We begin with the most salient aspect that provides structure for all languages- the sentence unit (subject and predicate). As students master the concept of expressing oneself in complete ideas they are able to then look at discrete parts of the language (e.g. nouns, verbs, etc.)
Here is Anchor Standard #1, Benchmark #1 Sentence Subject Development
1.1.1.1. Given GIFs (i.e. a moving picture in GIF format that cycles over and over) that depict one person performing an action, identify the WHO the GIF depicts (e.g. one man jumping).
1.1.1.2. Given GIFs that depict a subject performing or undergoing an action, identify WHAT the GIF depicts (e.g. a house crumbling, dog barking, ball rolling).
1.1.1.3. Given a sentence, identify the WHO the sentence is about.
1.1.1.4. Given a sentence identify the WHAT the sentence is about.
1.1.1.5. Given a sentence identify the subject and identify whether it is a WHO or a WHAT.
1.1.1.6. Define, categorize and list WHO subjects as “PERSON” (i.e. the person the sentence is about).
1.1.1.7. Define, categorize and list WHAT subjects as “NOT PERSON”.
1.1.1.8. Given a predicate and two potential subjects (one WHO and one WHAT), match the appropriate subject to the predicate.
1.1.1.9. Given a video clip of a singular subject and three potential predicates, select the one predicate that best fits in order to form a complete sentence.
