EL Education K-5 Language Arts

Name: EL Education K-5 Language Arts
Brand: Open Up Resources

by Open Up Resources

ElaGrades K–5

EL Education K-5 Language Arts: Knowledge-Building Literacy Program

EL Education K-5 Language Arts is a comprehensive literacy curriculum published by Open Up Resources that emphasizes building knowledge through complex texts and text-dependent questioning. The program received positive ratings from EdReports across all three gateways for alignment, knowledge-building, and usability.

Best for

Elementary schools seeking a knowledge-rich ELA curriculum with strong text complexity and alignment to standards, particularly those wanting materials from Open Up Resources

Evaluation Criteria

2 strengths · 2 neutral · 5 insufficient evidence

Knowledge RichStrength

The curriculum demonstrates a strong commitment to building knowledge through texts, which aligns with research on knowledge-rich approaches.

EdReports specifically rated Gateway 2 'Building Knowledge' as 'Meets Expectations,' indicating the curriculum builds knowledge through texts effectively

Text ComplexityStrength

The curriculum demonstrates strong attention to grade-appropriate text complexity and quality.

EdReports specifically rated Gateway 1 'Text Quality & Complexity' as 'Meets Expectations' for alignment to grade-level text demands

Teacher TrainingNeutral

The curriculum provides adequate teacher support materials as part of its overall usability design.

EdReports rated Gateway 3 'Usability' including teacher support as 'Meets Expectations'

Direct InstructionNeutral

The curriculum appears to provide structured teacher support, suggesting elements of direct instruction, though specific pedagogical approaches are not detailed.

EdReports rated Gateway 3 'Usability' including teacher support as 'Meets Expectations'

Retrieval PracticeInsufficient Evidence

No specific evidence is provided about retrieval practice or spaced review components in the curriculum reviews.

Reviews focus on text quality and knowledge-building but do not mention specific memory reinforcement strategies

Systematic PhonicsInsufficient Evidence

No evidence is provided about phonics instruction approaches in this K-5 curriculum.

Neither EdReports nor other reviews mention phonics instruction methods or systematic decoding approaches

Vocabulary BuildingInsufficient Evidence

While the curriculum received positive ratings for building knowledge through texts, specific vocabulary instruction methods are not detailed in the available reviews.

EdReports noted positive alignment ratings but did not provide specifics about vocabulary instruction approaches

Writing InstructionInsufficient Evidence

The curriculum includes structured writing components, though specific instructional approaches are not detailed in the reviews.

EdReports rated the overall program positively for usability and alignment, which would include writing instruction components

Whole Books Vs ExcerptsInsufficient Evidence

The curriculum appears to emphasize quality texts and text complexity but specific evidence about whole books versus excerpts is not provided in the reviews.

EdReports noted the curriculum meets expectations for 'range and quality of texts' but did not specify the format of text selections

Sources: edreports.org, cathyduffyreviews.com

Key Facts

GradesGrades K–5

SubjectEla

PedagogyNot specified

Faith-BasedNo

FormatDigital + Physical