Elementary Literacy Curriculum Resources

Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is used for literacy instruction in all classrooms in grades Pre-K-5. Amplify CKLA sequences deep content knowledge with research-based foundational skills instruction. It provides systematic and explicit instruction in phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, the building of background knowledge, oral language development, vocabulary, writing, comprehension, and fluency. CKLA does not use the three-cueing model of literacy instruction.

Pre-K CKLA Units of Study

Amplify CKLA PreK is a comprehensive English Language Arts curriculum designed to prepare young children academically, socially, and emotionally for later reading success by building foundational language and literacy skills. The program provides a flexible 45 minutes of interactive instruction.

K - 2 CKLA Units of Study

In grades K-2 students participate in two, one-hour literacy strands on a daily basis. These strands consist of one “skills” and one “knowledge” strand.

CKLA Skills Strand (60 minutes per day)

This skills strand provides intentional and systematic support in building decoding skills. The lessons support learning related to phonemic awareness, sound-letter patterns (or spelling patterns), decoding, writing mechanics, and writing structure and processes. CKLA takes a comprehensive approach to teaching the code of the English language in the skills strand. The English language has 26 letters, which are combined to create 150 spelling patterns that represent 44 sounds of language. CKLA explicitly focuses on teaching each of the 44 sounds and the 150 ways these sounds are represented in a logical sequence that builds independence. This approach assures that students have the knowledge they need to address any text and any word.

CKLA Knowledge Strand (60 minutes per day)

The knowledge strand develops young children’s language and background knowledge. This strand exposes students to rich, complex texts through daily read-alouds, engages students in text-based and analytic discussions of the content, and builds connections from the text to the work of the classroom through extension activities. The knowledge strand reflects the fact that knowledge, comprehension, and vocabulary are intimately related. Students spend sustained time in a variety of domains. This coherent content organization is critical to building knowledge, inferring new vocabulary, and enabling comprehension. The content-rich reading that students are required to do creates an optimal context for interactive discussions and activities that allow for the development of skills that foster the comprehension of complex sentences and ideas. The content within the knowledge strand creates rich, academically oriented oral language experiences that promote receptive and expressive language skills.

The teaching of both strands in parallel helps students avoid cognitive overload and acquire advanced, complex vocabulary in the knowledge strand. Students both read to learn in the knowledge strand and become expert decoders in the skills strand.

3rd - 5th Grade Literacy Instruction

The Core Knowledge Language Arts program in grades 3 -5 is designed to bring the two strands together as foundational skills and higher-level comprehension and meaning-making gradually intertwine. The principles that guide the 120-minute lessons include:

• Analysis and expression in reading and writing - Students get daily exposure to complex texts. In reading instruction students engage in discussion and short writing activities to answer text-dependent literal, evaluative, and inferential questions about literary and informational texts. Students return to passages multiple times for deeper analysis.

• Fostering “wonderful conversationalists” - Students not only frequently discuss content-rich texts, but also develop the ability to present, debate, and build upon each other’s responses.

• Explicit language instruction - Students learn to apply conventions of English grammar, punctuation, and spelling through explicit instruction, target practice activities, and daily writing.

• Rich variety of texts and contexts - Students read knowledge-rich texts and begin to read an increasing number of classics and encounter different original source materials. They will read articles from different sources to write opinion pieces and increasingly complex texts on their own.

• Maximizing vocabulary acquisition - Students read a variety of content-rich complex texts. Teachers foster structured and informal discussions that help students become accustomed to using complex vocabulary in scaffolded and supported contexts. The combination of exposure to complex text and meaningful discussions allows students to build an internal web of vocabulary and allows for the continued growth of vocabulary by providing the opportunity to link new words to words that are already understood.

• Build background knowledge for strong comprehension - The Core Knowledge sequence of topics builds upon the broad base of knowledge that students acquired in grades K-2. The development of a broad base of knowledge about the world allows students to comprehend increasingly complex ideas and texts, make connections and inferences, and engage in extended discussions of the works they are reading or hearing read aloud.

WI Reads & ACT 20 Information

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