English Language Arts
For elementary students, language arts curriculum focuses on building foundational skills that help students become efficient communicators. This includes everything from reading, grammar, and mastering phonics to expanding vocabulary knowledge and more.
Our elementary English Language Arts Curriculum (ELA) currently follows the Wit & Wisdom Program.
Materials List:
Kindergarten
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Module 1 |
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Picture Books (Informational) |
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My Five Senses, Aliki |
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My Five Senses, Margaret Miller |
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Rap a Tap Tap, Leo and Diane Dillon |
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Picture Books (Literary) |
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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault; Illustrations, Lois Ehlert |
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Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de la Peña; Illustrations, Christian Robinson |
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Module 2 |
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Picture Books (Informational) |
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Farm Animals, Wade Cooper |
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The Year at Maple Hill Farm, Alice and Martin Provensen |
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Picture Books (Literary) |
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The Little Red Hen, Jerry Pinkney |
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The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Paul Galdone |
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Three Little Pigs, Adaptation, Raina Moore; Illustrations, Thea Kliros |
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Module 3 |
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Picture Books (Informational) |
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Communication Then and Now, Robin Nelson |
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Home Then and Now, Robin Nelson |
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Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin, Gene Barretta |
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School Then and Now, Robin Nelson |
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Transportation Then and Now, Robin Nelson |
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When I Was Young in the Mountains, Cynthia Rylant |
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Picture Books (Literary) |
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The Little House, Virginia Lee Burton |
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Module 4 |
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Picture Books (Informational) |
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Africa, Rebecca Hirsch |
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Antarctica, Rebecca Hirsch |
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Asia, Rebecca Hirsch |
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Australia, Rebecca Hirsch |
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Europe, Rebecca Hirsch |
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Introducing North America, Chris Oxlade |
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South America, Rebecca Hirsch |
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World Atlas, Nick Crane; Illustrations, David Dean |
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Picture Books (Literary) |
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Moon Rope, Lois Ehlert |
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The Story of Ferdinand, Munro Leaf; Illustrations, Robert Lawson |
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Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale, Verna Aardema; Illustrations, Leo and Diane Dillon |
First Grade
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Module 1 |
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Picture Books, Literary |
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Tomás and the Library Lady, Pat Mora and Raul Colón |
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Waiting for the Biblioburro, Monica Brown and John Parra |
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That Book Woman, Heather Henson and David Small |
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Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss |
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Picture Books, Informational |
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Museum ABC, The Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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My Librarian Is a Camel, Margriet Ruurs |
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Module 2 |
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Picture Books, Literary |
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Seven Blind Mice, Ed Young |
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Picture Books, Informational |
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Me…Jane, Patrick McDonnell |
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Never Smile at a Monkey, Steve Jenkins |
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Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea, Chris Butterworth, John Lawrence |
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What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?, Steve Jenkins, Robin Page |
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Module 3 |
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Picture Books, Literary |
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Brave Irene, William Steig |
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Owl at Home, “The Guest,” Arnold Lobel |
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Gilberto and the Wind, Marie Hall Ets |
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Picture Books, Informational |
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer |
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Feel the Wind, Arthur Dorros |
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Feelings, Aliki |
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Module 4 |
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Picture Books, Literary |
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Adelita, Tomie dePaola |
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Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella, Tony Johnston; Illustrations, James Warhola |
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Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella, Robert D. San Souci; Illustrations, Brian Pinkney |
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Cinderella, Marcia Brown |
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Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella, Paul Fleischman; Illustrations, Julie Paschkis |
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The Korean Cinderella, Shirley Climo; Illustrations, Ruth Heller |
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The Rough-Face Girl, Rafe Martin; Illustrations, David Shannon |
Second Grade
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Module 1 |
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Poetry |
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“Weather,” Eve Merriam |
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Picture Book (Informational) |
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How Do You Know It’s Fall?, Lisa M. Herrington |
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Why Do Leaves Change Color?, Betsy Maestro |
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Sky Tree, Thomas Locker |
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Picture Book (Literary) |
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The Little Yellow Leaf, Carin Berger |
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A Color of His Own, Leo Lionni |
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Module 2 |
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Picture Book (Informational) |
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The Buffalo Are Back, Jean Craighead George |
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Journey of a Pioneer, Patricia J. Murphy |
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Plains Indians, Andrew Santella |
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Picture Book (Literary) |
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Johnny Appleseed, Steven Kellogg |
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John Henry: An American Legend, Ezra Jack Keats |
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John Henry, Julius Lester |
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The Legend of the Bluebonnet, Tomie dePaola |
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The Story of Johnny Appleseed, Aliki |
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Module 3 |
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Picture Books (Informational) |
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I Have A Dream, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; paintings, Kadir Nelson |
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Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington, Frances E. Ruffin; illustrations, Stephen Marchesi |
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Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story, Ruby Bridges |
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The Story of Ruby Bridges, Robert Coles; illustrations, George Ford |
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Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, Duncan Tonatiuh |
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Module 4 |
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Picture Book (Informational) |
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The Digestive System, Christine Taylor-Butler |
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The Digestive System, Jennifer Prior |
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Good Enough to Eat: A Kid’s Guide to Food and Nutrition, Lizzy Rockwell |
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The Vegetables We Eat, Gail Gibbons |
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Picture Book (Literary) |
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Bone Button Borscht, Aubry Davis |
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Stone Soup, Marcia Brown |
Third Grade
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Module 1 |
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Art |
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Under the Wave off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai |
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The Boating Party, Mary Cassatt |
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The Gulf Stream, Winslow Homer |
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Picture Book (Informational) |
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Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas, Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm |
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The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau, Dan Yaccarino |
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Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster, Mary M. Cerullo and Clyde F. E. Roper |
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Shark Attack!, Cathy East Dubowski |
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Picture Book (Literary) |
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Amos & Boris, William Steig |
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Module 2 |
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Picture Book (Informational) |
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Moonshot, Brian Floca |
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One Giant Leap, Robert Burleigh |
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Starry Messenger, Peter Sís |
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Picture Book (Literary) |
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Zathura, Chris Van Allsburg |
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Module 3 |
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Picture Book (Informational) |
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Coming to America: The Story of Immigration, Betsy Maestro |
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Picture Book (Literary) |
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Grandfather’s Journey, Allen Say |
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Tea with Milk, Allen Say |
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Family Pictures, Carmen Lomas Garza |
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The Keeping Quilt, Patricia Polacco |
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Photography |
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The Steerage, Alfred Stieglitz. |
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“Untitled photograph of evacuees seeing the Statue of Liberty.” History Extra. |
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Architecture |
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Liberty Enlightening the World, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. |
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Gateway Arch, Eero Saarinen. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Kelly Mooney |
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“Visiting the Washington Monument,” Robert Mills |
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Module 4 |
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Picture Books (Informational) |
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Alvin Ailey, Andrea Davis Pinkney |
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A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, Jen Bryant |
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Action Jackson, Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan |
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When Marian Sang, Pam Muñoz Ryan |
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Picture Book (Literary) |
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Emma’s Rug, Allen Say |
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Paintings |
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I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, Charles Demuth |
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My Egypt, Charles Demuth |
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Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist), Jackson Pollock |
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Number 11, 1952 (Blue Poles), Jackson Pollock |
Fourth Grade
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Module 1 |
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Novel (Literary) |
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Love That Dog, Sharon Creech |
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Scientific Text (Informational) |
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The Circulatory Story, Mary K. Corcoran; Illustrations, Jef Czekaj |
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Module 2 |
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Novel (Literary) |
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Hatchet, Gary Paulsen |
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Short Story (Literary) |
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“All Summer in a Day,” Ray Bradbury |
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Scientific Text (Informational) |
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Mountains, Seymour Simon |
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SAS Survival Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere, John “Lofty” Wiseman |
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Poems |
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“Dust of Snow,” Robert Frost |
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“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Robert Frost |
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Module 3 |
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Novel (Literary) |
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Woods Runner, Gary Paulsen |
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Picture Book (Literary) |
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The Scarlet Stockings Spy, Trinka Hakes Noble |
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Poetry |
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Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak, Kay Winters |
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Historical Account (Informational) |
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George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides, Rosalyn Schanzer |
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Module 4 |
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Drama (Literary) |
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Pushing Up the Sky: Native American Plays for Children, Joseph Bruchac |
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Historical Account (Informational) |
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Understanding Greek Myths, Natalie Hyde |
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Myth (Literary) |
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Gifts from the Gods: Ancient Words & Wisdom from Greek & Roman Mythology, Lise Lunge-Larsen |
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Novel (Literary) |
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Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech |
Fifth Grade
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Module 1 |
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Novel (Literary) |
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Thunder Rolling in the Mountains, Scott O’Dell and Elizabeth Hall |
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Speech |
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“Lincoln Hall Speech,” Washington D.C., January 14, 1879, Chief Joseph, Nez Perce |
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Module 2 |
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Novel (Literary) |
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The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster |
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Module 3 |
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Historical Account (Informational) |
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The Boys’ War, Jim Murphy |
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Novel (Literary) |
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The River Between Us, Richard Peck |
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Module 4 |
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Cutout |
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The Fall of Icarus (1943), Henri Matisse |
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Literary Nonfiction (Informational) |
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We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, Kadir Nelson |
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Sculpture |
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Image 1: Joie de Vivre, Mark di Suvero (Getty Images) |
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Image 2: Joie de Vivre, Mark di Suvero (Wikimedia) |
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Image 3: Joie de Vivre, Mark di Suvero (Getty Images) |
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Image 4: Joie de Vivre, Mark di Suvero |