BC English Language Arts Report Card Comments, Grades 4-9
English Language Arts in BC is organized around two groups of curricular competencies: comprehend and connect (reading, listening and viewing) and create and communicate (writing, speaking and representing). It includes First Peoples stories and oral traditions, and how story connects people to family, community and land.
Below are 9 sample sentences for Grades 4-9: one strength and one next step for each of the 4 comment levels (Extending / Proficient / Developing / Emerging), plus a tip for families. They are a small selection from the 144 English language arts sentences in the full pack. Copy one, then add a detail only you know about the student.
Jump to: Extending · Proficient · Developing · Emerging · Writing tips
Fills in the name and pronouns on this page. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Extending X
Strengths
- In reading and writing, [Name] recognizes figurative language such as similes and metaphors, explains its effect on meaning and uses it purposefully in [his/her/their] own work.Grades 4-7
Next step
- In literature circles, [Name] could trace how symbols or repeated images build a theme across a novel, then compare that pattern with another text.Grades 4-7
Proficient P
Strengths
- In English, [Name] adjusts language for the audience, using formal language in essays and presentations and a more relaxed, personal tone in reflective writing.Grades 8-9
Next step
- A useful next step in essays is to blend short quotations smoothly into [his/her/their] sentences and explain the significance of each one in [his/her/their] own words.Grades 8-9
Developing D
Strengths
- Through First Peoples stories shared in class, [Name] is building an understanding of how oral tradition passes on knowledge and connects people to the land.
Next step
- Moving forward, [Name] can use the question "What in the text tells me that?" to find evidence for inferences about characters and events.
Emerging E
Strengths
- With a worked example, [Name] is beginning to find information in non-fiction texts using headings and pictures, and to record key words in simple notes.Grades 4-7
Next step
- In novel studies, small-group reading with the teacher will help [Name] talk about characters and events and keep track of the story.Grades 4-7
Support at home
- Visiting the public library together and letting your child choose books on topics they love keeps reading fun and personal.
How to write English language arts comments for Grades 4-9
- Move from retelling to response: say whether the student makes inferences (reading between the lines), explains a character's choices or backs an opinion about a text with evidence from it. Name the text type, such as a novel study or an article.
- For writing, name the stage of the writing process the student handles well (planning, drafting, revising or editing) and the one to work on. A next step such as rereading a draft aloud to find unclear sentences is concrete and transferable.
- In Grades 8-9, include analysis and voice: how the student discusses theme, an author's choices or different perspectives, and how well they adjust tone and structure for a purpose, an audience or a presentation.
Watch out: Avoid letting reading level or the number of books read stand for the whole area. ELA covers reading, writing, speaking and listening, so add a strength from a second competency, such as oral storytelling or revising writing.
The Ministry's guidelines describe Emerging as an initial understanding of the concepts and competencies, Developing as partial, Proficient as complete and Extending as sophisticated. Proficient is the goal and does not mean perfect; Extending is about depth and complexity, not extra work or work from a higher grade. Here the four names only choose the wording: report the indicator itself in your reporting tool, and let the comment describe the learning behind it.
What English Language Arts covers
Big ideas and curricular competencies for English language arts:
- Comprehend and connect: reads, listens to and views stories and other texts, using strategies such as predicting, questioning, visualizing and making connections
- Comprehend and connect: explains main ideas, characters and story elements, makes inferences, and responds to texts with reasons, evidence and different perspectives
- Explores First Peoples stories and oral traditions, and how story connects people to family, community and land
- Create and communicate: plans, drafts, revises and edits writing and other texts for different purposes and audiences
- Create and communicate: exchanges ideas in discussion, presentations and oral storytelling
- Uses word knowledge (letter-sound links and phonics in K-3, word parts later), Canadian spelling, grammar and punctuation
More British Columbia subjects comments
- English Language Arts, K-Grade 3
- Mathematics, Grades 4-9
- Science, Grades 4-9
- Social Studies, Grades 4-9
- Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies, Grades 4-9
- Arts Education, Grades 4-9
- Physical and Health Education, Grades 4-9
- Opening and closing sentences
- All British Columbia subjects skills and grade bands
- For the same report: BC Core Competencies Report Comments, K-9
- Build a comment with the comment picker
How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.