Fishtank English Language Arts
The Fishtank ELA curriculum aims to develop students into critical readers, writers, and thinkers. We hope to widen their perspectives so that they can better understand themselves and the world around them. The curriculum is designed around the following guiding principles for ELA. Explore the foundations of Fishtank ELA, including the research base, standard progression, and more information about the guiding principles.
Building knowledge to nurture critical thinking.
Effective literacy instruction builds students' reading/writing skills and knowledge, develops students' identity and agency, helps students understand the world around them, and creates independent critical readers.
Centering diverse, relevant, and rigorous texts.
Every student, regardless of background and reading level, should read complex, engaging texts written in a variety of genres and by diverse voices, to highlight the diversity and richness of the human experience.
Prioritizing student voices and ideas to build agency.
Engaging in regular academic discourse is essential for students to synthesize texts and content, spark their curiosity, develop original ideas, and find their own voice.
Learning to write, writing to learn.
Writing and language skills are best taught in context, allowing students to authentically analyze an author's craft and structure, develop their own voice as writers, and build deeper meaning with the texts and ideas.
Preparing teachers to support students.
Intellectual preparation allows teachers to do their best teaching: when teachers deeply understand the text and unit themes they can help all students master grade-level content and standards.
Fundations
Fundations® utilizes a structured literacy approach grounded in the science of reading to make learning to read fun while laying the groundwork for lifelong literacy. The program’s research-based approach and extensive materials allow K–3 teachers to confidently present a carefully structured reading, spelling, and handwriting curriculum using engaging, multisensory techniques. Fundations is aligned with the science of reading and guides teachers to provide effective instructional practices.
Instructional Principles
I. Structured, Sequential, & Cumulative: All concepts are taught and practiced step-by-step following a specified sequence and building upon previously taught skills. Optimal learning is facilitated by a gradual release of responsibility that moves from teacher demonstration, guided instruction/practice, then collaborative learning, and finally, independent success.
II. Visible, Direct, & Explicit: The teacher directly teaches all concepts and skills to students through explanation, modeling, and active learning. Classroom demonstrations using manipulatives accompany explanations. Students are only expected to demonstrate knowledge of concepts taught.
III. Multisensory, Engaging Multiple Learning Modalities: Lessons are interactive in nature and designed to fully engage students in the task at hand. All skills and concepts are taught and reinforced through visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic senses. This learning through various modalities helps students maintain their focus.
IV. Differentiated & Diagnostic: Teachers plan lessons diagnostically to differentiate instruction based on students’ needs and mastery of previously taught material. Teachers assess student mastery by analyzing student outcomes on formative and summative assessments through daily observations.
V. Integrated: Each lesson plan incorporates a variety of learning activities to ensure an integrated and applied approach to skill and strategy development across all areas of instruction.
VI. Ample Practice with Targeted Feedback: Multiple and varied opportunities to deliberately practice, apply, and reinforce new and mastered skills and demonstrate understanding are provided within each lesson through a range of learning activities. Students receive immediate,
specific, and supportive feedback.
VII. Cognitive & Rigorous: Students are engaged in metacognitive thinking because it is essential they understand the underpinnings of word structure and can apply and generalize concepts. Teachers directly discuss with students how and why they can now decode and spell words. Students explain, apply, and generalize concepts to express what they do to succeed.
VIII. Emotionally Sound: Expectations are clear and manageable. Students develop self-efficacy as they see their small successes add up to very measurable achievements. Regular activity routines allow students to focus on learning concepts rather than activity processes. Students are engaged in rigorous work, but have necessary scaffolding and support for both daily successes within a lesson and overall reading and writing success.Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics is a problem-based core curriculum designed to address content and practice standards to foster learning for all. Students learn by doing math, solving problems in mathematical and real-world contexts, and constructing arguments using precise language. Teachers can shift their instruction and facilitate student learning with high-leverage routines to guide learners to understand and make connections between concepts and procedures.
Essentials of Illustrative Mathematics Instruction
IX. Spark discussion, perseverance, and enjoyment of mathematics. Illustrated K–5 Math is a problem-based core curriculum rooted in content and practice standards to foster learning and achievement for all. Students learn by doing math through solving problems, developing conceptual understanding, and discussing and defending their reasoning. Teachers build confidence with lessons and curriculum guides that help them facilitate learning and help students make connections between concepts and procedures.
X. Intentional lesson design that promotes mathematical growth. Every activity and lesson in Illustrated K–5 Math tell a coherent mathematical story across units and grade levels based on both the standards and research-based learning trajectories. This allows students the opportunity to view mathematics as a connected set of ideas and offers them access to mathematics when developed into the overarching design structure of the curriculum.
XI. Focus on developing learning communities. The first unit in each grade level provides lesson structures which establish a mathematical community and invite students into mathematics with accessible content. Each lesson offers opportunities for the teacher and students to learn more about one another, develop mathematical language, and become increasingly familiar with the curriculum routines. The use of authentic contexts and adaptations provides students opportunities to bring their own experiences to the lesson activities and see themselves in the materials and mathematics.Studies Weekly
Studies Weekly is a customized, standards-based core curriculum founded on deep learning strategies that increase student knowledge and skills in science. It engages students through stories with colorful illustrations that have research-based content infused with reading and literacy strategies.
Studies Weekly
Studies Weekly is a customized, standards-based core curriculum founded on deep learning strategies that increase student knowledge and skills in social studies. It is fully aligned with NGSS, hands-on with open-and-go lessons, and driven by guiding questions that push students to explore..
Conscious Discipline
Conscious Discipline is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary self-regulation program that integrates social emotional learning, school culture, and discipline. It helps teachers and administrators build a school that is based on internal resources of safety, connection, and problem solving. When teachers and staff become emotionally intelligent, we can create a healthy and positive learning environment that maintains optimal learning states for students.
The Three Core Components of Conscious Discipline
I. Safety, through self-regulation, Conscious Discipline enhances adults’ and children’s ability to recognize and manage psychological and emotional upset.
II. Connection, through creating a compassionate School Family culture, Conscious Discipline motivates adults’ and children’s willingness to engage in healthy relationships and help each other to be successful and change perceptions about conflict.
III. Problem Solving, through changing our response to conflict and upgrading social emotional skills, Conscious Discipline boosts adults’ and children’s ability to adapt to changing situations (resiliency).Assessment tools
Student growth is regularly measured using a wide variety of assessments and screenings to ensure that instruction is tailored to each child’s specific learning needs.
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth
Measures reading and math achievement and growth.
*Science subtest added for 2024-2025 school yearPhonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST)
Measures students’ phonological awareness skills (the ability to recognize and manipulate spoken parts of sentences and words.)
Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark System
Used to determine students’ independent, instructional, and frustration reading level.
Phonics Survey
Measures students’ phonics skills (matching the sounds of spoken English with individual letters or groups of letters.)
Unit Assessments
Teachers use a wide variety of informal and formal assessments to monitor student learning in reading, math, writing, and content areas.
Assessment tools
Student growth is regularly measured using a wide variety of assessments and screenings to ensure that instruction is tailored to their specific learning needs. The level of support is based on students’ academic and social-emotional needs.
Tier 1: Core Instruction
All students receive classroom instruction using the subject area curriculums.
Tier 2: Targeted Intervention
If a student is below grade-level, he/she will work with a small group daily on specific skills. Student progress is monitored every two weeks and response to intervention is evaluated every 6-8 data points.
Tier 3: Intensive Intervention
If a student is below grade-level and not making adequate progress while receiving Tier 2 support, he/she will work with a smaller group or 1-to-1 on targeted skills daily. This is in addition to their tier 1 and tier 2 instruction. Student progress is monitored weekly and response to intervention is evaluated every 6-8 data points.
Special Education Referral
If a student is not making adequate progress after working through the tiered support system, referrals can be made to the Martin County School District and other partner agencies to evaluate for speech/language disorders, learning disabilities, and other conditions that effect learning. Our teachers and administrators are part of the school-based team that oversees your child’s evaluation and learning.
Units of Study for Teaching Reading:
A Workshop CurriculumThe Reading Units of Study gives each child the instruction, opportunities for practice, and concrete goals to help them meet and exceed state reading standards. Each reading unit represents about 6 weeks of reading instruction.
10 Essentials of Reading Instruction
I. Good Teaching Matters. Learners need teachers who demonstrate what it means to live richly literate lives, wearing a love of reading on their sleeves. Professional developments improve teachers with their ability to teach high quality reading instruction.
II. Readers need long stretches of time to read. Research supports the notion that teachers who teach reading successfully provide their students with time for actual reading.
III. Readers need opportunities to read high-interest, accessible books of their own choosing. Our students have access to books that they can read with high levels of accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Our students have opportunities to use skills and strategies with automaticity.
IV. Readers need to read increasingly complex texts appropriate for their grade level. Teachers scaffold instruction to provide students access to complex texts.
V. Readers have direct, explicit instruction in the skills and strategies of proficient reading. Teachers explicitly teach reading strategies and give ample opportunities to practice these skills in order to improve reading comprehension.
VI. Readers need opportunities to talk and write in response to texts. Talking and writing provide concrete and visible ways for learners to do thinking that later becomes internalized.
VII. Readers need support reading nonfiction books and building knowledge based on academic vocabulary through information reading. Students have many opportunities to read and comprehend nonfiction texts. Students who read a great deal of nonfiction gain knowledge about the world as well as critical vocabulary.
VIII. Readers need assessment-based instruction. All learners are not the same and need do not need the same thing to progress. Teaching is responsive to student’s needs. Student need is based on formative and informative assessments.
IX. Readers need teachers that read aloud to them. Reading aloud is essential to teaching reading. Teachers read aloud to embark on shared adventures, to explore new worlds, or to place important topics at the center of the classroom community.
X. Readers need a balanced approach to language arts. Our classrooms have high literacy engagement and balanced instruction in place.Units of Study for Teaching Reading:
A Workshop CurriculumThe Reading Units of Study gives each child the instruction, opportunities for practice, and concrete goals to help them meet and exceed state reading standards. Each reading unit represents about 6 weeks of reading instruction.
10 Essentials of Reading Instruction
I. Good Teaching Matters. Learners need teachers who demonstrate what it means to live richly literate lives, wearing a love of reading on their sleeves. Professional developments improve teachers with their ability to teach high quality reading instruction.
II. Readers need long stretches of time to read. Research supports the notion that teachers who teach reading successfully provide their students with time for actual reading.
III. Readers need opportunities to read high-interest, accessible books of their own choosing. Our students have access to books that they can read with high levels of accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Our students have opportunities to use skills and strategies with automaticity.
IV. Readers need to read increasingly complex texts appropriate for their grade level. Teachers scaffold instruction to provide students access to complex texts.
V. Readers have direct, explicit instruction in the skills and strategies of proficient reading. Teachers explicitly teach reading strategies and give ample opportunities to practice these skills in order to improve reading comprehension.
VI. Readers need opportunities to talk and write in response to texts. Talking and writing provide concrete and visible ways for learners to do thinking that later becomes internalized.
VII. Readers need support reading nonfiction books and building knowledge based on academic vocabulary through information reading. Students have many opportunities to read and comprehend nonfiction texts. Students who read a great deal of nonfiction gain knowledge about the world as well as critical vocabulary.
VIII. Readers need assessment-based instruction. All learners are not the same and need do not need the same thing to progress. Teaching is responsive to student’s needs. Student need is based on formative and informative assessments.
IX. Readers need teachers that read aloud to them. Reading aloud is essential to teaching reading. Teachers read aloud to embark on shared adventures, to explore new worlds, or to place important topics at the center of the classroom community.
X. Readers need a balanced approach to language arts. Our classrooms have high literacy engagement and balanced instruction in place.