EL Education K-3 Summer Skills

Last Updated: May 30th, 2023

This guidance has been designed to support schools and districts currently implementing the EL Education Language Arts curriculum so they can effectively utilize Reading Foundational Skills curriculum resources during summer school programs or through tutoring. The resources provided are ideal for students who have just completed grades K-3 and would benefit from additional instruction on Reading Foundational Skills prior to beginning their next grade level.

K-2 Skills Block

For students in Grades K-2, EL Education recommends prioritizing instruction of reading foundational skills using the Skills Block, particularly small group differentiation by microphase, to meet students' specific needs. If microphase information for each student isn't available from the 2020-21 academic year, this will require administering the benchmark assessments in the first week of the summer program. The following are recommended guidelines for facilitating each component of the Skills Block.

Note: If there is limited time each day (i.e., 1:1 for 30 minutes or less) prioritize instruction according to the student-specific microphase.


	In-Person Learning	Remote
Whole Group Instruction	Option 1: Consider focusing on the following high-leverage cycles: Kindergarten: Cycles 12-17 Grade 1: Cycles 12, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20 Grade 2: Cycles 1-6 Option 2: Use student benchmark assessment data to identify the middle point for your particular group of students. For example, if all students fall between the middle partial and early full alphabetic microphases, you might decide to begin whole group lessons in the late partial alphabetic microphase. The Michrophases by Cycles chart outlines the cycles in each microphase.	Use the remote benchmark assessment guidance and tools. Same as in person; however, instead of facilitating whole group instruction, students will watch the assigned Skills Flex videos: Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2
Small Group Differentiated Instruction (Teacher-Led)	Use the Decodable Reader Routine for each microphase. These are daily 15-minute lessons for each cycle based on the decodable reader for that microphase.	Same as in person
Small Group Independent Activities	Independent activities as outlined in the grade-level Differentiation Packs Students can watch 10- to 12-minute Skills Flex videos for their specific microphase as one of their independent activities: Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Independent reading Creative art and play activities connected to reading; for example: Draw/paint/collage letters Act out stories or use stuffed animals as characters Write about pictures or photographs	Students can watch 10- to 12-minute Skills Flex videos for their specific microphase as one of their independent activities: Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Independent reading

Grade 3 Reading Foundational Skills

As students in Grade 3 will likely have experienced disruption to their learning during both the 2019-20 and the 2020-21 academic years, EL Education recommends administering the benchmark assessment for these students to determine microphases for reading foundational skills. Use the benchmark assessment data to determine which of the following options is most appropriate for your students:


1. If a majority of students test below the late consolidated microphase . . .	Follow the same guidelines as previously described for K-2. However, for Option 1 of whole group lessons, focus on these high-leverage cycles in Grade 2: Cycles 1, 6, 13, 20, 22, and 23.
2. If a majority of students test out of the microphases . . .	Focus on content-based literacy, but schedule small group differentiation time to work with those students who tested below the late consolidated alphabetic phase. Daily Skills Flex videos at the appropriate microphase for the student could also be used in lieu of teacher instruction: Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2
3. If approximately half of the students test below the consolidated microphase . . .	Consider ways to divide the class. For example, can two classes be organized so that one teacher works with students who need reading foundational skills and the other works with those students who don't? Is there another adult who could work with the students who require reading foundational skills?

K-3 Summer Skills

To close learning opportunity gaps and to prepare students for the upcoming academic year, many schools and districts are implementing summer programs with a specific focus on language arts. In support of this need, EL Education has developed a K-3 Summer Skills program to accelerate reading foundational skills, offering students a chance to practice their literacy skills mixed in with purposeful play, storytelling, and creative expression. This program is designed for primary students and based on EL Education's comprehensive Language Arts Curriculum. The K-3 Summer Skills materials will be available for free on our Curriculum Website.

View a recording of the 90-minute WePD session to learn how to support K-3 students as they accelerate learning in foundational reading skills using the newly created EL Education K-3 Summer Skills program:

WePD K-3 Summer Skills Recording

Use the table and buttons below to access K-3 Skills Summer materials by grade and week.

PLEASE NOTE: All materials are view-only. You may make an editable copy or directly download for your use in classrooms. Please do not request edit access to use these public materials.

K-3 Summer Skills Overview Grades K-3 Guidance Documents


Week 1	Week 2	Week 3
Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3	Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3	Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3
Week 4	Week 5	Week 6
Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3	Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3	Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3

EL Education Curriculum

EL Education K-3 Summer Skills

Last Updated: May 30th, 2023

K-2 Skills Block

Grade 3 Reading Foundational Skills

K-3 Summer Skills

Use the table and buttons below to access K-3 Skills Summer materials by grade and week.

K-3 Summer Skills Overview Grades K-3 Guidance Documents

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

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