Wit & Wisdom® is a comprehensive K–8 curriculum that has transformed English language arts (ELA) instruction in classrooms across the nation. Great Minds® believes 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.
By providing a framework for inquiry, Wit & Wisdom helps students build rich layers of knowledge. It inspires teachers and students to experience complex texts and ideas on a deeper level by fostering the questioning spirit that will shape the next generation of great writers, thinkers, and leaders.
Wit & Wisdom students are invited to read content-rich and complex texts that build their knowledge of important topics as they master literacy skills. Core texts are wide ranging, varied, and provide a careful balance of literary, informational, and fine art texts.
Melissa Loftus and Lori Sappington are educators with over 40 years of combined teaching experience. They created the Melissa and Lori Love Literacy podcast to provide a space to connect educators with important and inspirational conversations to learn and grow together. Great Minds is excited to support the weekly podcast conversations with guests that include educators and advocates discussing everything from the science of reading to the importance of high-quality content for all students.
Over 100 episodes are available now with new episodes dropping every Friday.
Each module focuses on a topic or theme that builds students’ content knowledge through the use of rich interdisciplinary grade-level texts. Essential topics strategically reoccur, empowering students to deepen their understanding of core knowledge across Grades K–8.
Wit & Wisdom leads students to develop reading, writing, speaking and listening, vocabulary, and language skills in concert. Instead of addressing standards one by one, in isolation, Wit & Wisdom arranges for students to practice required language arts skills in the context of module content.
Instead of leveled readers that limit engagement and deeper learning, students are invited to read content rich and complex texts that will build their knowledge of important topics as they master literacy skills. The selected core texts are wide ranging and varied and provide a careful balance of literary, informational, and fine art texts.
“Students are learning for themselves, discovering, and growing. They are digging in, talking, and writing so much more. We never had so much excitement about literacy instruction. Wit & Wisdom is absolutely challenging, but it’s also exactly what our kids need.”
- SARAH S., CURRICULUM SPECIALIST FOR ELA AND SOCIAL STUDIES, ROGERS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AR
Equitable instruction means equipping every learner, especially diverse learners, with the tools they need for academic success. The Wit & Wisdom learning design is structured to address the individual learning needs of all students, and especially multilingual learners. Explore our range of multilingual learner supports and learn more about Wit & Wisdom Prologue™, a new collection of supplementary lessons designed to support multilingual learners and students with language-based disabilities in grades 6–8.
Ajay’s struggles with dysgraphia made him dread school and, above all, reading. That changed with Wit & Wisdom.
Wit & Wisdom 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.
Affirm®, Wit & Wisdom’s digital assessment tool, helps educators better meet the needs of their students, with instant scoring and reporting to help track student progress over time. The tool also provides students with extra practice and preparation for standardized assessments.
As education evolves, so should curricula. Wit & Wisdom in Sync™ allows your students to build knowledge anytime, anywhere. Featuring digestible video lessons and fillable PDFs for students, Wit & Wisdom in Sync makes learning seamless and unstoppable.
Whether you’re just getting started with Wit & Wisdom or want to learn more, our free Resource Overview Session webinars are a great way to explore the curriculum.
Created by our team of teacher–writers and subject experts, Wit & Wisdom doesn't just stop at curriculum development—it's a complete program that includes supports and resources for teachers. We're here for you every step of the way.
Through picture books, poetry, videos, audio recordings, articles, and artwork, students develop reading and writing skills and expand their vocabulary—all while building enduring knowledge about wind as a form of energy and how it has affected the world around them.
“Through Wit & Wisdom’s knowledge-focused designs, I am able to make everyday connections and focus on the wholeness of my kids, making the material more meaningful.”
—KYAIR B., 2019 TEACHER OF THE YEAR, BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC
SCHOOLS, MD