Fishtank ELA is a knowledge-building literacy curriculum that helps students grow as readers, writers, speakers, and thinkers. Through a combination of engaging fiction and nonfiction texts, students expand their understanding of the world, develop academic vocabulary, and learn to support their ideas with evidence from the text.
Examples of essential questions include:
How do plants and animals depend on their habitats for survival?
Why is it important to ask questions about the world around us?
Why is it important to stand up for yourself and what you believe?
How can the lessons we learn from fairy tales help us in our own lives?
Students read and compare Cinderella stories from a variety of cultures. As they explore each version, they consider how the setting, traditions, and culture shape the characters, plot, and themes.
Students learn about a variety of habitats and investigate how plants and animals survive in different environments. They compare habitats while building their understanding of ecosystems through engaging informational texts.
Through the Pinky and Rex series by James Howe, students explore themes of friendship, acceptance, and belonging. They reflect on what it means to be a good friend and learn to appreciate the qualities that make each person unique.
Students read biographies about influential individuals who made a positive difference in the world. As they learn about these leaders and changemakers, they continue to strengthen their reading, writing, and discussion skills while exploring the impact one person can have on others.