Age 6-8 Reading

The curriculum progresses students toward reading simple chapter books, suggesting appropriate complexity progression. It includes quality trade books from respected authors.

The goal is that 'students should be able to read simple chapter books' and includes books by Arnold Lobel, Leo Lionni, and Kevin Henkes

The curriculum provides comprehensive parent manuals with detailed instructions and background information. Each lesson includes facts, definitions, and clear teaching guidance.

Parent manuals include 'Facts and Definitions' for each lesson, detailed material lists, and step-by-step instructions with 'what to say and do'

The curriculum uses a structured direct instruction approach with detailed parent guidance. Parents are provided specific scripts and questions while also encouraging student discovery.

Parents are told 'what to say and do' with partial scripting, and are given specific questions 'designed to help students make observations and come to conclusions'

The curriculum provides systematic phonics instruction covering advanced phonics elements. It builds on foundational skills from the previous level and teaches more challenging phonics concepts.

The course 'teaches the more challenging elements of phonics' and requires students to already read short and long-vowel words before starting, indicating a systematic progression

The curriculum includes a mix of complete trade books and shorter readers. Students read whole books including 'A Color of His Own' by Leo Lionni, 'Frog and Toad All Year' and 'Mouse Soup' by Arnold Lobel, and 'Penny and Her Marble' by Kevin Henkes.

The Reading Materials Kit includes five complete trade books and 15 illustrated readers, plus a shared reading book and book of poems

The curriculum includes some retrieval practice through online quizzes and flashcard activities. Students complete Learning Gates quizzes 2-3 times per week.

Digital resources include 'Learning Gates has online quizzes that students will complete either two or three days per week' and students work with flashcards

The curriculum includes vocabulary development through theme word cards and embedded definitions. Each lesson begins with 'Facts and Definitions' that include word meanings.

The kit includes 'sets of cards with theme words' and lessons begin with 'Facts and Definitions' including word definitions

The curriculum includes composition instruction as one of its main components. Students progress to writing words and sentences, particularly in the second semester.

The course teaches 'composition' as a key component, and 'in the second semester, students often respond by writing words or sentences'

Limited evidence suggests the curriculum may build some domain knowledge through varied literature selections. However, there's insufficient information about systematic knowledge-building across content domains.

The curriculum includes diverse books and poems, but the review doesn't detail systematic content knowledge development