New Curriculum Improves Language Arts Skills

By Kristen Okabayashi, principal

Thank you to the many families who joined us last week for Curriculum Night. At Hope, we review all our curriculum in a seven-year review cycle to ensure it is meeting the needs of our students. Last year, our curriculum team spent months reviewing options, piloting lessons, and gathering feedback to update our literacy curriculum — and we would love to share why we landed on Amplify as our new K-5 language arts curriculum.

Amplify is built on the Science of Reading — decades of research about how children learn to read most effectively. This means it systematically teaches foundational skills like phonics and decoding, while also building vocabulary, comprehension, and a love for reading.

1. Engaging, High-Quality Texts

Students will explore a wide range of stories, articles, poetry, and novels from diverse voices and time periods. These rich, meaningful texts invite curiosity and spark deep classroom discussions.

2. A Balance of Skills and Big Ideas

Amplify combines explicit instruction in reading skills (phonics, grammar, spelling, vocabulary) with opportunities to think critically about what they read. Each unit builds background knowledge around fascinating topics — from fables and myths to science, history, and current events — helping students make connections across subjects.

3. Interactive and Flexible

Amplify lessons mix whole-class teaching, small-group work, and digital tools that make learning more interactive. Teachers can track progress in real time, ensuring that each child receives the right level of challenge and support.

Our teachers are especially excited about how Amplify helps students see themselves as readers, writers, and thinkers. Writing assignments are creative, purposeful, and connected to the texts students are reading, which builds both skill and confidence.

In middle school, we began using Amplify two years ago, and it has been challenging, but we have also seen our students improve their language arts skills, particularly in writing. We cannot wait to watch all our students grow as skilled, joyful readers and writers this year.

To learn more about how your child’s teacher uses Amplify in their classroom, reaach out to them via email.

Check out the weekly newsletter for the weekly news and events.