Student Engagement & Deeper Learning Part of New K-2 EL Curriculum

“It is eye opening the way the new K-2 English Language curriculum is teaching comprehension,” said Hopewell ECS principal Becky Francko. 

Traditionally, comprehension was taught by reading a book and answering questions. Now, with the district’s new K-2 English Language (EL) curriculum, students receive an hour of instruction and then an hour of hands-on opportunities to deepen their knowledge.

“The exciting thing about labs is that our students have the opportunity to apply and expand on the concepts they've learned in module lessons,” said Emily Hermann, Lakota’s Director of K-6 Curriculum. “It is a hands-on approach that allows them to creatively explore ideas, make meaningful connections, and collaborate with their peers.”

Hopewell ECS Teacher Leader Libby Brown added, “One of the best parts of the learning labs is that it ensures all students receive an equitable experience to take what they are learning in the classroom and then practice and explore it in a unique way. They aren’t just listening – they are applying, experiencing, using vocabulary.”

As an example, Hopewell ECS second grader Zuri created a pink play doh dinosaur using shapes. But it wasn’t just any dinosaur. “This is a plesiosaur,” she said confidently. “It’s technically a dinosaur but lives in the water. The plesiosaur doesn’t have scales but lungs.” The vocabulary Zuri used and the excitement she showed is a prime example of how the new learning labs are helping students understand concepts and then make their own connections with the book/topic.

At most of Lakota’s ECS buildings, teachers set up the labs right in the classroom. At Hopewell ECS, the large size of their Innovation Hub allows the school to utilize the hub for multiple learning labs at the same time. Francko and Brown have created a schedule for the hub where every class spends time in a learning lab four days a week.

“The new curriculum was a heavy lift for our teachers, and we were happy to be able to support them in this way,” said Francko. Instructional Aide Robin Madden is the ‘curator’ of the labs, setting up stations and materials throughout the hub.

For example, Madden strung lights from the ceiling to create a night sky ambience for the first graders’ lab. “They are painting the sky in our create lab and are learning that the sky looks different depending on many factors, including the time of day. The kids get better and better each time they try to blend colors to emulate photos that are provided to them. The focus on language acquisition is encouraged through rigorous conversation. They are using words like positioning, details, landscape, and horizon!”

Hopewell ECS teacher Donna Jones loves the new EL curriculum for yet other reasons. “The new curriculum meets the learning style needs of students by using oral comprehension, practice in the classroom, and hands-on learning in the labs. The labs are especially good for students lower in a certain academic area to shine.” 

“There is vertical alignment in all of the labs as well,” said Brown. “It is fascinating to see how students are building on the research lab at the different grade levels. The idea of research is introduced in kindergarten, built upon in first grade, and in second grade students are even using research notebooks to document their learning.”

Feedback on the new curriculum from teachers is very positive, with an increase in student engagement at the top of the list. The new labs have brought choice time or wonder workshops (purposeful play) to a new level because it is now built in to tie to the curriculum. 

“The play-based structure gives students the language and vocabulary that not all students are exposed to,” said Francko. “There is so much opportunity for learning through doing – which is how kids learn.”