This fall, the United States Department of Education published non-regulatory guidance on Title IV of ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act), which includes recommendations for schools seeking to prioritize a well-rounded approach to education. If your school is implementing these Title IV recommendations, Learning A-Z has the printable, projectable and digital resources you need to build a well-rounded curriculum.
What Is A Well-Rounded Education?
According to Title IV, a well-rounded education “helps students make important connections between their studies, their curiosities, their passions, and the skills they need to become critical thinkers and productive members of society. In addition, a well-rounded education promotes a diverse set of learning experiences that engages students across a variety of courses, activities, and programs in subjects such as English, reading/language arts, writing, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, geography, computer science, music, career and technical education, health, and physical education.”
Citizenship and Social Skills
Title IV calls for reading materials that address “the content of what citizens should know about politics and government, including the foundation of the American political system.” Raz-Plus and Reading A-Z feature leveled books about Social Studies topics, such as U.S. History and U.S Government, that introduce students to key concepts and texts, like democracy, the Constitution, voting, and the Bill of Rights.
Additionally, Title IV recommendations focus on materials that “build resilience, self-control, empathy, persistence, and other social and behavioral skills.” Reading A-Z and Raz-Plus Social Stories books illustrate topics like bullying, friendship, manners, and collaboration to teach students about moral values and social behavior.
Writing for Well-Rounded Thinking
Effective and rigorous writing instruction is a key Title IV recommendation for a well-rounded education. Writing A-Z guides students in experiencing writing as a recursive process and engages students in every step of the writing process. Digital features like Build-A-Book inspire students to think critically as they compose and publish stories with their peers.
Building Language Arts Skills
Title IV’s “Language Arts” recommendation relates to increasing students’ confidence in grammar and vocabulary. With Vocabulary A-Z, you can create your own word lists and guide students in learning vocabulary in context with five-day lesson plans. Vocabulary A-Z also provides vocabulary lists for Reading A-Z and Raz-Plus leveled books, making it easy to create a well-rounded Language Arts curriculum.
The Role of STEM
STEM student engagement is key to a well-rounded education, and Science A-Z has resources for quality STEM instruction. Science A-Z connects experimentation and independent learning opportunities to help students explore STEM concepts. Science A-Z Process Activities are ideal for addressing Title IV recommendations for hands-on practice “that encourages students to develop knowledge, intellectual skills, attitudes, experiences, and motivation to make and act upon responsible environmental decisions.”
The Flexible Choice for a Well-Rounded Education
Along with the above subject-matter recommendations, Title IV also emphasizes broader instructional techniques that promote personalized and blended learning. Because Learning A-Z products can be adapted to a range of learning levels and classroom infrastructures, they can be used in your classroom or school to align with all of Title IV’s “Well-Rounded Student” recommendations.
Want to see how our products can help you implement Title IV recommendations for a well-rounded education? Try a free 2 week trial today!
