Standards-Based Curriculum
The term curriculum refers to the lessons and academic content taught in school and is specific to a grade level, course, or program. Educational standards describe what students should know and be able to do in each subject at each grade level. In California, the State Board of Education decides on the standards for all students, and the California Department of Education helps schools make sure that all students are meeting the standards. In East Whittier, we consistently provide a high-quality standards-based curriculum that is aligned to the California state standards in English Language Arts, English Language Development, Mathematics, Science, History-Social Science, Physical Education, and Visual and Performing Arts. These standards can be viewed at cde.ca.gov.
Adopted Textbooks
The California State Board of Education (SBE) adopted content standards for the four core curricular areas (English Language Arts, mathematics, history-social science, and science) to meet the requirements of California Education Code 60605. The SBE has the constitutional authority to adopt instructional materials for grades one through eight and statutory authority to adopt instructional materials for kindergarten aligned to state content standards. The impact of instructional materials on classroom learning is significant and instructional materials have been shown to be an essential tool for teachers. Instructional materials serve as the primary mode of access for California’s students to the state’s content standards and the knowledge and skills they must master. Instructional materials also support teachers in making instructional decisions and selecting effective teaching strategies that lead to student mastery of the content standards. The following is a list of the standards-based instructional materials adopted by the SBE and approved for use by the East Whittier City School District.
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Grade Span
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Subject
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Publisher
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Title
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Print
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Online
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K-5
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ELA/ELD
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McGraw-Hill
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California Wonders
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X
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X
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6-8
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ELA/ELD
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McGraw-Hill
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Study Sync
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X
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X
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K-5
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Mathematics
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Savvas (formerly Pearson)
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enVision Math
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X
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X
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6-8
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Mathematics
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Houghton Mifflin
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Go Math!
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X
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X
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K-5
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Science
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Harcourt
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Harcourt Science
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X
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|
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6-8
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Science
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Teachers Curriculum Institute (TCI)
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Bring Science Alive
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X
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X
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K-5
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History
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Harcourt
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Reflections
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X
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|
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6-8
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History
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Savvas (formerly Pearson)
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myWorld Interactive
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X
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X
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Supplemental Materials
Instructional resources that are utilized in addition to the adopted textbooks are called supplemental materials. Supplemental materials can help students learn content standards in different ways, allows teachers to move beyond the textbook, provides additional practice, and address gaps identified in the curriculum. These materials offer teachers useful resources and activities to help design lessons that will engage students. Supplemental materials often provide teachers with new and different ways to teach which creates more interest for both teachers and students. Learning can be challenging, but it does not have to be boring. Supplemental materials give teachers that extra level of resources and support to make the lessons fun, rigorous, and engaging. The following is a list of the supplemental materials currently in use districtwide.
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Grade Span
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Subject
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Title
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Description
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Print
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Online
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K-5
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Science
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Mystery Science
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Mystery Science provides ready-made mysteries for elementary school students that are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. Each mystery aligns with NGSS performance expectations, science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. Each lesson contains a central mystery, discussion questions, supplemental reading, and hands-on science activity.
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X
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X
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K-5
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Math
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Eureka Math
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Eureka Math curriculum materials offer thoughtfully constructed modules designed like a story. Eureka Math is coherent, with an intense focus on key concepts that layer over time, creating enduring knowledge. Students gain a complete body of math knowledge, not just a discrete set of skills. They use the same models and problem-solving methods from grade to grade, so math concepts stay with them, year after year.
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X
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X
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1-5
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Mathematics
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Coach Digital
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Coach Digital is a comprehensive digital toolkit for teachers packed with thousands of lessons and assessments in math. Lessons are printable, assignable, and projectable. Teachers have access to a library of numerous texts full of activities aligned to the common core including Common Core Coach, Crosswalk Coach, Buckle-Down, Math Problem Solving, Performance Coach, and more.
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X
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X
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K-8
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All
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Nearpod
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Nearpod is a student engagement platform that can be used to enhance lessons in the classroom. Teachers can create presentations that can contain quizzes, polls, videos, images, web content, and more. Existing PowerPoints or PDFs can be uploaded to the Nearpod site to create enriched multimedia presentations with interactive features. Teachers have access to over 7,500 standards-aligned lessons in all content areas in the Nearpod library.
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X
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2-8
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All
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Newsela
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Newsela is an online platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject area. It is focused on building student reading comprehension by providing high-quality news articles in every subject area and real-time assessments for students.
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X
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6-8
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ELA
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Membean
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Membean is an online program that provides guided, engaging, multimodal vocabulary instruction. Their Adaptive Reinforcement Engine customizes learning for each individual student and provides multiple ways to learn each vocabulary word to assist students with retaining what they learn.
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X
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6-8
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Spanish I and II
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¡Avancemos!
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¡Avancemos! takes language learning beyond the book with digital resources and virtual experiences to immerse students in new cultures. The program uses authentic resources and real-world-based activities to spark students' curiosity. ¡Avancemos! helps students develop a proficient command of speaking Spanish while fostering a love of new cultural experiences.
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X
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X
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6-8
Hillview
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STEM
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Project Lead the Way
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Project Lead The Way (PLTW) provides transformative learning experiences in STEM education. PLTW creates an engaging, hands-on classroom environment. It helps students gain mastery and independence by engaging in activities, projects, and problems that relate to and build upon one another. Automation and Robotics as well as Computer Science for Innovators and Makers will be offered at Hillview beginning in the fall of 2020.
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X
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X
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In addition to the supplemental materials listed above, teachers will receive upgraded professional accounts for Zoom, Screencastify, and Seesaw (elementary).
