Prioritizing access to high-quality, grade level texts. The EL Education curriculum is designed to engage students in reading, thinking, talking, and writing about engaging grade level texts on meaningful topics, and this remains a core design principle when designing for the remote or hybrid learning environment.
Placing the teacher at the center of the educational experience for students. Students have been disconnected from the school community, and in many situations, over the spring and summer, tremendous pressure was placed on families and caregivers to lead student learning. In the fall, placing the teacher at the center of the educational experience will help reconnect students to the school and the school community, and will release the pressure from families and caregivers.
Prioritizing small group differentiation to accelerate learning and address specific student needs.
Offering flexibility to step between remote learning and classroom-based curriculum instruction to support as many potential schedules, and eventualities, as possible.
Recommendations and Guiding Principles for 2020-21
Last Updated: August 31, 2020
The following recommendations were developed for implementation of the EL Education Grades K-8 Language Arts Curriculum for the 2020-2021 school year and are being incorporated into remote learning resources for the curriculum being created by EL Education.
For more information and to access materials please visit the Flex Curriculum: 2020-21 landing page.
Guiding Principles for Recommendations
Begin the 2020-2021 School Year with Module 1
Begin the school year with Module 1 (Grades K-8 Skills and Module Lessons): Students should start the year in Module 1, rather than attempt to make up any missed content from the previous Spring and Summer of 2020. A majority of the skills from the reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language standards from Modules 3 and 4 that were potentially missed can be addressed during whole group, on grade level, module lessons, and also independent work. This will occur when the corresponding standard from the current grade level is addressed. We will provide a crosswalk of standards covered in the previous grade in Modules 3 and 4.
Implement Three Modules of Instruction (2020-2021 School Year Only)
*Please note the exception to this recommendation is Reading Foundational Skills Block
Just for 2020/2021 only facilitate three modules of content-based literacy per grade level instead of four. Expanding three modules will ensure adequate time for students to both adapt to the new school community and environment, and to build the necessary skills to be able to demonstrate mastery in the current grade-level skills.
As a result of this change please note the following:
*For the Reading Foundation Skills Block, It is recommended to facilitate all four modules as each module contains discrete skills.
Three expanded modules will be approximately 12 weeks long. The only exception to this is K-2 Module 1, which will only be approximately 8 weeks long.
Standards only taught and assessed in the module not used in the 2020/2021 year will be incorporated in the three expanded modules. EL Education is providing guidance to support this in our Fall 2020 crosswalk documents.
If in a full-time classroom environment where students can be fully supported by the teacher in the way the module was intended, some of the modules selected to be omitted for 2020/2021 may be important to teach. In this situation, consider selecting a different module to remove. Note the * next to these modules in the list below.
Please see the chart at the bottom of this page for the Module selection and rationale.
Address Reading Foundational and Language Skills and Standards During Small-Group Differentiation
Address reading foundational and language skills and standards from Modules 3 and 4 during small-group differentiation. The reading foundational and language skills and standards from Modules 3 and 4 that were potentially missed during the spring and summer of 2020 are often more discrete skills and don't always connect between grade levels. They are, however, essential skills. Students are more likely to be at different places in their ability to demonstrate mastery of these skills, particularly the reading foundational skills, and therefore small group instruction will better meet specific student needs.
At Grades K-2, in both hybrid and fully remote learning situations, we recommend students receive direct instruction at their instructional level during small group differentiation time which will address reading foundational and language standards that were potentially missed. This time of differentiation provides an opportunity to bridge potential gaps in learning to progress students further in their foundational skills.
- At Grades 3-5, in both hybrid and fully remote learning situations, we recommend students receive small group differentiated instruction during the ALL Block. Some skills, particularly the skills required in the previous grade-level language standards can be facilitated either whole group or small group.
Assessment Recommendations and Rationale
General K-8
Avoid administering additional assessments on top of the current grade level formative and summative assessments, including the Skills Block Benchmark Assessments, due to student stress. The formative and summative assessments in the current grade level materials will reveal gaps that students have.
If hybrid or full-time in the classroom, administer assessments as outlined in curriculum materials. In a hybrid schedule, prioritize administering assessments while students are in the classroom.
- Identify key formative assessment items in the content-based modules* to review to determine student progress prior to summative assessments to inform instructional decisions.
*Note: Identify one formative assessment item for each priority standard prior to the summative assessment. Priority standards are as follows: R.1, R.4, R.10, RF.4, W.8, W.9, SL.1, L.4, L.5, L.6
Grades K-2
- Administer the Skills Block Benchmark Assessments at the beginning of the year to ensure students are grouped to meet their specific microphase needs.
If fully remote:
- Benchmark Assessments: Given the limitations of the remote environment, administer only the Letter and Sound Recognition assessment for Kindergarten, and the Spelling Assessment for Grades 1 and 2. If hybrid, or full-time in the classroom, administer the Benchmark Assessments as written.
- Skills Block cycle assessments: If fully remote, consideration should be given to the technology access available and, therefore, which parts of the assessment will be appropriate and useful to administer.
- Skills Block snapshot assessments: If fully remote, consideration should be given to the technology access available and, therefore, which parts of the assessment will be appropriate and useful to administer.
- Module assessments using teacher observational checklists: Administer in small groups during synchronous (live) instructional time to be able to hear and see what students are doing.
- Module assessments in which students answer multiple questions under test conditions (usually reading assessments with selected response, short-answer questions, etc.): If fully remote, facilitate during synchronous (live) instructional time in small groups* for students to be able to ask and have questions answered.
*Note: This should occur during the time allocated for whole group synchronous instruction with students rather than during differentiated small group time allocated for the Skills Block.
- Module extended writing assessments (narratives and essays): Facilitate with a synchronous (live) kickoff in order for students to hear the prompt and directions read aloud. Students then complete the task independently; however, it is recommended holding a synchronous space for students to check-in with questions and/or requests for help. If completed in Google classroom, it is recommended to check student work and provide guidance and feedback where necessary throughout the writing process as well as afterward.
Grades 3-8
- Grade 3 only: Administer the K-2 Skills Block Benchmark Assessments at the beginning of the year to ensure students are grouped to meet their specific microphase needs, given the potential gaps from the spring and summer. Use ALL Block time to work on those specific needs.
If fully remote:
- Multiple question assessments (usually reading assessments with selected response, short-answer questions, etc.): Facilitate during synchronous (live) instructional time either whole group or small group in the Grades 3-5 ALL Block over two days. Read the questions and directions aloud during that time, should students need it. Facilitating over multiple days will provide students with more space to answer questions.
- Extended writing assessments (narratives and essays): Facilitate with a synchronous (live) kickoff in order for students to hear the prompt and directions read aloud. Students then complete the task independently; however, it is recommended holding a synchronous space for students to check-in with questions and/or requests for help. If completed in Google classroom, it is recommended to check student work and provide guidance and feedback where necessary throughout the writing process as well as afterward.
Modules Selected for 2020/2021 School Year with Rationale
To select the three modules to use in the 2020/2021 year, the following criteria were prioritized:
- Maintaining diversity across a grade level and grade band considering authors, characters, and the stories being told
- Ensuring content is appropriate for students in a fully remote environment where there might be less support and guidance from a teacher. If in a full-time classroom environment where students can be fully supported by the teacher in the way the module was intended, some of the modules selected to be omitted for 2020/2021 may be important to teach. In this situation, consider selecting a different module to remove. Note the * next to these modules in the list below.
- Minimizing impact in terms of standards
*If in a full-time classroom environment where students can be fully supported by the teacher in the way the module was intended, some of the modules selected to be omitted for 2020/2021 may be important to teach. In this situation, consider selecting a different module to remove.
Kindergarten
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
KM1: Building Literacy in a Collaborative Classroom: Toys and Play | Yes | Module Description Students build their literacy and citizenship skills as they engage in a study of toys and play. |
KM2: Learning through Science and Story: Weather Wonders | Yes | Module Description Students build their literacy and science skills as they engage in a study of the weather. The module begins with a story about a young girl named Sofia who is curious about the weather and wants to learn more about how she can be prepared for any type of weather, and she asks the kindergarten students to help her in this quest. |
KM3: Researching to Build Knowledge and Teach Others: Trees are Alive | Yes | Module Description Students explore the big ideas that all living things in the natural world have needs in order to survive and grow and that, through observation, we can discern patterns in the ways that living things meet their needs. Through a study of trees and the living things that depend on them, students take on the roles of researcher and scientist to make observations of the natural world determining patterns that explain how living things live and grow. |
KM4: Contributing to Community: Enjoying and Appreciating Trees | No | Module Description Students build on their scientific knowledge of trees from Module 3 by exploring the importance of trees to people and their communities. Students learn how different people, both real and imaginary, enjoy and appreciate trees, and they consider how real people and characters have used trees to fill a need in their community. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 1M4: Contributing to Community Enjoying and Appreciating Trees has the least impact in terms of new standards, and also has the least impact in terms of introducing new content because it is a continuation of content from Module 3. |
Grade 1
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
1M1: Tools and Work | Yes | Module Description Students build their literacy and citizenship skills as they engage in a study of tools and work. Students first learn about how tools help to do a job. They then extend their understanding of what it takes to do a job when they learn how the "habits of character" of initiative, collaboration, perseverance, and responsibility help them do work. |
1M2: What's Up in the Sky: A Study of the Sun, Moon, and Stars | Yes | Module Description Students build their literacy and science skills as they engage in a study of the sun, moon, and stars. The module begins with a story about a young boy named Elvin who is curious about the sun, moon, and stars. Elvin wants to learn more about the sun, moon, and stars and shares his wonderings and artifacts he receives along his journey with the first-grade students. |
1M3: Growing as Researchers: Birds' Amazing Bodies | Yes | Module Description Students build their literacy skills as they engage in an in-depth study of birds' bodies. The module focuses on big ideas derived from the Next Generation Science Standards: Animals have physical features that help them survive; animals behave in ways that help them survive (1.LS1.A. Disciplinary Core Idea). |
1M4: Caring for Birds | No | Module Description Students continue to build on their knowledge of birds from Module 3 as they deepen their literacy skills and build citizenship. Specifically, students explore the module guiding question: "Why should we care about birds?" Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 1M4: Caring for Birds has the least impact in terms of new standards, and also has the least impact in terms of introducing new content because it is a continuation of content from Module 3. |
Grade 2
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
2M1: Schools and Community | Yes | Module Description Students build their literacy and citizenship skills as they engage in a study of schools. Students begin the module by participating in a series of focused read-alouds to explore the module guiding question, "What is school, and why are schools important?" |
2M2: Learning through Science and Story: Fossils Tell of Earth's Changes | Yes | Module Description Students build their literacy and science skills as they engage in a study of fossils. |
2M3: Researching to Build Knowledge and Teach Others: The Secret World of Pollination | Yes | Module Description Students build their research skills and science knowledge through a study of the secret world of plants and pollinators. |
2M4: Providing for Pollinators | No | Module Description Students continue to build on their knowledge of pollinators from Module 3 as they deepen their literacy skills and build citizenship. Specifically, students explore the module guiding questions: "Why should people help pollinators to survive? How can I take action to help pollinators?" Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 2M4: Providing for Pollinators has the least impact in terms of new standards, and also has the least impact in terms of introducing new content because it is a continuation of content from Module 3. |
Grade 3
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
3M1: Overcoming Learning Challenges Near and Far | Yes | Module Description This module uses multiple literary and informational texts to introduce students to the power of literacy and how people around the world, including themselves, access learning, and overcome learning challenges. It is intentionally designed to encourage students to embrace a love of literacy and reading. |
3M2: Researching to Build Knowledge and Teach Others: Adaptations and the Wide World of Frogs | Yes | Module Description Students use literacy skills to become experts--people who use reading, writing, listening, and speaking to build and share deep knowledge on the topic of the adaptations of different kinds of frogs. They read and analyze poetry and write pourquoi tales about frogs, and they also research different kinds of frogs in Everything You Need To Know About Frogs And Other Slippery Creatures by DK in order to write an informational text about a specific 'freaky' frog. |
3M3: Exploring Literary Classics | No | Module Description What can we learn from reading literary classics? In this module, students consider the answer to this question through a case study of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. As students read Peter Pan, they analyze the racial and gender stereotypes evident in the text. They write a book review explaining whether they would recommend the story to a friend. At the end of the module, students revise a scene of Peter Pan using some of the reasons why students would not recommend the story to a friend. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 3M3: Exploring Literary Classics has minimal impact in terms of new standards. |
3M4: Water Around the World | Yes | Module Description This module focuses on the importance of clean freshwater around the world. Students read the text One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss to build background knowledge about freshwater around the world and three issues: access to water, demands on water, and water pollution. They write an opinion essay about the importance of water conservation, and then plan and create a video public service announcement to educate people about their chosen water issue and to encourage them to take action with specific recommendations to solve the problem. |
Grade 4
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
4M1: Poetry, Poets, and Becoming Writers | Yes | Module Description This module uses Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech, and informational texts about poets like Willam Carlos Williams to introduce students to poets and poetry and to analyze what inspires people to write poetry. It is intentionally designed to encourage students to embrace a love of poetry and creative writing. |
4M2: Researching to Build Knowledge and Teach Others: Animal Defense Mechanisms | Yes | Module Description Through the books Venom by Marilyn Singer, and Animal Behavior: Animal Defenses by Christina Wilsdon, students explore animal defense mechanisms. They write an informative piece, examining the defense mechanisms of one specific animal about which they build expertise. Students also build proficiency in writing a narrative piece about this animal with multiple endings depending on the different ways the animal might respond to a threat. |
4M3: The American Revolution | Yes | Module Description How does one's perspective influence his or her opinion? In this module, students consider the answer to this question through the lens of the American Revolution. They read informational texts to build background knowledge about the Revolutionary War, and they read a reader's theater text--Divided Loyalties by National Geographic Learning--to build an understanding of the different perspectives. Students write two opinion pieces, one from the Patriot, and the other from the loyalist, perspectives, outlining reasons colonists should join the cause on both sides, in the form of a broadside. |
4M4: Responding to Inequality: Ratifying the 19th Amendment | No | Module Description Through the literary text The Hope Chest by Karen Schwabach, and informational texts, students are introduced to gender and racial inequality issues in the United States in the first half of the 20th century. They explore how the process of ratifying the 19th Amendment can teach us about how people were responding to gender and racial inequality at that time. Students connect their learning about the process of ratifying the 19th Amendment to their own lives as they focus on how students can make a difference and contribute to a better world, taking action as a class on an issue in their community. They write PSAs encouraging other students to make a difference, and they write a press release sharing with the local media what the class did to take action and the impact of their work. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 4M4: Responding to Inequality: Ratifying the 19th Amendment has the least impact in terms of new standards. |
Grade 5
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
5M1: Stories of Human Rights | Yes | Module Description What are human rights, and how do real people and fictional characters respond when those rights are threatened? In this module, students read Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, and articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They plan, write, and ultimately perform monologues based on events from Esperanza Rising where human rights are threatened, and they write a Directors' Note to describe their selected event from Esperanza Rising. In this Directors' Note, they explain which specific articles of the UDHR relate to the event, and how people today are impacted by this issue. |
5M2: Researching to Build Knowledge and Teach Others: Biodiversity in the Rainforest | Yes | Module Description Students read The Most Beautiful Roof in the World by Kathryn Lasky and informational texts to build knowledge about biodiversity in the rainforest, and rainforest destruction. They analyze the author's craft in narrative writing to build proficiency in writing first-person narratives about the rainforest. |
5M3: Athlete Leaders of Social Change | Yes | Module Description As students read Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America by Sharon Robinson, and other informational texts about athlete leaders of social change, they consider the factors that contribute to the success of professional athletes as leaders of social change. They research and write essays to compare and contrast the factors that contributed to the success of the athletes they study with those of Jackie Robinson. |
5M4: The Impact of Natural Disasters | No | Module Description Students read literary and informational texts, including Eight Days: A Story of Haiti by Edwidge Danticat to understand the science behind natural disasters and the impact of natural disasters on places and people. They take action to help others prepare for a natural disaster by researching supplies to include in an emergency preparedness kit and writing opinion essays on the most important items to include. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 5M4: The Impact of Natural Disasters has minimal impact in terms of new standards. |
Grade 6
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
6M1: Greek Mythology | Yes | Module Description Why do Greek myths continue to be relevant and popular today? In this module, students are introduced to figures from ancient Greek mythology who are placed in a contemporary setting in The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. While reading this novel, as well as greek myths, and informational texts, they evaluate how stories from a different time and place continue to resonate. |
6M2: Critical Problems and Design Solutions | No | Module Description Design thinking makes clear the systematic process that allows innovators to learn and apply techniques to solve critical problems in a creative way. In Module 2, students read the true story of William Kamkwamba in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition) and how he used design thinking to confront the devastating effects of famine in his country, Malawi. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 6M2: Critical Problems and Design Solutions has minimal impact in terms of new standards. Also, when looking across the Grade 6 modules in the context of current world events, the stories of historically marginalized communities were prioritized whenever the central text is appropriate for students in the fully remote learning environment. |
6M3: American Indian Boarding Schools | Yes | Module Description Despite their painful and long-lasting impact, American Indian boarding schools are an often neglected topic of study. In Module 3, students are introduced to this topic through the novel Two Roads by Joseph Bruchac, and informational texts amplifying long unheard voices and better understanding this critical time in North American history. Students select an excerpt from a text written by a survivor of American Indian boarding schools; they then write a preface to situate their text within a historical context and a reflection to convey the personal impact felt by their chosen text. Students record their preface, text, and reflection to be featured at a listening station as part of an audio museum. |
6M4: Remarkable Accomplishments in Space Science | Yes | Module Description Students learn about remarkable accomplishments in space science, paying special attention to accomplishments and people that may have been overlooked until recently. After reading supplemental texts to learn about key events and well-known figures of the Space Race, students begin their anchor text, Hidden Figures (Young Readers' Edition) by Margot Lee Shetterly. |
Grade 7
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
7M1: The Lost Children of | Yes | Module Description What can we learn from those who have survived the greatest tragedies and become even more determined to help others? How can we share these kinds of stories to inspire and educate? In this module, students develop their ability to analyze narratives and create their own stories as they learn about the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan and the lessons revealed through their journeys in texts like A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. |
7M2: Epidemics | No | Module Description How do epidemics begin and spread? How do human responses help or hinder during trying times? Can the way we think about medical outbreaks tell us anything about how we should think about human behavior? In this module, students explore epidemics in many forms: historical and current, medical and social through texts like Patient Zero: Solving the Mysteries of Deadly Epidemics by Marilee Peters. While students learn about the scientific investigation and medical intervention in these outbreaks, they also focus on the social and cultural responses to develop a model of how best to respond to challenging circumstances. Students also examine the ways that the concept of "contagion" is applied to human behavior and ultimately explore the question of why we behave the way we do. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 7M2: Epidemics addresses content that may be sensitive given what is happening in the world related to COVID-19. If fully remote, these issues may be challenging for a teacher to provide support and sufficient guidance around. |
7M3: The Harlem Renaissance | Yes | Module Description Can we "find fuel for the future in the past"? Poet Nikki Grimes asks this question in her poem "Emergency Measures," the first in her collection One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance. As Grimes does in her book, students will spend the module pondering the wisdom from works created during the Harlem Renaissance exploring literature and art while examining the social and political context of the period including the Jim Crow laws and the Great Migration. |
7M4: Plastic Pollution | Yes | Module Description "It is past time that we tackle the plastic problem that blights our ocean." So explains Erik Solheim, the environment director of the U.N., quoted in Danielle Smith-Llera's book Trash Vortex. Students use their anchor text, the documentary, and additional articles to gather background knowledge about the problem and choose a personal action to respond to the issue of plastic pollution. |
Grade 8
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
8M1: Folklore of Latin America | Yes | Module Description Why do we see evidence of myths and traditional stories in modern narratives? How and why can we modernize myths and traditional stories to be meaningful to today's audiences? Inspired by Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall in this module, students develop their ability to analyze narratives and write their own modern stories based on Latin American folklore. |
8M2: Food Choices | Yes | Module Description Where does our food come from? How do we analyze arguments about how food should be grown and processed? What factors influence our access to healthy food? How do we research this? What factors should we prioritize when making choices about our food? How do we share these recommendations with others? In this module, students develop their ability to research, weigh different aspects of complex dilemmas, and formulate opinions supported by evidence and reasoning as they explore the topic Food Choices through the text The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. |
8M3: Voices of the Holocaust* | No | Module Description What was the Holocaust and how did it occur? Why do we remember it? How did victims and survivors respond, and how can we honor their voices? How did upstanders respond, and what can we learn from their voices? In this module, students learn about a terrible period in history through the voices of victims, survivors, and upstanders, including Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman. At the same time, they develop their ability to determine and track themes, understand the development of characters, identify and track the development of central ideas, and write narratives to honor the memories of those who served as upstanders during the Holocaust. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 8M3: Voices of the Holocaust* has minimal impact in terms of new standards. In addition, given the xenophobic discrimination against people of Asian descent linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, 8M4 was prioritized. *This module could be implemented, however, if fully remote, consider ways to provide support and guidance around this topic. Access the materials in the existing curriculum here. |
8M4: Lessons from Japanese American Internment | Yes | Module Description In Module 4, students learn about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. They study the experiences of survivors of internment, focusing most centrally on the experiences conveyed in the anchor text, Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston. |
Grade 6 (First Edition 2012)
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
6M1: Myths: Not Just Long Ago | Yes | Module Description Students are involved in a deep study of mythology, its purposes, and its elements. Students will read Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief (780L), a high-interest novel about a sixth-grade boy on a hero's journey. |
Choose one of: 6M2A: Rules to Live By OR 6M2B: Voices of Adversity | Yes (choose 6M2A or 6M2B) | 6M2A: Module Description What are "rules to live by"? How do people formulate and use "rules" to improve their lives? How do people communicate these "rules" to others? In this module, students consider these questions as they read the novel Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, Steve Jobs' 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, President Barack Obama's Back-to-School Speech, "If" by Rudyard Kipling, and informational research texts. 6M2B: Module Description Students explore the idea of adversity of people across time and place through the text Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz, and through multiple modes of writing. Students begin this module with a research-based unit on the Middle Ages. They read informational articles about various aspects of medieval life, learning and practicing the skills of summarizing an article, analyzing how ideas are developed across a text, and describing how a part of a text contributes to the whole. |
6M3A: The Land of the Golden Mountain | No | Module Description Students are involved in a study of how an author develops a point of view and how an author's perspective, based on his or her culture, is evident in his or her writing. Students will read Lawrence Yep's Dragonwings (870L), a high-interest novel about an eight-year-old boy from China who joins his father in San Francisco in the early 1900s. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 6M3A: The Land of the Golden Mountain contains negative representations of Chinatown in San Francisco that teachers may have difficulty addressing adequately in a remote environment, a concern especially at a time of increased discrimination against people of Asian descent. |
6M3B: Sustaining the Oceans | Yes | Module Description Students study how an author develops a point of view and how an author's perspective, based on his or her geographic location, is evident in his or her writing. As they read World Without Fish by Mark Kurlansky, students consider points of view about ocean conservation and the impact of human activities on life in the oceans. |
6M4: Insecticides: Costs vs. Benefits | No | Module Description In this eight-week, research-based module, students read Frightful's Mountain (640L) by Jean Craighead George and explore the benefits and harmful consequences of the use of the controversial pesticide DDT. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 6M4: Insecticides: Costs vs. Benefits has minimal impact in terms of new standards. |
Grade 7 (First Edition 2012)
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
7M1: Journeys and Survival | Yes | Module Description Students read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park and explore the experiences of people of Southern Sudan during and after the Second Sudanese Civil War. They build proficiency in using textual evidence to support ideas in their writing, both in shorter responses and in an extended essay. |
Choose one of: 7M2A: Working with Evidence: Working Conditions Then and Now OR 7M2B: Identity and Transformation: Then and Now | Yes (choose 7M2A or 7M2B) | 7M2A: Module Description Students read Lyddie by Katherine Paterson. Students explore the issue of working conditions, both historical and modern-day. As they read and discuss both literary and informational texts, students analyze how people, settings, and events interact in a text and how an author develops a central claim. Students strengthen their ability to discuss specific passages from a text with a partner, write extended text-based arguments and informational pieces, and conduct a short research project. 7M2B: Module Description Students explore the concept of personal identity formation and transformation in both historical and modern-day societies. The module begins with an overview of what "identity" means and how it can mean different things to different people, and students read Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. |
7M3: Slavery--The People Could Fly* | No | Module Description Students explore the life of Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave and noted abolitionist who wrote Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The module focuses on the questions of what makes stories powerful and on understanding an author's purpose. In addition, students analyze how writers use figurative language and word choice to convey meaning. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 7M3: Slavery--The People Could Fly* is centered around excerpts of the text Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. This adult text, which includes complex, archaic language and was first published in 1845, maybe challenging for a teacher to adequately support in a remote environment. *This module could be implemented, however, if fully remote, consider ways to provide support and guidance around this topic. Access the materials in the existing curriculum here. |
7M4A: Screen Time and the Developing Brain | No | Module Description This eight-week module focuses on a "science and society" topic, engaging students in reading a variety of compelling informational texts about adolescent brain development and the effects of entertainment screen time on the brain. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 7M4a: Screen Time and the Developing Brain is centered around texts that EL Education is unable to reproduce for the remote learning environment due to copyright restrictions. |
7M4B: Water Is Life | Yes | Module Description This eight-week module focuses on a "science and society" topic, engaging students in reading compelling informational text, including The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman, about water sustainability, fresh water management, and how to make evidence-based decisions. |
Grade 8 (First Edition 2012)
Module | Integrated into Flex Curriculum? | Module Selection/Rationale |
|---|---|---|
8M1: Finding Home: Refugees | Yes | Module Description Students will develop their ability to read and understand the complex text as they consider the challenges of fictional and real refugees, including Ha a fictional 10-year-old Vietnamese girl whose family is deciding whether to flee during the fall of Saigon in Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai. |
Choose one of: 8M2A: Taking a Stand OR 8M2B: A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Comedy of Control | Yes (choose 8M2A or 8M2B) | 8M2A Module Description Students will continue to develop their ability to closely read text while studying the theme of taking a stand through the text To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 8M2a: Taking a Stand is centered around the text To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This story, while award-winning, was written by a white author and centers on the white experience of racism. The central black characters are not portrayed as having agency, and therefore this perpetuates negative racial stereotypes. The module, as it is currently designed, does not offer the opportunity to examine the novel's point of view and framing in a critical manner. As a result, this was not included in the Grades 6-8 (second edition) curriculum, and we recommend omitting it in the 2020/2021 year. 8M2B Module Description In this second module, students read and analyze Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. As with any of Shakespeare's play, many rich themes are present; in this module, students will focus primarily on the theme of control. Students will examine why the characters seek control, how they try to control others, and the results of attempting to control others. |
8M3A: Japanese-American Relations during World War II | No | Module Description In this module, students will study Japanese-American relations during World War II. They will consider the question "How does war affect individuals and societies?" as they read case studies about the plight of Japanese-Americans interned on American soil and American prisoners of war held captive in Japan during World War II. The central texts are Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and a short biography of Mine Okubo. As students read both of these pieces of literary nonfiction, they will consider how the narrative structure can communicate real events in a compelling manner. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 8M3a: Japanese-American Relations during World War II is centered around excerpts of the text Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This was written for an adult audience and therefore contains complex language, language structures, and content that may require more support than a teacher can provide in a fully remote learning environment. |
8M3B: The Civil Rights Movement and the Little Rock Nine* | No | Module Description In this module, students will study the U.S. civil rights movement, focusing particularly on the Little Rock Nine. They will consider the question "How can stories be powerful?" as they learn about segregation, the civil rights movement, the Little Rock Nine and the role of the various mediums in shaping perceptions of events. As students read A Mighty Long Way by Carlotta Walls Lanier and a photo essay titled Little Rock Girl 1957 by Shelley Tougas, they will consider the different ways in which the story of the Little Rock Nine has been told. Rationale for omission in 2020-21: 8M3b: The Civil Rights Movement and the Little Rock Nine* is centered around the texts A Mighty Long Way by Carlotta Walls Lanier and Little Rock Girl 1957 by Shelley Tougas. A Mighty Long Way was written for an adult audience and therefore contains complex language, structures, and content that may require more support than a teacher can provide in a remote environment. In addition, EL Education is unable to reproduce the photo essay titled Little Rock Girl 1957 by Shelley Tougas due to copyright restrictions. *This module could be implemented, however, if fully remote, consider ways to provide support and guidance around this topic. Access the materials in the existing curriculum here. |
8M4: Sustainability of the US Food Supply Chain | Yes | Module Description Students analyze arguments and the evidence used to support arguments to determine whether sufficient evidence has been used and whether the evidence is relevant in support of the claim an author or speaker is making. They then research to gather evidence to make their own spoken and written arguments. Students read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma (930L), a literary non-fiction text about where food comes from and about making decisions about what food to buy and eat. |
© 2016-2020 EL Education. Except where otherwise noted, the EL Education Flex Curriculum 2020-21 is published under a public license. To view a copy of this license, visit [https://curriculum.eleducation.org/content/flex-curriculum-public-license].