CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideImplementing the K-3 ELA Model CurriculumK-3 Model Curricula WebinarEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.The Science of Reading and the Grades K-3 English Language Arts Model Curriculum  Curriculum is the central roadmap for communicating essential learning outcomes for mastery by the end of a grade or grade band. The K-8 English Language Arts Model Curriculum units serve to support districts in delineating how teachers will organize their instruction and teach to develop skills and content knowledge and assess students’ ability to transfer learning. Furthermore, the CSDE’s model curriculum for Grades K-3, inclusive, aligns with the findings of the body of knowledge called the science of reading and the complementary theoretical frameworks (i.e., The Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope). These frameworks explain the development of reading and the many subskills that contribute to skilled reading.  The Science of Reading Defined“The science of reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world, and…has culminated in a preponderance of evidence to inform how proficient reading and writing develop…and how we can most effectively assess and teach and, therefore, improve student outcomes through prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties.” 1 The Grades K-3 English Language Arts Model Curriculum units present the foundational skills that students must develop to become, and improve, as readers. The units are organized and presented in a manner that supports the development of the interrelated skills that contribute to skilled reading. Through purposeful interactions, students must actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures in preparation for the advanced intellectual work required for both listening and reading comprehension. With a carefully arranged sequence of standards within and across the K-3 grade band, the model units present the complex multidimensional nature of the language system, incorporating language components (i.e., phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics) and literacy components (i.e., phonological awareness, alphabetic principle, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension) for reading acquisition.  The Science of Reading: How Children Learn to Read and How They Should Be TaughtThe role of instruction and practice, and the emphasis placed on them, emerged after research conducted over a couple of decades was synthesized to reveal that explicit and systematic instruction was key to students acquiring fundamental skills. Together with teachers’ knowledge of scientific research that has shown us how children learn to read and how they should be taught, districts and schools can facilitate students’ proficient acquisition of fundamental reading skills. Although knowing the science of reading is crucial, it is not enough. Educators must understand the various aspects of culture, including identifying a student’s first language if it is not English, understanding how a student’s first language is structurally different from English, determining why students miss school and if there are trauma impacts, as well as many other unnamed variables. Knowing these factors can help support students and their families in ways beyond reading instruction, and in doing so, learning to read may become easier.1   Science of Reading Defining Guide. (The Reading League, 2022), 6.1. Science of Reading Defining Guide (The Reading League,2022),6.  Course Description:  In the English Language Arts Model Curriculum, there is a proportional emphasis on informational and literary texts and writing types across the grade levels. In addition to developing students’ abilities to read and comprehend a variety of texts, it is equally important to devote adequate time to engage students in producing clear and coherent writing. Included in each of the units are the Speaking and Listening Standards and the Language Standards, which are essential for supporting the development of reading and writing skills and abilities. Through purposeful interactions, students will actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures in preparation for the advanced intellectual work required for both listening and reading comprehension, and writing in subsequent grades, including writing about their reading. The Kindergarten Reading Foundational Standards are included in each of the instructional units, most of which are categorized as Priority Standards, to support the development of students’ emergent reading and writing skills. The scope and sequence of the prioritized Reading Foundational Standards are to be determined at the lesson level. Many of the skills foundational to language development are prioritized in each of the instructional units to stress the importance and interconnectedness of the development of sentence structure, vocabulary, spelling, and writing. Beginning with the Kindergarten school year, students must have clear and ambitious writing goals, be acknowledged for their accomplishments, and engage in the process of receiving feedback on their writing progress. Aligned Core Programs: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) in partnership with the State Education Resource Center has engaged with providers of high-quality instructional resources to develop alignment guidance for the CSDE English Language Arts (ELA) Model Curricula. The guidance documents provide information about how instructional content aligns with and supports the implementation of the CSDE ELA Model Curricula. The instructional materials referenced in the alignment guidance documents meet the expectations of Connecticut legislation and Connecticut's Approved K-3 Reading Curriculum Models or Programs. Strong alignment of instructional materials to the CSDE ELA Model Curricula units has the potential to support student engagement with meaningful grade-appropriate content.Additional Course Information:  Incorporated in each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the Writing Standards, with the expectation that adequate instructional time will be devoted to engaging students in producing and publishing various types of writing. Students need time to perform the intellectual work required for composing, which includes talking about their ideas, analyzing information, and organizing and presenting thoughts precisely and accurately. Developing the ability to analyze author’s craft requires multiple opportunities to engage with texts, so that students can apply literary devices and techniques in writing and make decisions around text structure and language use. When considering writing instruction, it is essential to give attention to the language skills (e.g., spelling, vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax) that directly contribute to writing production. Although writing needs dedicated instructional time, each unit supports an integrated approach to writing instruction by including complementary Speaking and Listening Standards, and Language Standards in service to the writing demands called for in each unit.Students will benefit from additional guidance during writing instruction, especially when spelling, word choice retrieval, fluently generating ideas, and executive functions are challenging. For example, working at the sentence level can help students develop the skills to compose complete compound and complex sentences, and use coordinating, correlative, and subordinating conjunctions in their writing. Sentence expansion activities can support students in writing with greater precision and accuracy. To produce lengthier pieces of writing, students may need support working through the planning and prewriting stages of the writing process and applying specific writing strategies. We must also be mindful of how executive function influences a writer’s capacity to work through the multiple steps and tasks of composing text, and the ability to sustain tasks and efforts to produce the many forms of writing. Navigating linguistically complex texts when conducting research projects and understanding and managing selective attention demands, including in working memory, may require additional scaffolds.Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The integration of social, emotional, and intellectual habits is an important component in a K-12 education and contributes to students’ academic and personal success, and success in college, careers, and civic life. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits set the stage for all future learning, promoting intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competence. Adult beliefs and mindsets, as well as school experiences, all influence the development of social, emotional, and intellectual competencies (The Education Trust). Since adults are responsible for establishing and sustaining student-centered, inclusive learning environments, they must first take stock of their strengths for establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with adults and students, including individuals across different perspectives and backgrounds (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). By understanding and applying social, emotional, and intellectual habits, students effectively negotiate daily tasks and challenges. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits assist students in setting and achieving positive goals, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, and making responsible decisions. In addition, they support students’ ability to maintain focus and manage their learning irrespective of obstacles. Students must have the capacity to integrate social, emotional, and intellectual skills, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the course of the day.Embedded within each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the interrelated social, emotional, and intellectual habits, as provided in the Components of Social, Emotional and Intellectual Habits: Kindergarten through Grade 12 document. These habits, over time, will contribute to students’ academic and personal success and are exemplified as areas of development (e.g., identify and understand emotions of self and others; develop logic and reasoning), further organized by learning continua (e.g., empathy; critical and analytical thinking), and clarified by categories of indicators of evidence or developmental milestones (e.g., acknowledge needs of others and act accordingly; agree or disagree with others and give reasons why). By understanding how respect, empathy, responsible behavior, and other social, emotional, and intellectual habits support rapport building, educators can foster trusting relationships with and among students so that each student feels connected and cared for as a member of the classroom community. This sets the stage for all future learning by minimizing the types of social interactions that can activate threats in the brain and impede students’ sense of agency. Students are then empowered to practice self-management and other skills and competencies within their social context (Hammond, 2015).Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (n.d.). How Does SEL Support Educational Equity And Excellence?: Imagine A School Community That Fully Supports Students’ Learning And Development So That All Children Can Thrive. Fundamentals of SEL Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.The Education Trust. (August 2020).  Social, Emotional, and Academic Development through an Equity Lens.

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideImplementing the K-3 ELA Model CurriculumK-3 Model Curricula WebinarEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.The Science of Reading and the Grades K-3 English Language Arts Model Curriculum  Curriculum is the central roadmap for communicating essential learning outcomes for mastery by the end of a grade or grade band. The K-8 English Language Arts Model Curriculum units serve to support districts in delineating how teachers will organize their instruction and teach to develop skills and content knowledge and assess students’ ability to transfer learning. Furthermore, the CSDE’s model curriculum for Grades K-3, inclusive, aligns with the findings of the body of knowledge called the science of reading and the complementary theoretical frameworks (i.e., The Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope). These frameworks explain the development of reading and the many subskills that contribute to skilled reading.  The Science of Reading Defined“The science of reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world, and…has culminated in a preponderance of evidence to inform how proficient reading and writing develop…and how we can most effectively assess and teach and, therefore, improve student outcomes through prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties.” 1 The Grades K-3 English Language Arts Model Curriculum units present the foundational skills that students must develop to become, and improve, as readers. The units are organized and presented in a manner that supports the development of the interrelated skills that contribute to skilled reading. Through purposeful interactions, students must actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures in preparation for the advanced intellectual work required for both listening and reading comprehension. With a carefully arranged sequence of standards within and across the K-3 grade band, the model units present the complex multidimensional nature of the language system, incorporating language components (i.e., phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics) and literacy components (i.e., phonological awareness, alphabetic principle, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension) for reading acquisition.  The Science of Reading: How Children Learn to Read and How They Should Be TaughtThe role of instruction and practice, and the emphasis placed on them, emerged after research conducted over a couple of decades was synthesized to reveal that explicit and systematic instruction was key to students acquiring fundamental skills. Together with teachers’ knowledge of scientific research that has shown us how children learn to read and how they should be taught, districts and schools can facilitate students’ proficient acquisition of fundamental reading skills. Although knowing the science of reading is crucial, it is not enough. Educators must understand the various aspects of culture, including identifying a student’s first language if it is not English, understanding how a student’s first language is structurally different from English, determining why students miss school and if there are trauma impacts, as well as many other unnamed variables. Knowing these factors can help support students and their families in ways beyond reading instruction, and in doing so, learning to read may become easier.1   Science of Reading Defining Guide. (The Reading League, 2022), 6.1. Science of Reading Defining Guide (The Reading League,2022),6.  Course Description:  In the English Language Arts Model Curriculum, there is a proportional emphasis on informational and literary texts and writing types across the grade levels. In addition to developing students’ abilities to read and comprehend a variety of texts, it is equally important to devote adequate time to engage students in producing clear and coherent writing. Included in each of the units are the Speaking and Listening Standards and the Language Standards, which are essential for supporting the development of reading and writing skills and abilities. Through purposeful interactions, students will actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures in preparation for the advanced intellectual work required for both listening and reading comprehension, and writing demands in subsequent grades, including writing about their reading. The Grade 1 Reading Foundational Standards are included in each of the instructional units, most of which are categorized as Priority Standards, to support the development of students’ emergent reading and writing skills. The scope and sequence of the prioritized foundational reading skills are to be determined at the lesson level. Many of the skills foundational to language development are prioritized in each of the instructional units to stress the interconnectedness of the development of sentence structure, spelling, vocabulary, and writing. By the end of Grade 1, students will have learned to implement automatic and accurate word recognition strategies, how to confirm successes or correct mistakes when reading, and use their foundational reading skills and knowledge for the fluent reading and writing of grade-level material. In the area of writing, students must have clear and ambitious goals, be acknowledged for their accomplishments, and engage in the process of receiving feedback on their writing progress.Aligned Core Programs: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) in partnership with the State Education Resource Center has engaged with providers of high-quality instructional resources to develop alignment guidance for the CSDE English Language Arts (ELA) Model Curricula. The guidance documents provide information about how instructional content aligns with and supports the implementation of the CSDE ELA Model Curricula. The instructional materials referenced in the alignment guidance documents meet the expectations of Connecticut legislation and Connecticut's Approved K-3 Reading Curriculum Models or Programs. Strong alignment of instructional materials to the CSDE ELA Model Curricula units has the potential to support student engagement with meaningful grade-appropriate content. Additional Course Information:  Incorporated in each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the Writing Standards, with the expectation that adequate instructional time will be devoted to engaging students in producing and publishing various types of writing. Students need time to perform the intellectual work required for composing, which includes talking about their ideas, analyzing information, and organizing and presenting thoughts precisely and accurately. Developing the ability to analyze author’s craft requires multiple opportunities to engage with texts, so that students can apply literary devices and techniques in writing and make decisions around text structure and language use. When considering writing instruction, it is essential to give attention to the language skills (e.g., spelling, vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax) that directly contribute to writing production. Although writing needs dedicated instructional time, each unit supports an integrated approach to writing instruction by including complementary Speaking and Listening Standards, and Language Standards in service to the writing demands called for in each unit.Students will benefit from additional guidance during writing instruction, especially when spelling, word choice retrieval, fluently generating ideas, and executive functions are challenging. For example, working at the sentence level can help students develop the skills to compose complete compound and complex sentences, and use coordinating, correlative, and subordinating conjunctions in their writing. Sentence expansion activities can support students in writing with greater precision and accuracy. To produce lengthier pieces of writing, students may need support working through the planning and prewriting stages of the writing process and applying specific writing strategies. We must also be mindful of how executive function influences a writer’s capacity to work through the multiple steps and tasks of composing text, and the ability to sustain tasks and efforts to produce the many forms of writing. Navigating linguistically complex texts when conducting research projects and understanding and managing selective attention demands, including in working memory, may require additional scaffolds.Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The integration of social, emotional, and intellectual habits is an important component in a K-12 education and contributes to students’ academic and personal success, and success in college, careers, and civic life. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits set the stage for all future learning, promoting intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competence. Adult beliefs and mindsets, as well as school experiences, all influence the development of social, emotional, and intellectual competencies (The Education Trust). Since adults are responsible for establishing and sustaining student-centered, inclusive learning environments, they must first take stock of their strengths for establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with adults and students, including individuals across different perspectives and backgrounds (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). By understanding and applying social, emotional, and intellectual habits, students effectively negotiate daily tasks and challenges. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits assist students in setting and achieving positive goals, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, and making responsible decisions. In addition, they support students’ ability to maintain focus and manage their learning irrespective of obstacles. Students must have the capacity to integrate social, emotional, and intellectual skills, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the course of the day.Embedded within each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the interrelated social, emotional, and intellectual habits, as provided in the Components of Social, Emotional and Intellectual Habits: Kindergarten through Grade 12 document. These habits, over time, will contribute to students’ academic and personal success and are exemplified as areas of development (e.g., identify and understand emotions of self and others; develop logic and reasoning), further organized by learning continua (e.g., empathy; critical and analytical thinking), and clarified by categories of indicators of evidence or developmental milestones (e.g., acknowledge needs of others and act accordingly; agree or disagree with others and give reasons why). By understanding how respect, empathy, responsible behavior, and other social, emotional, and intellectual habits support rapport building, educators can foster trusting relationships with and among students so that each student feels connected and cared for as a member of the classroom community. This sets the stage for all future learning by minimizing the types of social interactions that can activate threats in the brain and impede students’ sense of agency. Students are then empowered to practice self-management and other skills and competencies within their social context (Hammond, 2015).Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (n.d.). How Does SEL Support Educational Equity And Excellence?: Imagine A School Community That Fully Supports Students’ Learning And Development So That All Children Can Thrive. Fundamentals of SEL Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.The Education Trust. (August 2020).  Social, Emotional, and Academic Development through an Equity Lens.

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideImplementing the K-3 ELA Model CurriculumK-3 Model Curricula WebinarEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.The Science of Reading and the Grades K-3 English Language Arts Model Curriculum  Curriculum is the central roadmap for communicating essential learning outcomes for mastery by the end of a grade or grade band. The K-8 English Language Arts Model Curriculum units serve to support districts in delineating how teachers will organize their instruction and teach to develop skills and content knowledge and assess students’ ability to transfer learning. Furthermore, the CSDE’s model curriculum for Grades K-3, inclusive, aligns with the findings of the body of knowledge called the science of reading and the complementary theoretical frameworks (i.e., The Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope). These frameworks explain the development of reading and the many subskills that contribute to skilled reading.  The Science of Reading Defined“The science of reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world, and…has culminated in a preponderance of evidence to inform how proficient reading and writing develop…and how we can most effectively assess and teach and, therefore, improve student outcomes through prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties.” 1 The Grades K-3 English Language Arts Model Curriculum units present the foundational skills that students must develop to become, and improve, as readers. The units are organized and presented in a manner that supports the development of the interrelated skills that contribute to skilled reading. Through purposeful interactions, students must actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures in preparation for the advanced intellectual work required for both listening and reading comprehension. With a carefully arranged sequence of standards within and across the K-3 grade band, the model units present the complex multidimensional nature of the language system, incorporating language components (i.e., phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics) and literacy components (i.e., phonological awareness, alphabetic principle, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension) for reading acquisition.  The Science of Reading: How Children Learn to Read and How They Should Be TaughtThe role of instruction and practice, and the emphasis placed on them, emerged after research conducted over a couple of decades was synthesized to reveal that explicit and systematic instruction was key to students acquiring fundamental skills. Together with teachers’ knowledge of scientific research that has shown us how children learn to read and how they should be taught, districts and schools can facilitate students’ proficient acquisition of fundamental reading skills. Although knowing the science of reading is crucial, it is not enough. Educators must understand the various aspects of culture, including identifying a student’s first language if it is not English, understanding how a student’s first language is structurally different from English, determining why students miss school and if there are trauma impacts, as well as many other unnamed variables. Knowing these factors can help support students and their families in ways beyond reading instruction, and in doing so, learning to read may become easier.1   Science of Reading Defining Guide. (The Reading League, 2022), 6.1. Science of Reading Defining Guide (The Reading League,2022),6.  Course Description:  In the English Language Arts Model Curriculum, there is a proportional emphasis on informational and literary texts and writing types across the grade levels. In addition to developing students’ abilities to read and comprehend a variety of texts, it is equally important to devote adequate time to engage students in producing clear and coherent writing. Included in each of the units are the Speaking and Listening Standards and the Language Standards, which are essential for supporting the development of reading and writing skills and abilities. Through purposeful interactions, students will actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures in preparation for the advanced intellectual work required for both listening and reading comprehension, and writing in subsequent grades, including writing about their reading. Furthermore, students must have clear and ambitious writing goals, be acknowledged for their accomplishments, and engage in the process of receiving feedback on their writing progress, actively practicing, and making decisions as writers, about how their texts are developed to inform an audience.The Grade 2 Reading Foundational Standards are included in each of the instructional units, most of which are categorized as Priority Standards, to support the development of students’ emergent reading and writing skills. The scope and sequence of the prioritized foundational reading skills are to be determined at the lesson level. Many of the skills foundational to language development are prioritized in each of the instructional units to stress the interconnectedness of the development of sentence structure, spelling, vocabulary, and writing.  Aligned Core Programs: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) in partnership with the State Education Resource Center has engaged with providers of high-quality instructional resources to develop alignment guidance for the CSDE English Language Arts (ELA) Model Curricula. The guidance documents provide information about how instructional content aligns with and supports the implementation of the CSDE ELA Model Curricula. The instructional materials referenced in the alignment guidance documents meet the expectations of Connecticut legislation and Connecticut's Approved K-3 Reading Curriculum Models or Programs. Strong alignment of instructional materials to the CSDE ELA Model Curricula units has the potential to support student engagement with meaningful grade-appropriate content. Additional Course Information:  Incorporated in each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the Writing Standards, with the expectation that adequate instructional time will be devoted to engaging students in producing and publishing various types of writing. Students need time to perform the intellectual work required for composing, which includes talking about their ideas, analyzing information, and organizing and presenting thoughts precisely and accurately. Developing the ability to analyze author’s craft requires multiple opportunities to engage with texts, so that students can apply literary devices and techniques in writing and make decisions around text structure and language use. When considering writing instruction, it is essential to give attention to the language skills (e.g., spelling, vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax) that directly contribute to writing production. Although writing needs dedicated instructional time, each unit supports an integrated approach to writing instruction by including complementary Speaking and Listening Standards, and Language Standards in service to the writing demands called for in each unit.Students will benefit from additional guidance during writing instruction, especially when spelling, word choice retrieval, fluently generating ideas, and executive functions are challenging. For example, working at the sentence level can help students develop the skills to compose complete compound and complex sentences, and use coordinating, correlative, and subordinating conjunctions in their writing. Sentence expansion activities can support students in writing with greater precision and accuracy. To produce lengthier pieces of writing, students may need support working through the planning and prewriting stages of the writing process and applying specific writing strategies. We must also be mindful of how executive function influences a writer’s capacity to work through the multiple steps and tasks of composing text, and the ability to sustain tasks and efforts to produce the many forms of writing. Navigating linguistically complex texts when conducting research projects and understanding and managing selective attention demands, including in working memory, may require additional scaffolds.Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The integration of social, emotional, and intellectual habits is an important component in a K-12 education and contributes to students’ academic and personal success, and success in college, careers, and civic life. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits set the stage for all future learning, promoting intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competence. Adult beliefs and mindsets, as well as school experiences, all influence the development of social, emotional, and intellectual competencies (The Education Trust). Since adults are responsible for establishing and sustaining student-centered, inclusive learning environments, they must first take stock of their strengths for establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with adults and students, including individuals across different perspectives and backgrounds (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). By understanding and applying social, emotional, and intellectual habits, students effectively negotiate daily tasks and challenges. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits assist students in setting and achieving positive goals, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, and making responsible decisions. In addition, they support students’ ability to maintain focus and manage their learning irrespective of obstacles. Students must have the capacity to integrate social, emotional, and intellectual skills, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the course of the day.Embedded within each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the interrelated social, emotional, and intellectual habits, as provided in the Components of Social, Emotional and Intellectual Habits: Kindergarten through Grade 12 document. These habits, over time, will contribute to students’ academic and personal success and are exemplified as areas of development (e.g., identify and understand emotions of self and others; develop logic and reasoning), further organized by learning continua (e.g., empathy; critical and analytical thinking), and clarified by categories of indicators of evidence or developmental milestones (e.g., acknowledge needs of others and act accordingly; agree or disagree with others and give reasons why). By understanding how respect, empathy, responsible behavior, and other social, emotional, and intellectual habits support rapport building, educators can foster trusting relationships with and among students so that each student feels connected and cared for as a member of the classroom community. This sets the stage for all future learning by minimizing the types of social interactions that can activate threats in the brain and impede students’ sense of agency. Students are then empowered to practice self-management and other skills and competencies within their social context (Hammond, 2015).Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (n.d.). How Does SEL Support Educational Equity And Excellence?: Imagine A School Community That Fully Supports Students’ Learning And Development So That All Children Can Thrive. Fundamentals of SEL Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.The Education Trust. (August 2020).  Social, Emotional, and Academic Development through an Equity Lens.

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideImplementing the K-3 ELA Model CurriculumK-3 Model Curricula WebinarEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.The Science of Reading and the Grades K-3 English Language Arts Model Curriculum  Curriculum is the central roadmap for communicating essential learning outcomes for mastery by the end of a grade or grade band. The K-8 English Language Arts Model Curriculum units serve to support districts in delineating how teachers will organize their instruction and teach to develop skills and content knowledge and assess students’ ability to transfer learning. Furthermore, the CSDE’s model curriculum for Grades K-3, inclusive, aligns with the findings of the body of knowledge called the science of reading and the complementary theoretical frameworks (i.e., The Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope). These frameworks explain the development of reading and the many subskills that contribute to skilled reading.  The Science of Reading Defined“The science of reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world, and…has culminated in a preponderance of evidence to inform how proficient reading and writing develop…and how we can most effectively assess and teach and, therefore, improve student outcomes through prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties.” 1 The Grades K-3 English Language Arts Model Curriculum units present the foundational skills that students must develop to become, and improve, as readers. The units are organized and presented in a manner that supports the development of the interrelated skills that contribute to skilled reading. Through purposeful interactions, students must actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures in preparation for the advanced intellectual work required for both listening and reading comprehension. With a carefully arranged sequence of standards within and across the K-3 grade band, the model units present the complex multidimensional nature of the language system, incorporating language components (i.e., phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics) and literacy components (i.e., phonological awareness, alphabetic principle, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension) for reading acquisition.  The Science of Reading: How Children Learn to Read and How They Should Be TaughtThe role of instruction and practice, and the emphasis placed on them, emerged after research conducted over a couple of decades was synthesized to reveal that explicit and systematic instruction was key to students acquiring fundamental skills. Together with teachers’ knowledge of scientific research that has shown us how children learn to read and how they should be taught, districts and schools can facilitate students’ proficient acquisition of fundamental reading skills. Although knowing the science of reading is crucial, it is not enough. Educators must understand the various aspects of culture, including identifying a student’s first language if it is not English, understanding how a student’s first language is structurally different from English, determining why students miss school and if there are trauma impacts, as well as many other unnamed variables. Knowing these factors can help support students and their families in ways beyond reading instruction, and in doing so, learning to read may become easier.1   Science of Reading Defining Guide. (The Reading League, 2022), 6.1. Science of Reading Defining Guide (The Reading League,2022),6.  Course Description:  In the English Language Arts Model Curriculum, there is a balance of informational and literary reading and writing types across the grade levels. In addition to developing students’ abilities to read and comprehend a variety of texts, it is equally important to devote adequate time to engage students in producing clear and coherent writing. Included in each of the units are the Speaking and Listening Standards and the Language Standards, which are essential for supporting the development of reading and writing skills and abilities. Through purposeful interactions, students will actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures. In this course, students will engage in reading and analyzing literature, specifically studying author’s craft while continuing to refine their foundational reading skills in phonics and word recognition and reading fluency. This course also focuses on determining the author’s message in nonfiction texts. Grade 3 is when students begin to formally conduct short independent research projects. Aligned Core Programs: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) in partnership with the State Education Resource Center has engaged with providers of high-quality instructional resources to develop alignment guidance for the CSDE English Language Arts (ELA) Model Curricula. The guidance documents provide information about how instructional content aligns with and supports the implementation of the CSDE ELA Model Curricula. The instructional materials referenced in the alignment guidance documents meet the expectations of Connecticut legislation and Connecticut's Approved K-3 Reading Curriculum Models or Programs. Strong alignment of instructional materials to the CSDE ELA Model Curricula units has the potential to support student engagement with meaningful grade-appropriate content.  Great Minds-Wit and Wisdom Grade 3Imagine Learning EL Education Grade 3Savvas Learning Grade 3Additional Course Information:  Incorporated in each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the Writing Standards, with the expectation that adequate instructional time will be devoted to engaging students in producing and publishing various types of writing. Students need time to perform the intellectual work required for composing, which includes talking about their ideas, analyzing information, and organizing and presenting thoughts precisely and accurately. Developing the ability to analyze author’s craft requires multiple opportunities to engage with texts, so that students can apply literary devices and techniques in writing and make decisions around text structure and language use. When considering writing instruction, it is essential to give attention to the language skills (e.g., spelling, vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax) that directly contribute to writing production. Although writing needs dedicated instructional time, each unit supports an integrated approach to writing instruction by including complementary Speaking and Listening Standards, and Language Standards in service to the writing demands called for in each unit. Students will benefit from additional guidance during writing instruction, especially when spelling, word choice retrieval, fluently generating ideas, and executive functions are challenging. For example, working at the sentence level can help students develop the skills to compose complete compound and complex sentences, and use coordinating, correlative, and subordinating conjunctions in their writing. Sentence expansion activities can support students in writing with greater precision and accuracy. To produce lengthier pieces of writing, students may need support working through the planning and prewriting stages of the writing process and applying specific writing strategies. We must also be mindful of how executive function influences a writer’s capacity to work through the multiple steps and tasks of composing text, and the ability to sustain tasks and efforts to produce the many forms of writing. Navigating linguistically complex texts when conducting research projects and understanding and managing selective attention demands, including in working memory, may require additional scaffolds. Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The integration of social, emotional, and intellectual habits is an important component in a K-12 education and contributes to students’ academic and personal success, and success in college, careers, and civic life. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits set the stage for all future learning, promoting intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competence. Adult beliefs and mindsets, as well as school experiences, all influence the development of social, emotional, and intellectual competencies (The Education Trust). Since adults are responsible for establishing and sustaining student-centered, inclusive learning environments, they must first take stock of their strengths for establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with adults and students, including individuals across different perspectives and backgrounds (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). By understanding and applying social, emotional, and intellectual habits, students effectively negotiate daily tasks and challenges. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits assist students in setting and achieving positive goals, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, and making responsible decisions. In addition, they support students’ ability to maintain focus and manage their learning irrespective of obstacles. Students must have the capacity to integrate social, emotional, and intellectual skills, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the course of the day. Embedded within each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the interrelated social, emotional, and intellectual habits, as provided in the Components of Social, Emotional and Intellectual Habits: Kindergarten through Grade 12 document. These habits, over time, will contribute to students’ academic and personal success and are exemplified as areas of development (e.g., identify and understand emotions of self and others; develop logic and reasoning), further organized by learning continua (e.g., empathy; critical and analytical thinking), and clarified by categories of indicators of evidence or developmental milestones (e.g., acknowledge needs of others and act accordingly; agree or disagree with others and give reasons why). By understanding how respect, empathy, responsible behavior, and other social, emotional, and intellectual habits support rapport building, educators can foster trusting relationships with and among students so that each student feels connected and cared for as a member of the classroom community. This sets the stage for all future learning by minimizing the types of social interactions that can activate threats in the brain and impede students’ sense of agency. Students are then empowered to practice self-management and other skills and competencies within their social context (Hammond, 2015).Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (n.d.). How Does SEL Support Educational Equity And Excellence?: Imagine A School Community That Fully Supports Students’ Learning And Development So That All Children Can Thrive. Fundamentals of SEL Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.The Education Trust. (August 2020).  Social, Emotional, and Academic Development through an Equity Lens. 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In the English Language Arts Model Curriculum, there is a balance of informational and literary reading and writing types across the grade levels. In addition to developing students’ abilities to read and comprehend a variety of texts, it is equally important to devote adequate time to engage students in producing clear and coherent writing. Included in each of the units are the Speaking and Listening Standards and the Language Standards, which are essential for supporting the development of reading and writing skills and abilities. Through purposeful interactions, students will actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures. In this course, students will analyze text structures of informational/explanatory texts, including historical, scientific, and technical texts, and synthesize information from multiple sources to refine background knowledge and inform the production of research writing. This course also focuses on identifying themes and how authors communicate messages. There is an emphasis on figurative language through the study of literature, including mythology and fantasy. Students will identify and analyze author's craft and structure and use this as a springboard for their writing. The foundational reading skills for this grade will focus on reading unfamiliar multisyllabic words and reading grade-level text with sufficient accuracy and fluency.  Aligned Core Programs: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) in partnership with the State Education Resource Center has engaged with providers of high-quality instructional resources to develop alignment guidance for the CSDE English Language Arts (ELA) Model Curricula. The guidance documents provide information about how instructional content aligns with and supports the implementation of the CSDE ELA Model Curricula. The instructional materials referenced in the alignment guidance documents meet the expectations as a core comprehensive resource as determined and reported by EdReports. Use of the instructional materials from these publishers is not required, as the selection of instructional materials is a local decision. If your resources are not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your instructional materials to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of instructional materials to the CSDE ELA Model Curricula units has the potential to support student engagement with meaningful grade-appropriate content. Great Minds-Wit and Wisdom-Grade 4Imagine Learning EL Education Grade 4Savvas Learning Grade 4Additional Course Information:  Incorporated in each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the Writing Standards, with the expectation that adequate instructional time will be devoted to engaging students in producing and publishing various types of writing. Students need time to perform the intellectual work required for composing, which includes talking about their ideas, analyzing information, and organizing and presenting thoughts precisely and accurately. Developing the ability to analyze author’s craft requires multiple opportunities to engage with texts, so that students can apply literary devices and techniques in writing and make decisions around text structure and language use. When considering writing instruction, it is essential to give attention to the language skills (e.g., spelling, vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax) that directly contribute to writing production. Although writing needs dedicated instructional time, each unit supports an integrated approach to writing instruction by including complementary Speaking and Listening Standards, and Language Standards in service to the writing demands called for in each unit.Students will benefit from additional guidance during writing instruction, especially when spelling, word choice retrieval, fluently generating ideas, and executive functions are challenging. For example, working at the sentence level can help students develop the skills to compose complete compound and complex sentences, and use coordinating, correlative, and subordinating conjunctions in their writing. Sentence expansion activities can support students in writing with greater precision and accuracy. To produce lengthier pieces of writing, students may need support working through the planning and prewriting stages of the writing process and applying specific writing strategies. We must also be mindful of how executive function influences a writer’s capacity to work through the multiple steps and tasks of composing text, and the ability to sustain tasks and efforts to produce the many forms of writing. Navigating linguistically complex texts when conducting research projects and understanding and managing selective attention demands, including in working memory, may require additional scaffolds.Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The integration of social, emotional, and intellectual habits is an important component in a K-12 education and contributes to students’ academic and personal success, and success in college, careers, and civic life. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits set the stage for all future learning, promoting intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competence. Adult beliefs and mindsets, as well as school experiences, all influence the development of social, emotional, and intellectual competencies (The Education Trust). Since adults are responsible for establishing and sustaining student-centered, inclusive learning environments, they must first take stock of their strengths for establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with adults and students, including individuals across different perspectives and backgrounds (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). By understanding and applying social, emotional, and intellectual habits, students effectively negotiate daily tasks and challenges. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits assist students in setting and achieving positive goals, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, and making responsible decisions. In addition, they support students’ ability to maintain focus and manage their learning irrespective of obstacles. Students must have the capacity to integrate social, emotional, and intellectual skills, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the course of the day.Embedded within each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the interrelated social, emotional, and intellectual habits, as provided in the Components of Social, Emotional and Intellectual Habits: Kindergarten through Grade 12 document. These habits, over time, will contribute to students’ academic and personal success and are exemplified as areas of development (e.g., identify and understand emotions of self and others; develop logic and reasoning), further organized by learning continua (e.g., empathy; critical and analytical thinking), and clarified by categories of indicators of evidence or developmental milestones (e.g., acknowledge needs of others and act accordingly; agree or disagree with others and give reasons why). By understanding how respect, empathy, responsible behavior, and other social, emotional, and intellectual habits support rapport building, educators can foster trusting relationships with and among students so that each student feels connected and cared for as a member of the classroom community. This sets the stage for all future learning by minimizing the types of social interactions that can activate threats in the brain and impede students’ sense of agency. Students are then empowered to practice self-management and other skills and competencies within their social context (Hammond, 2015).Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (n.d.). How Does SEL Support Educational Equity And Excellence?: Imagine A School Community That Fully Supports Students’ Learning And Development So That All Children Can Thrive. Fundamentals of SEL Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.The Education Trust. (August 2020).  Social, Emotional, and Academic Development through an Equity Lens. 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In the English Language Arts Model Curriculum, there is a balance of informational and literary reading and writing types across the grade levels. In addition to developing students’ abilities to read and comprehend a variety of texts, it is equally important to devote adequate time to engage students in producing clear and coherent writing. Included in each of the units are the Speaking and Listening Standards and the Language Standards, which are essential for supporting the development of reading and writing skills and abilities. Through purposeful interactions, students will actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures. This course requires students to analyze language to make meaning of figurative language and determine points of view and themes in literature. Additionally, students will explain how the author's choice of figurative language enhances poetry, and then begin to incorporate these more complex aspects of author’s craft in their own writing. Grades 4 and 5 require students to synthesize information from multiple informational texts. Building upon the understanding of craft and structure, this course introduces the difference between first and secondhand sources and how the author's point of view affects how events are described and interpreted. The level of text complexity is increased in Grade 5, asking students to read critically, which will support the production of opinion writing. The foundational reading skills work for Grade 5 includes syllabication patterns, morphology, and reading with accuracy and fluency. Aligned Core Programs: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) in partnership with the State Education Resource Center has engaged with providers of high-quality instructional resources to develop alignment guidance for the CSDE English Language Arts (ELA) Model Curricula. The guidance documents provide information about how instructional content aligns with and supports the implementation of the CSDE ELA Model Curricula. The instructional materials referenced in the alignment guidance documents meet the expectations as a core comprehensive resource as determined and reported by EdReports. Use of the instructional materials from these publishers is not required, as the selection of instructional materials is a local decision. If your resources are not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your instructional materials to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of instructional materials to the CSDE ELA Model Curricula units has the potential to support student engagement with meaningful grade-appropriate content.   Great Minds-Wit and Wisdom-Grade 5Imagine Learning EL Education Grade 5Savvas Learning Grade 5Additional Course Information:  Incorporated in each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the Writing Standards, with the expectation that adequate instructional time will be devoted to engaging students in producing and publishing various types of writing. Students need time to perform the intellectual work required for composing, which includes talking about their ideas, analyzing information, and organizing and presenting thoughts precisely and accurately. Developing the ability to analyze author’s craft requires multiple opportunities to engage with texts, so that students can apply literary devices and techniques in writing and make decisions around text structure and language use. When considering writing instruction, it is essential to give attention to the language skills (e.g., spelling, vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax) that directly contribute to writing production. Although writing needs dedicated instructional time, each unit supports an integrated approach to writing instruction by including complementary Speaking and Listening Standards, and Language Standards in service to the writing demands called for in each unit.Students will benefit from additional guidance during writing instruction, especially when spelling, word choice retrieval, fluently generating ideas, and executive functions are challenging. For example, working at the sentence level can help students develop the skills to compose complete compound and complex sentences, and use coordinating, correlative, and subordinating conjunctions in their writing. Sentence expansion activities can support students in writing with greater precision and accuracy. To produce lengthier pieces of writing, students may need support working through the planning and prewriting stages of the writing process and applying specific writing strategies. We must also be mindful of how executive function influences a writer’s capacity to work through the multiple steps and tasks of composing text, and the ability to sustain tasks and efforts to produce the many forms of writing. Navigating linguistically complex texts when conducting research projects and understanding and managing selective attention demands, including in working memory, may require additional scaffolds.Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The integration of social, emotional, and intellectual habits is an important component in a K-12 education and contributes to students’ academic and personal success, and success in college, careers, and civic life. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits set the stage for all future learning, promoting intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competence. Adult beliefs and mindsets, as well as school experiences, all influence the development of social, emotional, and intellectual competencies (The Education Trust). Since adults are responsible for establishing and sustaining student-centered, inclusive learning environments, they must first take stock of their strengths for establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with adults and students, including individuals across different perspectives and backgrounds (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). By understanding and applying social, emotional, and intellectual habits, students effectively negotiate daily tasks and challenges. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits assist students in setting and achieving positive goals, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, and making responsible decisions. In addition, they support students’ ability to maintain focus and manage their learning irrespective of obstacles. Students must have the capacity to integrate social, emotional, and intellectual skills, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the course of the day.Embedded within each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the interrelated social, emotional, and intellectual habits, as provided in the Components of Social, Emotional and Intellectual Habits: Kindergarten through Grade 12 document. These habits, over time, will contribute to students’ academic and personal success and are exemplified as areas of development (e.g., identify and understand emotions of self and others; develop logic and reasoning), further organized by learning continua (e.g., empathy; critical and analytical thinking), and clarified by categories of indicators of evidence or developmental milestones (e.g., acknowledge needs of others and act accordingly; agree or disagree with others and give reasons why). By understanding how respect, empathy, responsible behavior, and other social, emotional, and intellectual habits support rapport building, educators can foster trusting relationships with and among students so that each student feels connected and cared for as a member of the classroom community. This sets the stage for all future learning by minimizing the types of social interactions that can activate threats in the brain and impede students’ sense of agency. Students are then empowered to practice self-management and other skills and competencies within their social context (Hammond, 2015).Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (n.d.). How Does SEL Support Educational Equity And Excellence?: Imagine A School Community That Fully Supports Students’ Learning And Development So That All Children Can Thrive. Fundamentals of SEL Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.The Education Trust. (August 2020).  Social, Emotional, and Academic Development through an Equity Lens. 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In the English Language Arts Model Curriculum, there is a balance of informational and literary reading and writing types across the grade levels. In addition to developing students’ abilities to read and comprehend a variety of texts, it is equally important to devote adequate time to engage students in producing clear and coherent writing. Included in each of the units are the Speaking and Listening Standards and the Language Standards, which are essential for supporting the development of reading and writing skills and abilities. Through purposeful interactions, students will actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures. In this course, students further their understanding of author’s craft and text structure, focusing on how authors use language, structure, and tone strategically to create and convey meaning. Students compare and contrast narrative texts in different forms and genres, determining central ideas and details and using that information to write summaries of the texts. This course provides students with the opportunity to explore how authors craft arguments through the use of supporting evidence. Additionally, students will refine their ability to analyze the validity of the evidence provided in texts that present arguments. This analysis supports students as they create their own researched argument.  Aligned Core Programs: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) in partnership with the State Education Resource Center has engaged with providers of high-quality instructional resources to develop alignment guidance for the CSDE English Language Arts (ELA) Model Curricula. The guidance documents provide information about how instructional content aligns with and supports the implementation of the CSDE ELA Model Curricula. The instructional materials referenced in the alignment guidance documents meet the expectations as a core comprehensive resource as determined and reported by EdReports. Use of the instructional materials from these publishers is not required, as the selection of instructional materials is a local decision. If your resources are not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your instructional materials to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of instructional materials to the CSDE ELA Model Curricula units has the potential to support student engagement with meaningful grade-appropriate content.    Great Minds-Wit and Wisdom-Grade 6Imagine Learning EL Education Grade 6Savvas Learning Grade 6Additional Course Information:  Incorporated in each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the Writing Standards, with the expectation that adequate instructional time will be devoted to engaging students in producing and publishing various types of writing. Students need time to perform the intellectual work required for composing, which includes talking about their ideas, analyzing information, and organizing and presenting thoughts precisely and accurately. Developing the ability to analyze author’s craft requires multiple opportunities to engage with texts, so that students can apply literary devices and techniques in writing and make decisions around text structure and language use. When considering writing instruction, it is essential to give attention to the language skills (e.g., spelling, vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax) that directly contribute to writing production. Although writing needs dedicated instructional time, each unit supports an integrated approach to writing instruction by including complementary Speaking and Listening Standards, and Language Standards in service to the writing demands called for in each unit.Students will benefit from additional guidance during writing instruction, especially when spelling, word choice retrieval, fluently generating ideas, and executive functions are challenging. For example, working at the sentence level can help students develop the skills to compose complete compound and complex sentences, and use coordinating, correlative, and subordinating conjunctions in their writing. Sentence expansion activities can support students in writing with greater precision and accuracy. To produce lengthier pieces of writing, students may need support working through the planning and prewriting stages of the writing process and applying specific writing strategies. We must also be mindful of how executive function influences a writer’s capacity to work through the multiple steps and tasks of composing text, and the ability to sustain tasks and efforts to produce the many forms of writing. Navigating linguistically complex texts when conducting research projects and understanding and managing selective attention demands, including in working memory, may require additional scaffolds.Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The integration of social, emotional, and intellectual habits is an important component in a K-12 education and contributes to students’ academic and personal success, and success in college, careers, and civic life. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits set the stage for all future learning, promoting intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competence. Adult beliefs and mindsets, as well as school experiences, all influence the development of social, emotional, and intellectual competencies (The Education Trust). Since adults are responsible for establishing and sustaining student-centered, inclusive learning environments, they must first take stock of their strengths for establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with adults and students, including individuals across different perspectives and backgrounds (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). By understanding and applying social, emotional, and intellectual habits, students effectively negotiate daily tasks and challenges. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits assist students in setting and achieving positive goals, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, and making responsible decisions. In addition, they support students’ ability to maintain focus and manage their learning irrespective of obstacles. Students must have the capacity to integrate social, emotional, and intellectual skills, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the course of the day.Embedded within each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the interrelated social, emotional, and intellectual habits, as provided in the Components of Social, Emotional and Intellectual Habits: Kindergarten through Grade 12 document. These habits, over time, will contribute to students’ academic and personal success and are exemplified as areas of development (e.g., identify and understand emotions of self and others; develop logic and reasoning), further organized by learning continua (e.g., empathy; critical and analytical thinking), and clarified by categories of indicators of evidence or developmental milestones (e.g., acknowledge needs of others and act accordingly; agree or disagree with others and give reasons why). By understanding how respect, empathy, responsible behavior, and other social, emotional, and intellectual habits support rapport building, educators can foster trusting relationships with and among students so that each student feels connected and cared for as a member of the classroom community. This sets the stage for all future learning by minimizing the types of social interactions that can activate threats in the brain and impede students’ sense of agency. Students are then empowered to practice self-management and other skills and competencies within their social context (Hammond, 2015).Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (n.d.). How Does SEL Support Educational Equity And Excellence?: Imagine A School Community That Fully Supports Students’ Learning And Development So That All Children Can Thrive. Fundamentals of SEL Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.The Education Trust. (August 2020).  Social, Emotional, and Academic Development through an Equity Lens. 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In the English Language Arts Model Curriculum, there is a balance of informational and literary reading and writing types across the grade levels. In addition to developing students’ abilities to read and comprehend a variety of texts, it is equally important to devote adequate time to engage students in producing clear and coherent writing. Included in each of the units are the Speaking and Listening Standards and the Language Standards, which are essential for supporting the development of reading and writing skills and abilities. Through purposeful interactions, students will actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures. In this course, students will work in collaborative groups and engage in discussions to analyze the elements that help develop a good story. Students will explore techniques that authors use to engage a reader and use these techniques to write narratives. As students write their narratives, they will pay specific attention to precise language and word choices to develop characters, events, and actions. By studying text types and purposes, students can work to enhance their skills and abilities to develop complete, multi-paragraph, logically sequenced texts, using language appropriate for the topic and the audience. This unit blends traditional rhetorical analysis with the media literacy skills needed to be critical consumers of information in today’s media landscape. This course also focuses on teaching students to recognize and examine the text of an argument (e.g., in an essay) to understand how arguments follow a framework as a means of analytical thinking. Finally, students will study how authors of historical fiction use factual events and people, as well as fictional events and characters, to illustrate themes and concepts.  Aligned Core Programs: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) in partnership with the State Education Resource Center has engaged with providers of high-quality instructional resources to develop alignment guidance for the CSDE English Language Arts (ELA) Model Curricula. The guidance documents provide information about how instructional content aligns with and supports the implementation of the CSDE ELA Model Curricula. The instructional materials referenced in the alignment guidance documents meet the expectations as a core comprehensive resource as determined and reported by EdReports. Use of the instructional materials from these publishers is not required, as the selection of instructional materials is a local decision. If your resources are not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your instructional materials to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of instructional materials to the CSDE ELA Model Curricula units has the potential to support student engagement with meaningful grade-appropriate content.  Additional Course Information:  Incorporated in each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the Writing Standards, with the expectation that adequate instructional time will be devoted to engaging students in producing and publishing various types of writing. Students need time to perform the intellectual work required for composing, which includes talking about their ideas, analyzing information, and organizing and presenting thoughts precisely and accurately. Developing the ability to analyze author’s craft requires multiple opportunities to engage with texts, so that students can apply literary devices and techniques in writing and make decisions around text structure and language use. When considering writing instruction, it is essential to give attention to the language skills (e.g., spelling, vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax) that directly contribute to writing production. Although writing needs dedicated instructional time, each unit supports an integrated approach to writing instruction by including complementary Speaking and Listening Standards, and Language Standards in service to the writing demands called for in each unit.Students will benefit from additional guidance during writing instruction, especially when spelling, word choice retrieval, fluently generating ideas, and executive functions are challenging. For example, working at the sentence level can help students develop the skills to compose complete compound and complex sentences, and use coordinating, correlative, and subordinating conjunctions in their writing. Sentence expansion activities can support students in writing with greater precision and accuracy. To produce lengthier pieces of writing, students may need support working through the planning and prewriting stages of the writing process and applying specific writing strategies. We must also be mindful of how executive function influences a writer’s capacity to work through the multiple steps and tasks of composing text, and the ability to sustain tasks and efforts to produce the many forms of writing. Navigating linguistically complex texts when conducting research projects and understanding and managing selective attention demands, including in working memory, may require additional scaffolds.Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The integration of social, emotional, and intellectual habits is an important component in a K-12 education and contributes to students’ academic and personal success, and success in college, careers, and civic life. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits set the stage for all future learning, promoting intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competence. Adult beliefs and mindsets, as well as school experiences, all influence the development of social, emotional, and intellectual competencies (The Education Trust). Since adults are responsible for establishing and sustaining student-centered, inclusive learning environments, they must first take stock of their strengths for establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with adults and students, including individuals across different perspectives and backgrounds (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). By understanding and applying social, emotional, and intellectual habits, students effectively negotiate daily tasks and challenges. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits assist students in setting and achieving positive goals, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, and making responsible decisions. In addition, they support students’ ability to maintain focus and manage their learning irrespective of obstacles. Students must have the capacity to integrate social, emotional, and intellectual skills, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the course of the day.Embedded within each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the interrelated social, emotional, and intellectual habits, as provided in the Components of Social, Emotional and Intellectual Habits: Kindergarten through Grade 12 document. These habits, over time, will contribute to students’ academic and personal success and are exemplified as areas of development (e.g., identify and understand emotions of self and others; develop logic and reasoning), further organized by learning continua (e.g., empathy; critical and analytical thinking), and clarified by categories of indicators of evidence or developmental milestones (e.g., acknowledge needs of others and act accordingly; agree or disagree with others and give reasons why). By understanding how respect, empathy, responsible behavior, and other social, emotional, and intellectual habits support rapport building, educators can foster trusting relationships with and among students so that each student feels connected and cared for as a member of the classroom community. This sets the stage for all future learning by minimizing the types of social interactions that can activate threats in the brain and impede students’ sense of agency. Students are then empowered to practice self-management and other skills and competencies within their social context (Hammond, 2015).Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (n.d.). How Does SEL Support Educational Equity And Excellence?: Imagine A School Community That Fully Supports Students’ Learning And Development So That All Children Can Thrive. Fundamentals of SELHammond, Z. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.The Education Trust. (August 2020).  Social, Emotional, and Academic Development through an Equity

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In the English Language Arts Model Curriculum, there is a balance of informational and literary reading and writing types across the grade levels. In addition to developing students’ abilities to read and comprehend a variety of texts, it is equally important to devote adequate time to engage students in producing clear and coherent writing. Included in each of the units are the Speaking and Listening Standards and the Language Standards, which are essential for supporting the development of reading and writing skills and abilities. Through purposeful interactions, students will actively engage in rigorous conversations, refine speaking and listening skills, and build their knowledge of language structures. In this course, students will engage with narrative texts to analyze key ideas and details of narrative stories, specifically to determine what makes an interesting and engaging story. Students will study authors’ considerations regarding characters' points of view and perspectives, and how those elements function together with the audience to create effects such as suspense and humor. Students will analyze how information and ideas appear in various formats, including multi-media, and how to distinguish the underlying motives of those presentations (e.g., the central theme, and the purpose behind the words). This course also serves to advance students’ skills with argument writing and begins with evaluating an author’s argument, recognizing when the evidence presented in the text is irrelevant and unsound based on the claims made by the author. Students will learn to identify inaccuracies and recognize when an author’s perspective is influencing aspects of the argument. Near the end of the course, students will conduct short research projects based on a focused question and demonstrate understanding through the presentation of the inquiry topic. Students will be expected to gather data and other relevant information from credible sources both online and in print to answer a research question, add to the topic in engaging and relevant ways, use resources to inform direct quotes or to paraphrase, and use the appropriate citation and format style (e.g., Modern Language Association, American Psychological Association, Chicago Manual of Style) to avoid plagiarism.  Aligned Core Programs: The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) in partnership with the State Education Resource Center has engaged with providers of high-quality instructional resources to develop alignment guidance for the CSDE English Language Arts (ELA) Model Curricula. The guidance documents provide information about how instructional content aligns with and supports the implementation of the CSDE ELA Model Curricula. The instructional materials referenced in the alignment guidance documents meet the expectations as a core comprehensive resource as determined and reported by EdReports. Use of the instructional materials from these publishers is not required, as the selection of instructional materials is a local decision. If your resources are not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your instructional materials to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of instructional materials to the CSDE ELA Model Curricula units has the potential to support student engagement with meaningful grade-appropriate content.    Additional Course Information:  Incorporated in each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the Writing Standards, with the expectation that adequate instructional time will be devoted to engaging students in producing and publishing various types of writing. Students need time to perform the intellectual work required for composing, which includes talking about their ideas, analyzing information, and organizing and presenting thoughts precisely and accurately. Developing the ability to analyze author’s craft requires multiple opportunities to engage with texts, so that students can apply literary devices and techniques in writing and make decisions around text structure and language use. When considering writing instruction, it is essential to give attention to the language skills (e.g., spelling, vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax) that directly contribute to writing production. Although writing needs dedicated instructional time, each unit supports an integrated approach to writing instruction by including complementary Speaking and Listening Standards, and Language Standards in service to the writing demands called for in each unit.Students will benefit from additional guidance during writing instruction, especially when spelling, word choice retrieval, fluently generating ideas, and executive functions are challenging. For example, working at the sentence level can help students develop the skills to compose complete compound and complex sentences, and use coordinating, correlative, and subordinating conjunctions in their writing. Sentence expansion activities can support students in writing with greater precision and accuracy. To produce lengthier pieces of writing, students may need support working through the planning and prewriting stages of the writing process and applying specific writing strategies. We must also be mindful of how executive function influences a writer’s capacity to work through the multiple steps and tasks of composing text, and the ability to sustain tasks and efforts to produce the many forms of writing. Navigating linguistically complex texts when conducting research projects and understanding and managing selective attention demands, including in working memory, may require additional scaffolds.Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The integration of social, emotional, and intellectual habits is an important component in a K-12 education and contributes to students’ academic and personal success, and success in college, careers, and civic life. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits set the stage for all future learning, promoting intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competence. Adult beliefs and mindsets, as well as school experiences, all influence the development of social, emotional, and intellectual competencies (The Education Trust). Since adults are responsible for establishing and sustaining student-centered, inclusive learning environments, they must first take stock of their strengths for establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with adults and students, including individuals across different perspectives and backgrounds (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). By understanding and applying social, emotional, and intellectual habits, students effectively negotiate daily tasks and challenges. Social, emotional, and intellectual habits assist students in setting and achieving positive goals, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, and making responsible decisions. In addition, they support students’ ability to maintain focus and manage their learning irrespective of obstacles. Students must have the capacity to integrate social, emotional, and intellectual skills, attitudes, and behaviors throughout the course of the day.Embedded within each of the English Language Arts Model Curriculum units are the interrelated social, emotional, and intellectual habits, as provided in the Components of Social, Emotional and Intellectual Habits: Kindergarten through Grade 12 document. These habits, over time, will contribute to students’ academic and personal success and are exemplified as areas of development (e.g., identify and understand emotions of self and others; develop logic and reasoning), further organized by learning continua (e.g., empathy; critical and analytical thinking), and clarified by categories of indicators of evidence or developmental milestones (e.g., acknowledge needs of others and act accordingly; agree or disagree with others and give reasons why). By understanding how respect, empathy, responsible behavior, and other social, emotional, and intellectual habits support rapport building, educators can foster trusting relationships with and among students so that each student feels connected and cared for as a member of the classroom community. This sets the stage for all future learning by minimizing the types of social interactions that can activate threats in the brain and impede students’ sense of agency. Students are then empowered to practice self-management and other skills and competencies within their social context (Hammond, 2015).Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (n.d.). How Does SEL Support Educational Equity And Excellence?: Imagine A School Community That Fully Supports Students’ Learning And Development So That All Children Can Thrive. Fundamentals of SELHammond, Z. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.The Education Trust. (August 2020).  Social, Emotional, and Academic Development through an Equity

Next Gen Personal Finance Grade 6-8 VideoNext Gen Personal Finance DEMO VideoCSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description: The  Middle School Course is designed to be an engaging, teacher-led curriculum for grades 6 - 8. From money values to credit, taxes to investing, and interview skills to resumes, the interactive NGPF Middle School Course covers all grade level appropriate topics within personal finance in 9 individual units. The course content aligns to the Middle School Jump$tart National Standards. Upon completion of the course, students will have the ability to:Discuss knowledge, skills, interests, and experience required for different types of jobs.Describe the difference between wages, salaries, commissions, and tips.Understand government-provided services are paid for with taxes.Analyze how people differ in values and attitudes about spending.Share examples of how price, spending choices of others, peer pressure, or advertising influence a purchase decision.Explain the similarities between paying for purchases with cash, checks, and debit cards.Compare the effects of using debit versus credit cards to make purchases.Describe the advantages of saving money in an account at a financial institution rather than keeping the money at home.Explain why people invest money.Identify long-term financial goals that are most likely to be achieved by people who regularly invest their money over many years.Discuss reasons people may prefer to buy something with credit rather than paying cash.Investigate the types of insurance commonly available for people to purchase.Aligned Core Resources:Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success. The CSDE has identified Next Generation Personal Finance as a highly aligned core resounce after a rigorous review process. Additional Course Information:  The curriculum is online-based and is best implemented in a classroom where students have 1:1 access to technology. All materials are customizable to help you meet the needs of every student in your classroom. The lessons and activities may be completed in person, remotely, and/or in a hybrid learning environment. The curriculum includes a diagnostic exam and a final exam, as well as one exam per unit for units 2 - 9.ELA/Math Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: Each Lesson Guide includes a checklist of Math skills (Order of operations, Ratios, Proportions, and Percents, Expressions and Equations, Graphing on a Coordinate Plane, Measures of Central Tendency) and ELA skills (Conduct research to locate information, Write claims with clear reasons and evidence, Understand and summarize key topics from a text or visual, Participate in discussions and state ideas clearly). You will see the checkbox marked at the top of the Lesson Guide for each skill that is addressed in that lesson.

 Next Gen Personal Finance High School Courses VideoNext Gen Personal Finance High School Demo VideoCSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description: The NGPF Semester Course is designed to be an engaging, teacher-led curriculum for grades 9 - 12. This course is perfect for teachers who have an entire semester to teach personal finance concepts. It features lesson plans to meet diverse learning styles; rigorous, engaging activities throughout the term; and a digital format so that content is always up-to-date and accessible. The course content aligns to the National Standards for Personal Financial Education. Upon completion of the course, students will have the ability to:Understand the benefits of participating in employer sponsored retirement savings plans and healthcare savings plans.Identify different types of jobs and careers where wages and salaries depend on a worker’s productivity and skills.Differentiate between gross, net, and taxable income.Calculate the amount of taxes a person is likely to pay.Develop a budget to allocate current income to necessary and desired spending, including estimates for both fixed and variable expenses.Describe how inflation affects purchase decisions and the price of goods and services.Analyze social media marketing and advertising techniques designed to encourage spending.Investigate common types of consumer fraud and unfair or deceptive business practices, including online scams, phone solicitations, and redlining.Compare and contrast the features of mobile payment accounts, cryptocurrency accounts, and checking/savings accounts.Explain how traditional IRAs (individual retirement accounts), Roth IRAs, and education savings accounts provide incentives for people to save.Describe how credit card grace periods, methods of interest calculation, and fees affect borrowing costs.Explain the role the FAFSA plays in applying for college financial aid.Identify scholarships and grants for which they are eligible.Analyze the conditions under which it is appropriate for young adults to have life, health, and disability insurance.Recommend types of insurance needed by people with different characteristics.Aligned Core Resources:Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success. The CSDE has identified Next Generation Personal Finance as a highly aligned core resource after a rigorous review process.Additional Course Information: The NGPF Semester Course includes a diagnostic, midterm, and final exam. It also contains 9 unit tests, 1-2 options for alternative summative assignments for each of the 9 units, and a final project. This course is online-based and is best implemented in a classroom where students have 1:1 access to technology. All materials are customizable to help you meet the needs of every student in your classroom. The lessons and activities may be completed in person, remotely, and/or in a hybrid learning environment. For teachers who have a full year to teach personal finance content, see the NGPF Full Year Course

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In Kindergarten, instructional time should focus on two critical areas: (1) representing and comparing whole numbers, initially with sets of objects; (2) describing shapes and space. More learning time in Kindergarten should be devoted to number than to other topics. Upon completion of this course students will have the ability to: Know number names and the count sequence. Count to tell the number of objects. Compare numbers. Understand addition as putting together and adding to and understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from. Work with numbers 11-19 to gain foundations for place value. Describe and compare measurable attributes. Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category.Identify and describe shapes. Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes. Aligned Core Resources:Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success.  There are tools that are available to assist in evaluating alignment, such as CCSSO’s Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project and Student Achievement Partner’s Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool.  In addition EdReports and Louisiana Believes are two sources of completed reviews for a variety of resources.  Connecticut is currently working on providing additional alignment guidance for the most frequently used resources across the state. Aligned Core Programs:  The CSDE in partnership with SERC has engaged with providers of high-quality vetted resources to provide additional alignment guidance to the CSDE model curriculum.  High-quality instructional resources are critical for improving student outcomes. The alignment guidance is intended to clarify content and support understanding for clear implementation and coherence. Materials selection is a local control decision and these documents have been provided from participating publishers to assist districts in implementation. Use of the materials from these publishers is not required. These aligned core programs meet expectations as reported by EdReports. If your resource is not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your resource to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of curricula and instructional materials have the potential to support student engagement of meaningful grade level content daily and teacher growth.  enVisions Grade KEureka Grade KImagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics Grade Ki-Ready Classroom Mathematics Grade KHMH Into Math Grade KFinancial Literacy Connections:The State of Connecticut is committed to implementing high-quality Financial Literacy instruction at all grade levels beginning in kindergarten. Financial Literacy supports students’ academic performance in several subject areas. The K-5 Model Math Curricula embeds tasks that align the mathematical content and skill to the essential Financial Literacy concepts such as income, spending, saving, investing, credit and risk. The concepts contained in the learning tasks are designed to be rich, hands-on activities with developmentally appropriate real-world connections.  The tasks are identified by grade level and embedded in the appropriate units so that students can demonstrate mastery of what they need to know and be able to do by the end of their K-5 school experience. In this way, elementary students will be prepared to build upon Financial Literacy knowledge as they advance through middle and high school.Additional Course Information:  Major work of Kindergarten mathematics focuses on addition and subtraction – concepts, skills, and problem solving; place value. Fluencies expected for Kindergarten include: Add/subtract within 5 Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions that students need to develop a deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics. They describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication. Therefore, the following should be addressed throughout the course: Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them Reason abstractly & quantitatively Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for & make use of structure Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In Grade 1, instructional time should focus on four critical areas: (1) developing understanding of addition, subtraction, and strategies for addition and subtraction within 20; (2) developing understanding of whole number relationships and place value, including grouping in tens and ones; (3) developing understanding of linear measurement and measuring lengths as iterating length units; and (4) reasoning about attributes of, and composing and decomposing geometric shapes. Upon completion of this course students will have the ability to: Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction. Understand and apply properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction. Add and subtract within 20. Work with addition and subtraction equations. Extend the counting sequence. Understand place value. Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract. Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating length units. Tell and write time. Represent and interpret data. Reason with shapes and their attributes.Aligned Core Resources:Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success.  There are tools that are available to assist in evaluating alignment, such as CCSSO’s Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project and Student Achievement Partner’s Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool.  In addition EdReports and Louisiana Believes are two sources of completed reviews for a variety of resources.  Connecticut is currently working on providing additional alignment guidance for the most frequently used resources across the state. Aligned Core Programs:  The CSDE in partnership with SERC has engaged with providers of high-quality vetted resources to provide additional alignment guidance to the CSDE model curriculum.  High-quality instructional resources are critical for improving student outcomes. The alignment guidance is intended to clarify content and support understanding for clear implementation and coherence. Materials selection is a local control decision and these documents have been provided from participating publishers to assist districts in implementation. Use of the materials from these publishers is not required. These aligned core programs meet expectations as reported by EdReports. If your resource is not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your resource to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of curricula and instructional materials have the potential to support student engagement of meaningful grade level content daily and teacher growth.  enVisions Grade 1Eureka Grade 1Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics Grade 1i-Ready Classroom Mathematics Grade 1HMH Into Math Grade 1Financial Literacy Connections:The State of Connecticut is committed to implementing high-quality Financial Literacy instruction at all grade levels beginning in kindergarten. Financial Literacy supports students’ academic performance in several subject areas. The K-5 Model Math Curricula embeds tasks that align the mathematical content and skill to the essential Financial Literacy concepts such as income, spending, saving, investing, credit and risk. The concepts contained in the learning tasks are designed to be rich, hands-on activities with developmentally appropriate real-world connections.  The tasks are identified by grade level and embedded in the appropriate units so that students can demonstrate mastery of what they need to know and be able to do by the end of their K-5 school experience. In this way, elementary students will be prepared to build upon Financial Literacy knowledge as they advance through middle and high school.Additional Course Information:  Major work of Grade 1 mathematics focuses on addition and subtraction – concepts, skills, and problem solving; place value. Fluencies expected for Grade 1 include: Add/subtract within 10Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions that students need to develop a deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics. They describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication. Therefore, the following should be addressed throughout the course: Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them Reason abstractly & quantitatively Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for & make use of structure Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In Grade 2, instructional time should focus on four critical areas: (1) extending understanding of base-ten notation; (2) building fluency with addition and subtraction; (3) using standard units of measure; and (4) describing and analyzing shapes. Upon completion of this course students will have the ability to: Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction. Add and subtract within 20. Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication. Understand place value. Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract. Measure and estimate lengths in standard units. Relate addition and subtraction to length. Work with time and money. Represent and interpret data. Reason with shapes and their attributes. Aligned Core Resources:Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success.  There are tools that are available to assist in evaluating alignment, such as CCSSO’s Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project and Student Achievement Partner’s Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool.  In addition EdReports and Louisiana Believes are two sources of completed reviews for a variety of resources.  Connecticut is currently working on providing additional alignment guidance for the most frequently used resources across the state. Aligned Core Programs:  The CSDE in partnership with SERC has engaged with providers of high-quality vetted resources to provide additional alignment guidance to the CSDE model curriculum.  High-quality instructional resources are critical for improving student outcomes. The alignment guidance is intended to clarify content and support understanding for clear implementation and coherence. Materials selection is a local control decision and these documents have been provided from participating publishers to assist districts in implementation. Use of the materials from these publishers is not required. These aligned core programs meet expectations as reported by EdReports. If your resource is not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your resource to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of curricula and instructional materials have the potential to support student engagement of meaningful grade level content daily and teacher growth.  enVisions Grade 2Eureka Grade 2Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics Grade 2i-Ready Classroom Mathematics Grade 2HMH Into Math Grade 2Financial Literacy Connections:The State of Connecticut is committed to implementing high-quality Financial Literacy instruction at all grade levels beginning in kindergarten. Financial Literacy supports students’ academic performance in several subject areas. The K-5 Model Math Curricula embeds tasks that align the mathematical content and skill to the essential Financial Literacy concepts such as income, spending, saving, investing, credit and risk. The concepts contained in the learning tasks are designed to be rich, hands-on activities with developmentally appropriate real-world connections.  The tasks are identified by grade level and embedded in the appropriate units so that students can demonstrate mastery of what they need to know and be able to do by the end of their K-5 school experience. In this way, elementary students will be prepared to build upon Financial Literacy knowledge as they advance through middle and high school.Additional Course Information:  Major work of Grade 2 mathematics focuses on addition and subtraction – concepts, skills, and problem solving; place value. Fluencies expected for Grade 2 include: Add/subtract within 20 (know single-digit sums from memory) Add/subtract within 100 Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions that students need to develop a deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics. They describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication. Therefore, the following should be addressed throughout the course: Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them Reason abstractly & quantitatively Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for & make use of structure Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In Grade 3, instructional time should focus on four critical areas: (1) developing understanding of multiplication and division and strategies for multiplication and division within 100; (2) developing understanding of fractions, especially unit fractions (fractions with numerator 1); (3) developing understanding of the structure of rectangular arrays and of area; and (4) describing and analyzing two-dimensional shapes. Upon completion of this course students will have the ability to: Represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division; Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship between multiplication and division. Multiply and divide within 100; Solve problems involving the four operations, and identify and explain patterns in arithmetic; Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic; Develop understanding of fractions as numbers; Solve problems involving measurement and estimation of intervals of time, liquid volumes, and masses of objects; Represent and interpret data; Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition; Geometric measurement: recognize perimeter as an attribute of plane figures and distinguish between linear measures ( such as length and perimeter) and area measures; and Reason with shapes and their attributes. Aligned Core Resources:Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success.  There are tools that are available to assist in evaluating alignment, such as CCSSO’s Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project and Student Achievement Partner’s Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool.  In addition EdReports and Louisiana Believes are two sources of completed reviews for a variety of resources.  Connecticut is currently working on providing additional alignment guidance for the most frequently used resources across the state. Aligned Core Programs:  The CSDE in partnership with SERC has engaged with providers of high-quality vetted resources to provide additional alignment guidance to the CSDE model curriculum.  High-quality instructional resources are critical for improving student outcomes. The alignment guidance is intended to clarify content and support understanding for clear implementation and coherence. Materials selection is a local control decision and these documents have been provided from participating publishers to assist districts in implementation. Use of the materials from these publishers is not required. These aligned core programs meet expectations as reported by EdReports. If your resource is not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your resource to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of curricula and instructional materials have the potential to support student engagement of meaningful grade level content daily and teacher growth.  Achievement First Math Grade 3enVisions Grade 3Eureka Grade 3Fishtank Plus Math Grade 3HMH into Math Grade 3Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics Grade 3i-Ready Math Grade 3Reveal Math Grade 3Financial Literacy Connections:The State of Connecticut is committed to implementing high-quality Financial Literacy instruction at all grade levels beginning in kindergarten. Financial Literacy supports students’ academic performance in several subject areas. The K-5 Model Math Curricula embeds tasks that align the mathematical content and skill to the essential Financial Literacy concepts such as income, spending, saving, investing, credit and risk.  The concepts contained in the learning tasks are designed to be rich, hands-on activities with developmentally appropriate real-world connections.  The tasks are identified by grade level and embedded in the appropriate units so that students can demonstrate mastery of what they need to know and be able to do by the end of their K-5 school experience. In this way, elementary students will be prepared to build upon Financial Literacy knowledge as they advance through middle and high school.Additional Course Information:  Major work of Grade 3 mathematics focuses on multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions including concepts, skills, and problem solving. Fluencies expected for Grade 3 include:   Multiply/divide within 100 (know single-digit products from memory) Add/subtract within 1000 Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions that students need to develop a deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics. They describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication. Therefore, the following should be addressed throughout the course: Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them Reason abstractly & quantitatively Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for & make use of structure Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In Grade 4, instructional time should focus on three critical areas: (1) developing understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication, and developing understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi-digit dividends; (2) developing an understanding of fraction equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, and multiplication of fractions by whole numbers; (3) understanding that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties, such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular angle measures, and symmetry. Upon completion of this course students will have the ability to: Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems; Gain familiarity with factors and multiples; Generate and analyze patterns; Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers; Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic; Extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering; Build fractions from unit fractions; Understand decimal notation for fractions, and compare decimal fractions; Solve problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements; Represent and interpret data; Geometric measurement: understand concepts of angle and measure angles; and Draw and identify lines and angles, and classify shapes by properties of their lines and angles. Aligned Core Resources:Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success.  There are tools that are available to assist in evaluating alignment, such as CCSSO’s Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project and Student Achievement Partner’s Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool.  In addition EdReports and Louisiana Believes are two sources of completed reviews for a variety of resources.  Connecticut is currently working on providing additional alignment guidance for the most frequently used resources across the state. Aligned Core Programs:  The CSDE in partnership with SERC has engaged with providers of high-quality vetted resources to provide additional alignment guidance to the CSDE model curriculum.  High-quality instructional resources are critical for improving student outcomes. The alignment guidance is intended to clarify content and support understanding for clear implementation and coherence. Materials selection is a local control decision and these documents have been provided from participating publishers to assist districts in implementation. Use of the materials from these publishers is not required. These aligned core programs meet expectations as reported by EdReports. If your resource is not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your resource to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of curricula and instructional materials have the potential to support student engagement of meaningful grade level content daily and teacher growth.  Achievement First Math Grade 4enVisions Grade 4Eureka Grade 4Fishtank Plus Math Grade 4HMH into Math Grade 4Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics Grade 4i-Ready Math Grade 4Reveal Math Grade 4Financial Literacy Connections:The State of Connecticut is committed to implementing high-quality Financial Literacy instruction at all grade levels beginning in kindergarten. Financial Literacy supports students’ academic performance in several subject areas. The K-5 Model Math Curricula embeds tasks that align the mathematical content and skill to the essential Financial Literacy concepts such as income, spending, saving, investing, credit and risk.  The concepts contained in the learning tasks are designed to be rich, hands-on activities with developmentally appropriate real-world connections.  The tasks are identified by grade level and embedded in the appropriate units so that students can demonstrate mastery of what they need to know and be able to do by the end of their K-5 school experience. In this way, elementary students will be prepared to build upon Financial Literacy knowledge as they advance through middle and high school. Additional Course Information:  Major work of Grade 4 mathematics focuses on multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions including concepts, skills, and problem solving. Fluencies expected for Grade 4 include:    Add/subtract within 1,000,000  Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions that students need to develop a deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics. They describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication. Therefore, the following should be addressed throughout the course: Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them Reason abstractly & quantitatively Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for & make use of structure Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In Grade 5, instructional time should focus on three critical areas: (1) developing fluency with addition and subtraction of fractions, and developing understanding of the multiplication of fractions and of division of fractions in limited cases (unit fractions divided by whole numbers and whole numbers divided by unit fractions); (2) extending division to 2-digit divisors, integrating decimal fractions into the place value system and developing understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths, and developing fluency with whole number and decimal operations; and (3) developing understanding of volume. Upon completion of this course students will have the ability to: Write and interpret numerical expressions; Analyze patterns and relationships; Understand the place value system; Perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths; Use equivalent fractions as a strategy to add and subtract fractions; Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to multiply and divide fractions; Convert like measurement units within a given measurement system; Represent and interpret data; Geometric measurement: understand concepts of volume and relate volume to multiplication and to addition; Graph points on the coordinate plane to solve real-world and mathematical problems; and Classify two-dimensional figures into categories based on their properties. Aligned Core Resources:  Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success.  There are tools that are available to assist in evaluating alignment, such as CCSSO’s Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project and Student Achievement Partner’s Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool.  In addition EdReports and Louisiana Believes are two sources of completed reviews for a variety of resources.  Connecticut is currently working on providing additional alignment guidance for the most frequently used resources across the state. Aligned Core Programs:  The CSDE in partnership with SERC has engaged with providers of high-quality vetted resources to provide additional alignment guidance to the CSDE model curriculum.  High-quality instructional resources are critical for improving student outcomes. The alignment guidance is intended to clarify content and support understanding for clear implementation and coherence. Materials selection is a local control decision and these documents have been provided from participating publishers to assist districts in implementation. Use of the materials from these publishers is not required. These aligned core programs meet expectations as reported by EdReports. If your resource is not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your resource to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of curricula and instructional materials have the potential to support student engagement of meaningful grade level content daily and teacher growth.  Achievement First Math Grade 5enVisions Grade 5Eureka Grade 5Fishtank Plus Math Grade 5HMH into Math Grade 5Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics Grade 5i-Ready Math Grade 5MidSchoolMath Grade 5Reveal Math Grade 5Financial Literacy Connections:The State of Connecticut is committed to implementing high-quality Financial Literacy instruction at all grade levels beginning in kindergarten. Financial Literacy supports students’ academic performance in several subject areas. The K-5 Model Math Curricula embeds tasks that align the mathematical content and skill to the essential Financial Literacy concepts such as income, spending, saving, investing, credit and risk.  The concepts contained in the learning tasks are designed to be rich, hands-on activities with developmentally appropriate real-world connections.  The tasks are identified by grade level and embedded in the appropriate units so that students can demonstrate mastery of what they need to know and be able to do by the end of their K-5 school experience. In this way, elementary students will be prepared to build upon Financial Literacy knowledge as they advance through middle and high school.Additional Course Information:  Major work of Grade 5 mathematics focuses on multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions including concepts, skills, and problem solving. Fluencies expected for Grade 5 include: Multi-digit multiplication Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions that students need to develop a deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics. They describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication. Therefore, the following should be addressed throughout the course: Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them Reason abstractly & quantitatively Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for & make use of structure Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students. Course Description:  In Grade 6, instructional time should focus on four critical areas: (1) connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems; (2) completing understanding of division of fractions and extending the notion of number to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers; (3) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and (4) developing understanding of statistical thinking.  Upon completion of this course students will have the ability to:Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems. Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions. Multiply and divide multi-digit numbers and find common factors and multiples. Apply and extend previous understandings of numbers to the system of rational numbers. Apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions. Reason about and solve one-variable equations and inequalities. Represent and analyze quantitative relationships between dependent and independent variables. Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface area, and volume. Develop understanding of statistical variability. Summarize and describe distributions.Aligned Core Resources:  It is critical that curriculum be implemented using high quality instructional materials to ensure all students meet Connecticut’s standards. Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success. There are tools that are available to districts to assist in evaluating alignment of resources, such as CCSSO’s Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project and Student Achievement Partner’s Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool.   In addition, there exist compilations of completed reviews from a variety of resources. Some of these include but are not limited to EdReports, Louisiana Believes, CURATE, and Oregon Adopted Instructional Materials. Aligned Core Programs:  The CSDE in partnership with SERC has engaged with providers of high-quality vetted resources to provide additional alignment guidance to the CSDE model curriculum.  High-quality instructional resources are critical for improving student outcomes. The alignment guidance is intended to clarify content and support understanding for clear implementation and coherence. Materials selection is a local control decision and these documents have been provided from participating publishers to assist districts in implementation. Use of the materials from these publishers is not required. These aligned core programs meet expectations as reported by EdReports. If your resource is not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your resource to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of curricula and instructional materials have the potential to support student engagement of meaningful grade level content daily and teacher growth.   Carnegie Learning Math Grade 6EdGems Math Grade 6enVisions Grade 6Eureka Math Grade 6Fishtank Plus Math Grade 6HMH Into Math Grade 6Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics Grade 6i-Ready Math Grade 6MidSchoolMath Grade 6Open Up Resouces Math Grade 6Reveal Math Grade 6Additional Course Information:  Major work of Grade 6 mathematics focuses on ratios and proportional relationships and early expressions and equations.  Fluencies required upon completion of grade 6 include multi-digit division and multi-digit decimal operations. Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions that students need to develop a deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics. They describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication. Therefore, the following should be addressed throughout the course: Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them Reason abstractly & quantitatively Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for & make use of structure Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning  

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In Grade 7, instructional time should focus on four critical areas: (1) developing understanding of and applying proportional relationships; (2) developing understanding of operations with rational numbers and working with expressions and linear equations; (3) solving problems involving scale drawings and informal geometric constructions, and working with two- and three-dimensional shapes to solve problems involving area, surface area, and volume; and (4) drawing inferences about populations based on samples.  Upon completion of this course students will have the ability to Analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve real-world and mathematical problems. Apply and extend previous understandings of operations with fractions to add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers. Use properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions. Solve real-life and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic expressions and equations. Draw, construct and describe geometrical figures and describe the relationships between them. Solve real-life and mathematical problems involving angle measure, area, surface area, and volume. Use random sampling to draw inferences about a population. Draw informal comparative inferences about two populations. Investigate chance processes and develop, use, and evaluate probability models.Aligned Core Resources:  It is critical that curriculum be implemented using high quality instructional materials to ensure all students meet Connecticut’s standards. Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success. There are tools that are available to districts to assist in evaluating alignment of resources, such as CCSSO’s Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project and Student Achievement Partner’s Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool.   In addition, there exist compilations of completed reviews from a variety of resources. Some of these include but are not limited to EdReports, Louisiana Believes, CURATE, and Oregon Adopted Instructional Materials.Aligned Core Programs:  The CSDE in partnership with SERC has engaged with providers of high-quality vetted resources to provide additional alignment guidance to the CSDE model curriculum.  High-quality instructional resources are critical for improving student outcomes. The alignment guidance is intended to clarify content and support understanding for clear implementation and coherence. Materials selection is a local control decision and these documents have been provided from participating publishers to assist districts in implementation. Use of the materials from these publishers is not required. These aligned core programs meet expectations as reported by EdReports. If your resource is not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your resource to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of curricula and instructional materials have the potential to support student engagement of meaningful grade level content daily and teacher growth.   Carnegie Learning Math Grade 7EdGems Math Grade 7enVisions Grade 7Eureka Math Grade 7Fishtank Plus Math Grade 7HMH Into Math Grade 7Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics Grade 7i-Ready Math Grade 7MidSchoolMath Grade 7Open Up Resouces Math Grade 7Reveal Math Grade 7Additional Course Information:  Major work of Grade 7 mathematics focuses on ratios and proportional relationships and arithmetic of rational numbers. Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions that students need to develop a deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics. They describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication. Therefore, the following should be addressed throughout the course: Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them Reason abstractly & quantitatively Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for & make use of structure Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description:  In Grade 8, insructional time should focus on three critical areas: (1) formulating and resoning about expressions and equations, including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear equation, and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations; (2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe quantitative relationships; (3)  analyzing two-and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem. Upon completion of this course students will have the ability to:Know that there are numbers that are not rational, and approximate them by rational numbers;Work with radicals and integer exponents in expressions and equations;Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations;Define, evaluate, and compare functions;Use functions to model relationships between quantities;Understand congruence and similarity using physical models, transparencies, or geometry software;Undestand and apply the Phthagorean Theorem;Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving volume of cylinders, cones, and spheres; Aligned Core Resources:  It is critical that curriculum be implemented using high quality instructional materials to ensure all students meet Connecticut’s standards. Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success. There are tools that are available to districts to assist in evaluating alignment of resources, such as CCSSO’s Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project and Student Achievement Partner’s Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool.   In addition, there exist compilations of completed reviews from a variety of resources. Some of these include but are not limited to EdReports, Louisiana Believes, CURATE, and Oregon Adopted Instructional Materials.Aligned Core Programs:  The CSDE in partnership with SERC has engaged with providers of high-quality vetted resources to provide additional alignment guidance to the CSDE model curriculum.  High-quality instructional resources are critical for improving student outcomes. The alignment guidance is intended to clarify content and support understanding for clear implementation and coherence. Materials selection is a local control decision and these documents have been provided from participating publishers to assist districts in implementation. Use of the materials from these publishers is not required. These aligned core programs meet expectations as reported by EdReports. If your resource is not listed below, you are encouraged to review EdReports to ensure the alignment of your resource to the Connecticut Core Standards. Strong alignment of curricula and instructional materials have the potential to support student engagement of meaningful grade level content daily and teacher growth.  Carnegie Learning Math Grade 8EdGems Math Grade 8enVisions Grade 8Eureka Math Grade 8Fishtank Plus Math Grade 8HMH Into Math Grade 8Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics Grade 8i-Ready Math Grade 8MidSchoolMath Grade 8Open Up Resouces Math Grade 8Reveal Math Grade 8Additional Course Information:  Major work of Grade 8 mathematics focuses on linear equations and linear functionsHabits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course:   The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions that students need to develop a deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics. They describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication. Therefore, the following should be addressed throughout the course: Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them Reason abstractly & quantitatively Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for & make use of structure Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning