District 25 staff outline HMH 'Into Reading' and 'Into Literature' curriculum, translations and supports for multilingual learners

Anna Arrigo (District 25 literacy point) and Melinda Wilens (middle-school literacy lead) presented an overview of HMH Into Reading (K–5) and HMH Into Literature (middle school) and described district supports for multilingual learners, assessment alignment and family resources.

The presenters said the K–5 Into Reading program uses an explicit “I do / We do / You do” model with vocabulary instruction built into every lesson, whole-group kickoff and small-group rotations informed by Acadience and other diagnostic data. Lessons include shared reading, independent reading, literacy centers (minimum three times per week) and routine scaffolded supports for English learners. The district has produced translations of texts and anchor charts in Spanish, Chinese and Korean and added additional scaffolding designed by the district’s ELL specialist, Michelle Lee.

For middle school Into Literature, Melinda Wilens described a unitized structure (about 15–20 days per unit) with a unit opener, daily direct-skills instruction, paired-text work and end-of-unit performance tasks including extended writing and choice projects (podcasts, posters and creative responses). She said teachers aim to cover roughly four units per year, with additional “reader’s choice” options for remediation or enrichment. The curriculum includes daily informal checks, selection quizzes for each text selection, and end-of-unit assessments aligned to ELA standards.

The presenters highlighted supports teachers and families can use: peer-coach videos (English and Spanish), anchor charts translated into family languages, multilingual family letters at the start of each module, and a district family support center and parent coordinators trained in the curriculum.

A student recording played during the presentation described personal benefits from HMH: increased confidence with independent reading and pride in writing. Anna and Melinda said the district is also translating materials for newcomer and bilingual students and noted that Michelle Lee has worked with bilingual teachers to create additional access supports.

Why it matters: the presentation explains how reading instruction is being delivered across District 25, how students are assessed and how families can access translated materials and take-home resources.

Ending: The HMH team remained available for questions following the presentation and offered links and one-pagers with unit and reader-choice titles for parent leaders to share with schools.