At Hamilton, our top priority is providing students with the highest-quality education. When selecting a literacy curriculum, we drew on our school’s collective experience and commitment to research-based practices. With over 25 years in education, including significant work as a literacy coach, I’ve had the opportunity to support and collaborate with teachers to ensure that our students develop strong reading and comprehension skills. This expertise, along with input from our dedicated staff, guided our decision to implement Wit & Wisdom, a curriculum deeply rooted in the Science of Reading and designed to build both knowledge and critical thinking.
After carefully reviewing several curricula and collaborating with our teachers, we chose Wit & Wisdom to meet the needs of our diverse learners. Last year, we implemented Wit & Wisdom in grades K-4, and this year we are excited to expand the curriculum to grades 5-8.
The Research: Why Wit & Wisdom Stood Out
Wit & Wisdom is rooted in the Science of Reading, a research-based approach that focuses on the foundational components of literacy: decoding (the ability to read words) and comprehension (the understanding of those words). Beyond teaching reading skills in isolation, Wit & Wisdom integrates content-rich texts from subjects like literature, science, history, and art. This approach helps students build their knowledge base and make connections across content areas. The curriculum’s focus on knowledge-building is crucial, as research shows that students with a broader knowledge base are better equipped to comprehend complex texts and apply critical thinking skills.
A Systematic Approach to Phonics with Fundations
In addition to Wit & Wisdom, we have implemented the Fundations Phonics program in grades K-3 to ensure that our youngest learners receive a systematic approach to phonics. This structured phonics program provides the essential building blocks of literacy, helping students develop the decoding skills they need to become proficient readers. By pairing Fundations with Wit & Wisdom, we are ensuring that our students are receiving both the foundational skills and the content-rich knowledge necessary for literacy success.
Knowledge and Productive Struggle: Building Critical Thinkers
Two years ago, as part of Hamilton’s Continuous Work Plan (CWP), we identified “productive struggle” as a key area for growth. We noticed that many of our students struggled with tasks that required deep exploration and resilience when the answers were not immediately clear. One of the reasons we chose Wit & Wisdom was because it explicitly encourages productive struggle, helping students grapple with challenging content, build perseverance, and develop critical thinking skills. This aligns with our goal of equipping students to navigate increasingly complex ideas as they grow.
Professional Development: Supporting Teacher Excellence
As we’ve shared during Local School Council (LSC) meetings, teacher support has been a priority throughout this curriculum adoption. Teachers are receiving structured professional development with direct support from Wit & Wisdom curriculum coaches. We also partnered with The Chicago Literacy Group, a trusted literacy partner at Hamilton. Maria Griffith, a trusted and respected literacy coach across Chicago, leads learning cycles at Hamilton to scaffold adult learning over time, and bringing schoolwide cohesion to teaching and learning. This ongoing training helps ensure that our educators are equipped to deliver the curriculum effectively, enhancing both their own teaching practice and student learning.
Our commitment to professional development has brought exciting recognition. Last year, Great Minds, the publisher of Wit & Wisdom, asked to film Ms. Grant’s and Mrs. Banu’s third-grade inclusion classroom to demonstrate an exemplary co-teaching classroom. This video will serve as a national resource for teachers across the country who are adopting Wit & Wisdom. Additionally, this week, Wit & Wisdom is filming kindergarten, first, and second grade classes to expand their professional development resources. We are incredibly proud to have our teaching practices showcased in this way—it is a testament to the dedication and excellence of our educators.
The Role of the Arts in Literacy
While Wit & Wisdom primarily stood out for its rigorous academic focus, it also incorporates the arts, which is an important aspect of our fine and performing arts school and another area of improvement in our school’s CIWP, where we are focused on arts integration in our core subject areas. Through activities such as Reader’s Theater and visual art analysis, students are able to connect literacy to artistic expression, deepening their engagement and understanding. This interdisciplinary approach helps students not only strengthen their reading and writing skills but also explore creativity and critical thinking through various artistic lenses.
Supporting Parent Learning and Engagement
We value the role that parents play in their children’s education, and we are committed to keeping you informed and involved as we continue to implement Wit & Wisdom. To that end, we are offering several opportunities for parent engagement:
Parent Workshop: In December, Maria Griffith, from the Chicago Literacy Group will lead a workshop to explain how Hamilton reading and writing instruction supports literacy development and offer strategies for reinforcing learning at home.
Middle School Parent Coffee with Dr. Blathras: Dr. Blathras will host a coffee session to provide an in-depth look at the research behind Wit & Wisdom and the rationale for expanding it to grades 5-8. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn more about how the curriculum is being implemented.
The Anxious Generation Book Club: Parents participating in the Anxious Generation book club will experience firsthand how Wit & Wisdom strategies encourage critical thinking and complex text analysis, helping to further their understanding of the curriculum’s impact.
Sources:
Great Minds. "The Science of Reading and Wit & Wisdom."Great Minds
ERIC. "Examining the Impact of the 'Wit & Wisdom' Curriculum." ERIC
Great Minds. "Wit & Wisdom - Building Knowledge Across Disciplines.” Great Minds
Listen and Learn
The hosts of the Melissa and Lori Love Literacy podcast interview educators and researchers about the science of reading, knowledge building, and high-quality curriculum.
Read more at greatminds.org.
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