California's English and Language Arts SOLs

Grades 1-3

For these first grades, students explored narrative through basic character, plot, and purpose analyses.  These exercises seemed much like the exercises listed in Approaches to Media Literacy, specifically the narrative analysis and moving up to the narrative forecasting in the third grade.  In second and third grades, students begin to look at cultural narratives to compare and contrast these stories.  And beginning in third grade, students have to start comparing ideas presented in broadcast and print media to differentiate between opinions and facts.

Grades 4-6

Throughout these grades, students continue to compare and contrast stories with different cultural backgrounds, moving beyond just narrative comparisons to explore myths and symbols presented through the stories.  Additionally, students begin to study authors’ techniques to influence readers’ perspectives as well as the media’s different purposes and interpretation of current events and cultures.

Students also begin to consider how the media can serve a negative persuasive function through presenting propaganda.  These are also the first grades where students are required to use computer technology to create documents.

Grades 7-8

Here, students move beyond print media to consider how visual media and the ways in which photojournalism influence readers.  Other than photojournalism and examining speaker credibility, students continue to use computers to generate documents and explore the different purposes that media serve.

Grades 9-10

For the first time, students are asked to move beyond culturally significant texts to those with “universal themes” to compare and contrast these texts.  Students also begin to study oral communication, in terms of speaker credibility, language, delivery and rhetorical techniques.

Grades 11-12

Surprisingly, this is the first time that students need to use computer technology during presentations in class.  Until now, students have just given oral presentations without any type of technological help.  As in other grades, students continue to use computers to generate and publish documents and study speakers’ rhetorical devices and oral communication’s purposes.