English Language Arts (K-5)

English Language Arts (K-5)

The school uses Harcourt Into-Reading as the program for Grades K-5. Through a partnership with Teaching Matters, the ELA units are aligned to the Next Generation Learning Standards, revised to be more culturally responsive, and explore meaningful essential questions such as "Can people be separate but equal?" The units are centered around discussion protocols from Harvard's Project Zero thinking routines. The curriculum is aligned to the Next Generation standards. Grades K through 3 incorporate Tier 1 whole group phonics instruction using the Wilson FUNdations program. Kindergarten also incorporates the Heggerty program for phonemic awareness. Grades 4 and 5 teach a half-hour of grammar instruction four times a week. Every Friday, Grades 3 through 5 incorporate spelling and close reading strategies based on New York State testing passages and questions. Guided and independent reading is also embedded into the literacy framework daily. The goal of the ELA curriculum is to encourage scholars to read at or above grade-level using a variety of strategies and to become critical thinkers.