first or home language when taking notes, brainstorming, or prewriting.
Reinforce foundational literacy skills: Even for older students, provide explicit phonics instruction where needed, offer repeated reading or read-alouds to build fluency, or try supports like decodables to bring struggling readers and writers closer to grade level.
How can I keep students engaged while they’re building their ELA skills?
You can keep students engaged in their ELA skills practice by mixing relevance, variety, active learning, and autonomy into your lessons. Here are some tips to help your students actually want to learn and practice their ELA skills:
Provide student choice: Letting students pick their independent reading material, select relevant writing prompts, or choose what type of project they want to complete to show their skills can make them more interested in doing the work.
Incorporate technology: Let students use devices, programs, and apps to promote collaboration and multimedia learning.
Gamify skills practice: Incorporate games into your skill-building lessons, like vocabulary bingo, sparkle spelling, or other options. You can also try something like Formative’s game-paced activity presentation mode that turns any activity or assessment into a live game-based challenge.
Incorporate social learning: Use literature circles, peer writing workshops, and other collaborative techniques so students can build ELA skills while working with friends and classmates.
What does a student’s ELA skill development look like by grade band?
ELA skills build on each other. Here’s an example of what a typical ELA skills progression may look like for a student throughout their K-12 career.
Early Elementary (K-2): Students focus on learn-to-read and learn-to-write skills like decoding, phonics, and handwriting.
Upper Elementary (3-5): Students focus on transitioning into read-to-learn skills and continue practicing learn-to-write skills like fluency, vocabulary, and paragraph writing.
Middle School (6-8): Students focus on read-to-learn and write-to-learn skills and higher-level thinking skills like essay writing, research, and critical thinking.
High School (9-12): Students build on the skills they developed in middle school by focusing on things like literary analysis, argumentative writing, and synthesizing ideas.
Not all students’ learning experiences will look like this example. Some will progress faster, while others will progress more slowly, and either group may need additional scaffolds or support to meet them where they are, regardless of their grade band.
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