K–5 ELA Core Curriculum (2025 Edition)
The 2025 Edition improves upon the nationally acclaimed 2017 Edition by incorporating the latest literacy research and teacher feedback.
Digital
What Sets EL Education Apart?
EL Education’s K–8 ELA Core Curriculum is a comprehensive literacy program designed to build strong readers, writers, and thinkers. Grounded in the Science of Reading, the curriculum integrates foundational skills, knowledge building, and language development through rich texts and real-world topics.
Comprehensive Literacy Instruction
Students strengthen their literacy skills while building knowledge about the world and developing the habits of character needed to contribute thoughtfully to their communities.
-
Engage with complex literary and informational texts
-
Write regularly for narrative, informational, and opinion purposes
-
Participate in structured academic discussions
-
Develop academic vocabulary and language
-
Build knowledge while strengthening literacy skills
A Coherent K–8 Literacy System
EL Education’s K–8 ELA Core Curriculum clearly defines instructional components, pacing, and relationships across lessons and units. Across grade levels, the program integrates:
-
Knowledge-building modules
-
Explicit foundational skills instruction
-
Academic language development
-
Writing and discussion routines
-
Embedded assessment and instructional guidance
Grades K–2: Early Literacy Foundations
The K–2 ELA Core Curriculum builds foundational reading skills while developing knowledge and language through compelling module topics. Key instructional components include:
Knowledge-Building Modules
Students engage with content-rich topics that connect literacy to science, social studies, and literature.
K–2 Labs
Hands-on exploration and purposeful play strengthen oral language and deepen understanding of module topics.
Reading Foundational Skills Block
Daily, explicit instruction develops phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, and spelling.
Unlock ELD
Designated English Language Development connected to module topics supports multilingual learners.
Grades 3–5: Knowledge-Building Literacy Instruction
In upper elementary grades, students continue building strong literacy skills while engaging with complex texts and meaningful writing tasks.
Core components include:
Content-Based Modules
Students build background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension through literary and informational texts.
Additional Literacy and Language (ALL) Block
Standards-aligned foundational skills instruction builds phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, and spelling through explicit, daily practice.
Unlock Phonics
Targeted phonics and decoding intervention provides additional foundational skills support.
Unlock ELD
Designated English Language Development supports multilingual learners through daily instruction connected to module texts.
Grades 6–8: Deepening Literacy and Analytical Thinking
In middle school, students build academic mastery while strengthening analytical reading, writing, and discussion skills.
Text-Centered Instruction
Students engage with complex, on-grade trade books and articles spanning literature, science, and social studies, building vocabulary and content knowledge.
Assessment and Progress
Embedded assessments, performance tasks, and ongoing progress monitoring give teachers real-time insight into student growth, while UDL-aligned scaffolds and rubrics ensure every learner can access feedback and improve.
Writing and Grammar
Students write every day across narrative, informational, and argumentative genres, supported by Painted Essay routines, a process-based approach, and grammar instruction embedded directly in the context of real writing.
Speaking and Listening
Structured protocols like Conversation Cues drive purposeful discussion, debate, and presentation, building the academic dialogue skills that reinforce both comprehension and writing fluency.
Science of Reading–Aligned Foundational Skills
In early grades, the curriculum includes systematic foundational skills instruction aligned to research on how students learn to read.
These skills are taught through a structured sequence designed to build automatic word recognition and fluent reading.
Students who need additional support receive targeted instruction through Unlock Phonics, which uses assessment-informed placement and progress monitoring to address individual skill gaps.
Students develop:
These skills are taught through a structured sequence designed to build automatic word recognition and fluent reading.
Students who need additional support receive targeted instruction through Unlock Phonics, which uses assessment-informed placement and progress monitoring to address individual skill gaps.
Students develop:
-
Phonemic awareness
-
Phonics and decoding
-
Orthographic mapping
-
Fluency and high-frequency word recognition
-
Spelling and word study
Language Development and Multilingual Learner Support
The curriculum supports multilingual learners through both integrated and designated language development.
These supports help students build academic language while engaging with grade-level literacy tasks.
Language supports include:
These supports help students build academic language while engaging with grade-level literacy tasks.
Language supports include:
-
Explicit academic vocabulary instruction
-
Structured academic discussions
-
Sentence-level analysis through Language Dives
-
Writing scaffolds and sentence frames
A Balanced Assessment System
The curriculum includes a balanced system of assessments that monitor student progress and inform instruction.
Educators use assessment results to guide reteaching, enrichment, and targeted instructional support.
Assessment features include:
Educators use assessment results to guide reteaching, enrichment, and targeted instructional support.
Assessment features include:
-
Ongoing formative checks within daily lessons
-
Unit-level summative assessments
-
Authentic literacy tasks connected to module content
-
Multiple response formats including written responses, performance tasks, and discussion
Designed for All Learners
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles are embedded throughout the curriculum to ensure equitable access to grade-level content.
These supports help ensure meaningful participation for multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and a wide range of learners.
Instruction includes:
These supports help ensure meaningful participation for multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and a wide range of learners.
Instruction includes:
-
Multiple ways to engage students in learning
-
Visual, oral, and written representations of content
-
Multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding
-
Built-in scaffolds such as sentence frames, modeling, and guided practice
Everything Educators Need to Implement with Confidence
Open Up Resources provides comprehensive materials and implementation support to help districts successfully implement the EL Education curriculum.
Educators have access to:
Educators have access to:
-
Printed teacher manuals and student materials
-
Trade books and core texts
-
Editable lesson slides and instructional resources
-
Ongoing educator collaboration and community support
Explore EL Education
Core Curriculum
K–5 ELA Core Curriculum (2017 Edition)
Foster a deeper connection between students and the material, ensuring a more inclusive learning experience.
Digital
6–8 ELA Core Curriculum (2019 Edition)
A comprehensive program that integrates knowledge building, language development, and meaningful literacy work through rich content and real-world topics.
Digital
Foundational Skills Block, 2nd edition
A structured, research-based phonics program designed to unlock the alphabetic code for grades K–2.
Digital
Supplemental Curriculum
Best In Class Professional Learning
We believe Professional Learning is a key ingredient. For EL Education K–5 Language Arts 2025 Edition, our team provides tailored in-person and virtual offerings such as: • Virtual curriculum launch • 1-day and 2-day on-site curriculum launch • Leadership: Curriculum Overview and Look-fors
