With a vocabulary book and other course resources now out of print, it’s time to update the advanced English Language Arts program in Indian Prairie School District 204 middle schools, educators say.
Administrators leading a proposed course revision said they’re taking the opportunity to better align the advanced middle school coursework — called Project Arrow — with advanced classes at both the elementary and high school levels.
“We are also looking to provide a balance of both the classic resources — that our students really need that strong, foundational background in — and modern resources, so that it reflects who our students are and provides that authentic and empowering lens,” said Barbi Chisholm, director of middle school curriculum, at the latest school board meeting.
Updated texts and vocab books for $115,000
The refresh of the Project Arrow English classes would cover sixth, seventh and eighth grades and would come with a $115,000 cost for purchasing new whole-class texts and student copies of vocabulary books.
Educators plan to use a series called Vocabulary from Classical Roots, as well as books from the CommonLit360 curriculum, which the district approved for use in regular-level middle school English classes beginning last fall.
Examples of new titles proposed to be studied include “The Giver” in sixth grade, “Twelve Angry Men” in seventh grade, and “Antigone” in eighth grade.
New curriculum to provide alignment across schools
School board members said they’re pleased that educators have a new plan for aligning advanced middle school English with student achievement goals and districtwide frameworks such as the equity plan, strategic plan and Portrait of a Graduate. They also asked how the proposed curriculum update would ensure similar experiences across all seven middle schools.
“I want to make sure, as a district, that we’re aligning our instructional practices and strengthening that equally … and that we’re all on the same page,” school board member Mark Rising said.
Administrators said that’s exactly their goal.
“The purpose of the curriculum is to create that common foundation so that we do have equitable experiences across the district,” Chisholm said.
New books proposed to ‘build a lifelong love of reading’
Administrators also are seeking approval of an $18,000 purchase to update book club reading choices for seventh graders taking regular-level English.
Although the book clubs are supplemental to the original curriculum, seventh-grade English Language Arts teacher Jessica Walsh, of Granger Middle School, said they’re a great chance to connect with students and offer an “authentic” learning experience.
“Book clubs are where we can really build a lifelong love of reading,” Walsh said.
The proposed purchase would bring in nine titles for a new “Influential Voices” book club for seventh-graders, allowing them to study works by authors including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Malala Yousafzai, Misty Copeland, Paige Rawl and John Grisham, among others.
“Book clubs are our opportunity to stay current” with modern titles and topics, Chisholm said.
Educators plan to seek school board approval of both the Project Arrow texts and the seventh-grade book club purchases during the board’s next meeting on June 8.
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