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   Curriculum Overview
   For Families

 

From Great Minds®, the organization that created Eureka Math®, is a K–8 English language arts curriculum that brings the rich content everyone loves into your child's classroom.  We believe that classrooms are places where students and teachers encounter wit, wisdom, wonder, rigor, and knowledge and that literature, history, art, and science all have a place in ELA instruction. Wit & Wisdom® helps your student meet the expectations of the new standards while celebrating the joy of reading and writing. 

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An Introduction to Wit &Wisdom

Watch this 10-minute introduction to see how Wit & Wisdom:

  • Uses diverse complex texts to build knowledge
  • Supports the needs of diverse learners
  • Invites families to engage with the content alongside their student

For families

Para familias

 

This video provides a brief overview of Wit & Wisdom instruction for districts or schools to share with families and caregivers.

 

Este video contiene información general sobre Wit & Wisdom para que los distritos o escuelas la compartan con familias o cuidadores.

Building Knowledge of the World

Click the links below to access the available family support resources for Wit & Wisdom. 

Building Knowledge

The knowledge focus of the Wit & Wisdom modules provides a great opportunity for engaging families and caregivers in academic content and conversations. Learning from students about the topics in which they have become experts can be a joyful experience for families—and lead to a desire for continued exploration and study. 

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Wit & Wisdom Module Topics

The modules in each grade focus on a specific topic from the fields of science, social studies, the arts and more, which is essential for building background knowledge and academic vocabulary.

 

 

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Family Tip Sheets

These handy sheets, created for every K–8 Wit & Wisdom module, provide families with an overview of each module’s topic and a list of books, poems, videos, recordings, and art that students will explore during the module.  

 Available in English and Spanish.

 

Access Tip Sheets

Why is Knowledge Building Important for Learning? 

Knowledge has a multiplier effect—the earlier you learn, the better you do in later years. These time-tested and much-used materials help kids get a head start learning essential literacy skills, knowledge across different fields, and important values of empathy and perseverance. Building this knowledge prepares students to reach their full potential and become empathetic and productive citizens in the real world.

Learn more with our FREE Knowledge Building Primer.

Knowledge Primer Booklet Image

FAMILY TIP SHEETS

Wit & Wisdom Family Tip sheet Module-level tip sheets that provide module content, a list of all texts students will read in the module, sample questions to ask, and other activities to extend students' thinking at home.

Use las páginas de consejos de Wit & Wisdom para que los padres y guardianes se involucren en conversaciones en casa ricas en contenido y conocimiento. Las páginas de consejos incluyen un resumen del contenido de los módulos, una lista de todos los textos que los estudiantes leerán en el módulo, una lista de libros adicionales para leer en casa, ejemplos de preguntas para hacer en casa y actividades para extender la reflección y el

The Facts About Wit & Wisdom

It starts with the books. Excellent texts are at the center of Wit & Wisdom. Students build knowledge through carefully curated core texts that

  • are rich with content that piques curiosity,
  • represent grade-level complexity, and
  • showcase diverse perspectives.

Students in Frames_Wit&Wisdom

Engage and Motivate All Students

The carefully selected texts allow students to engage in content that provides:

  • Windows into different time periods, cultures, and parts of the world that students may otherwise never experience.

  • Mirrors for students to see themselves represented so that they can engage with content that they can relate to.

  • Sliding glass doors for students to pull back and use their imagination to step into the shoes of characters, as they build perspective and understanding of other citizens of the world.

Fine Art

Students engage with significant works of art, including paintings, illustrations, prints, sculpture, architecture, and photographs, that provide diverse access points to a topic so learners at all levels can build strong literary skills. 

 


Introducing
Geodes

A new approach to early literacy from Great Minds and Wilson Language Training® that allows students to learn how to read while reading to learn.

 

 

 

Watch this 1-minute introduction video

LEARNING TO READ WHILE READING TO LEARN

Great Minds and Wilson Language Training collaborated to create Geodes, a new collection of accessible, knowledge-building books for developing readers.

While most early literacy books are quite basic, Geodes are rich with facts and ideas that spark students’ curiosity about the world around them.

Take a look inside Geodes books and access support resources for Levels K–2 below.   

Enhanced Supports for Multilingual Students and Families

Each Geodes book extends learning through a More section that gives students an opportunity to build additional knowledge and vocabulary. To support a shared experience with family, the More section in My Geodes™, take-home versions of the titles, are in both English and Spanish.

Geodes Level K Book List

 

Pelé

Illustrations by Madelyn Goodnight


Pelé Book Notes

Geodes Level 1 Book List

Anansi and the Pot of Beans

Words by Rachel Zindler
Pictures by Christopher Cyr


Anansi and the Pot of Beans Book Notes

Geodes Level 2 Book List

 

And The Winner Is...

Words by Tami Charles
Pictures by Eva Sánchez Gómez


And the Winner Is... Book Notes

AT THE CORE OF GEODES

Geodes_Engaging

Engaging

Geodes honor students’ natural curiosity by providing authentic reading experiences while the beautiful illustrations and photographs enrich and expand on the text of each book.

Geodes_Accessible

Accessible

All Geodes are at least 80 percent decodable based on the Wilson Fundations® scope and sequence, and they reflect a broad range of identities and experiences, allowing students to see themselves and others in the books, and see worlds both familiar and new.

Geodes_KnowledgeBuilding

Knowledge-Building

Geodes allow students to experience the joy of building deep knowledge and vocabulary, connecting ideas across texts as they read books on science, history, and the arts.

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