Kirsten Blau’s first grade class donned disguises after learning the vocabulary word “disguised.” (Photo courtesy USD 470)
USD 470 Ark City says a new reading curriculum has been successful for the district, according to a news release from USD 470 Director of Communications Alisha Call.
Prior to the start of this school year, USD 470 adopted Amplify, a new reading curriculum that is engaging students with high-interest topics while challenging them to improve their reading and comprehension skills.
Adams Third Grade Teacher Jessica Winegarner says she’s probably the most excited she’s been since starting her career 16 years ago.
“Amplify provides universal access so that every student can be successful,” Winegarner said. “The curriculum features a lot of call and response group activities, engaging stories about topics students are interested in, and opportunities for parents to be involved at home.”
Winegarner said she appreciates that the curriculum offers best practice strategies and modeling while still allowing teachers to add their creativity to the mix.
“I am also so impressed with the vocabulary woven throughout the texts,” she added. “We do a lot of activities to help teach the vocab, like illustrating and acting out the words and their meanings.”
For example, Kristen Blau’s first-graders at Jefferson recently learned the word disguised.
“The students shared examples of the word and then got to wear their very own disguises,” Blau said. “They had a blast and were so excited as they left school today. I am excited about the depth of information my students are experiencing through the use of interesting and engaging lessons from the Amplify curriculum.”
Some of the topics covered across the grade levels include fables, the solar system, insects, colonial America, weather, world cultures, and more. It provides ample opportunities for teachers to tie in science and social studies exploration.
“I like learning about fish,” said third-grader Maya Seymour. “I’ve learned they have scales, are cold blooded, and are vertebrates because they have a backbone.”
Her classmate Emmerson Connor said, “I love writing in our activity books and we get to have spelling tests now. I practice at home.”
Elementary students across the district are covering the same topics and concepts with very similar pacing.
The middle school’s Amplify curriculum features a digital hub students can access and work through as well as a focus on reading and comprehending novels.
“This curriculum brings with it higher-level vocabulary and higher expectations,” USD 470 Director of Curriculum and Instruction Braden Smith said. “It will be challenging but will help us grow our young readers and better prepare them for their futures in high school and beyond.”
