The framework associated with the new curriculum is called the “Science of Reading.” It’s based on research on how children learn language throughout development, said LPES Principal Sonja Franklin. The framework identifies six key skills that need to be developed: oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, comprehension, fluency and vocabulary.

Franklin said the state requirements do not require schools to choose a particular curriculum, as long as the curriculum follows the Science of Reading approach. However, LPCSD chose one called Amplify, one of several specifically designed around this framework.

Elisabeth Stratford, a fourth grade ELA teacher at LPES, said having a pre-designed curriculum saves her a lot of precious planning and personal time. Instead of having to design her own curriculum and constantly checking to make sure it meets state standards, she has lessons, workbooks and homework already available. And she and other teachers can still make tweaks to the curriculum as needed.

Greg Fisher, who teaches third grade, said there is always some stress when new standards or curriculums are introduced. However, this one is making a difference.

“(It’s) been, for me, a nice change,” he said. “And I think that the kids have really enjoyed it and it’s easy to keep them engaged.”

LPES piloted the program with the kindergarten teachers during the 2023-2024 school year, but this is the first year the curriculum is being used school-wide. The rest of the staff were trained on it in June.

This is in compliance with Ed Law 818, which required schools to have new curriculums based on the Science of Reading in place by the beginning of January 2025.

What’s new (or not)

Although it may sound new, Franklin said much of the Science of Reading approach is not. In general, the approach to teaching reading has been a pendulum swinging between two approaches: phonics and whole language.

Whole language represents the idea that kids learn to read and recognize words naturally. However, that’s not really how reading works.

“It is something that has to be taught,” Franklin said. “And it activates different parts of the brain than speech.”

A phonics-heavy approach to reading, on the other hand, emphasizes teaching kids the connection between symbols and sounds.

“Not only do you need to be able to sound out that word, but you need to be able to understand that that word symbolizes something,” Franklin said. “Just like if we see a red stop sign, we don’t need the word ‘stop’ on there, we know that symbol means stop.”

Franklin said LPES has always tried to blend the two approaches, but the new curriculum doesn’t just teach phonics, or letter sounds, to kindergarteners. The new approach reinforces phonics throughout the first few years of school, something that helps students grasp the nuances of the English language.

The idea of revisiting concepts is another feature of the new curriculum, and Stratford said she has already seen the benefits. She recently covered parts of speech for the third time this unit, and noticed that kids who didn’t quite grasp the concept at first are starting to come around.

“It’s nice that you don’t just work on something like you’re beating a dead horse repeatedly,” Stratford said.

The other big change, on the ground, is that the new curriculum uses more nonfiction texts and introduces younger kids to more complex topics through readings that are interdisciplinary and content-driven. There are units based on science and social studies topics like Greek Mythology or Ancient Egypt. For example, Stratford’s students are in the middle of their second unit: Medieval times.

At first, Stratford wasn’t super sold on the topic. But she decided to embrace it, buying paper crowns for the kids and decorating a Christmas tree with Medieval-themed decorations.

“When it comes down to it, kids love nonfiction and there’s so much you can do with it,” Stratford said, adding that it gives student the opportunity to go home and share what they learned, making further connections.

Fisher said his students are always excited about the topics that they learn about. He has one student who is constantly pulling the next unit off the bookshelf and asking when they can get started learning about, say, the Vikings. So far, they have covered topics like classic fairytales, the human body and animal life cycles. On Friday, the students even wanted to hear the day’s story a second time.

“The content with this program has actually helped the kids stay interested,” Fisher said. “All the different skills — the pillars — are kind of mixed in. They don’t even know they’re learning, but they actually are.”

Franklin has already noticed a difference in the students as she walks around the school.

“Hearing the kids have conversations about topics that I don’t expect to hear at this young of an age is really neat,” she said. “Hearing the vocabulary words that these kids are saying — words that I would never dream that some of our elementary students would be able to say, let alone know what it means.”

After the challenges to learning that schools confronted during the pandemic, Franklin reports that the kids are doing well. It’s too early to see how well the curriculum is doing beyond the anecdotal, but she is pleased by what she sees in the students so far.

“I encourage families at home to ask the kids, ‘What are you learning about?'” she said. “Because you will be amazed at the different things that they can tell you now.”