Elementary School Curriculum

Clinton Community Schools have established the highest standards for all of our students. Teachers are expected to implement curriculum standards adopted and established by the Michigan Department of Education.

At Clinton Elementary School, our English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum is meticulously designed to align with the Michigan K-12 Standards for English Language Arts, which incorporate the Common Core State Standards. Michigan Gov

Our goal is to equip students with essential literacy skills, fostering their ability to read, write, speak, and listen effectively.

Instructional Strategies

• Lucy Calkins Units of Study:
  The Units of Study for Teaching Reading by Lucy Calkins is a K-5 curriculum focused on building reading skills and a love for reading through a workshop model. It includes mini-lessons, independent reading, and conferring to allow for personalized instruction. Each grade level has units that develop comprehension, fluency, and critical thinking across genres, with an emphasis on helping students become independent, enthusiastic readers.

• Orton-Gillingham Approach (K-3):
  The Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach is a highly structured, multisensory method designed to teach reading, writing, and spelling, particularly beneficial for students with dyslexia or other language-based learning difficulties. It combines visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning techniques to help students understand the structure of language by connecting sounds to letters and words in a systematic way. 

• Morphology (4-5) :
  The Orton-Gillingham Morphology approach focuses on teaching the structure and meaning of words by exploring roots, prefixes, and suffixes, especially useful for students with language-based learning difficulties. It integrates Orton-Gillingham's multisensory, sequential techniques with explicit instruction in morphemes, helping students understand word formation, vocabulary, and spelling patterns. This approach strengthens reading comprehension and spelling by building a deeper understanding of how words are constructed.

Assessment Framework

Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA):

The DRA is a cornerstone of our literacy program, used to assess students' reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. By identifying each student’s independent and instructional reading levels, the DRA helps teachers design targeted instruction and monitor progress throughout the year.

2024-2025 District Assessment Calendar

Our ELA curriculum progresses across grade levels, ensuring each student meets key developmental milestones:

Kindergarten to 2nd Grade

Focuses on foundational reading skills, including phonics, phonemic awareness, and basic comprehension. Students learn to decode words, recognize sight words, and engage with simple texts. Writing focuses on forming letters, spelling basic words, and beginning sentence structure. The Primary Bliss Writing curriculum focuses on nurturing young students' love for writing by emphasizing creativity, expression, and foundational writing skills. It encourages students to explore ideas and storytelling through guided writing prompts, personal narratives, and simple sentence structure. Our phonics, reading, writing, and spelling instruction are all interdependent in that they reinforce and complement each other.

3rd to 5th Grade

Students transition from learning to read to reading to learn. They dive deeper into comprehension, analyzing texts for main ideas, themes, and supporting details. Writing skills develop to include paragraphs, narratives, and opinion pieces. Vocabulary and grammar skills become more structured. Students use Mystery Writing as a differentiated standards-aligned curriculum for writing. This curriculum engages students in content that captivates young learners and builds their confidence in writing. Our phonics, reading, writing and spelling instruction are all interdependent in that they reinforce and complement each other.

Our ELA program is structured to support all learners

• Response to Intervention (RTI) 

  • A tiered support system provides targeted instruction for students needing additional assistance.

• Dyslexia-Friendly Practices

  • With tools like Orton-Gillingham, we ensure students with specific learning needs receive tailored instruction.

We value the partnership between families and the school in fostering literacy development. Clinton Elementary offers opportunities such as:

• Family literacy nights and parent workshops.
• Book fairs are held three times per year.
• STREAM Night
• Resources for supporting reading and writing at home.
• K-5 reading logs and book bags with independent-level texts for at-home reading opportunities.

Assessment and Continuous Improvement

Our commitment to academic excellence is reflected in our students' performance. According to recent data, 32% of our students are proficient in math, and 49% are proficient in reading. Niche

We continuously assess and refine our instructional strategies to enhance student outcomes.

By integrating these instructional approaches and adhering to state standards, Clinton Elementary School strives to provide a comprehensive and effective ELA curriculum that supports the academic growth and success of all our students.