For Grade 2, we removed If You Lived With the Cherokee because it went out of print, and then we decided to remove The Very First Americans as well because the content did not move through the history of any Native American culture. In searching for replacement texts, we found an informational text series about Native American peoples which could build knowledge of both past and present and includes a social justice perspective. We chose The Hopi People by Therese Shea, The Cheyenne People by Shalini Saxena, The Cherokee People by Sarah Machajewski, and The Mohawk People by Ryan Nagelhout. In selecting these texts, we selected books representing different regions of the country. We wanted to introduce specific Native American cultures that differed to expand our students’ understanding of American history and help students compare and contrast cultures. We removed several books which do not fit our new themes: What Is It Made Of?, Creatures Yesterday and Today, Wolf Island, D is for Dancing Dragon, and Hello Ocean.

We were able to add 25 new lessons in Shared Reading to ensure that Shared Reading and ELA have the same number of days, allowing us to add new books connecting to content across the curriculum and build knowledge.

We added three informational books in ELA to increase content knowledge, introduce students to academic vocabulary in science, and spotlight the work of influential scientists. In Sounds All Around by Wendy Pfeffer, multiple examples of evidence that sound travels and illustrations of its wave components help to make the concept of sound waves concrete. In Clang! Ernst Chladni’s Sound Experiments, by Darcy Pattison, students delve into the history of science as they learn about scientist Ernst Chladni, whose work led to the establishment of the field of acoustics. In Starstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil deGrasse Tyson, by Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer, students learn about Neil deGrasse Tyson and how he became one of the most influential astrophysicists in the world.

Finally, we added two informational books in Shared Reading to expand on the history content introduced in current Shared Reading texts. Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: China: Land of the Emperor’s Great Wall, by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, is a companion to the current Shared Reading text, Magic Tree House: Day of the Dragon King. The new book expands on content referenced in the current text and explores more about both past and present-day culture, geography, and history of China. Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Ancient Greece and the Olympics, by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, expands on content referenced in the current text Time Warp Trio: It’s All Greek to Me. It explores the culture, geography, and history of Ancient Greece, and the contests and practices of both ancient and modern Olympic games. Those additions to the end of the school year also invite students to pursue summer reading goals with these prolific authors.

For Grade 3, we removed a biography about Franklin Roosevelt from our Shared Reading list. It did not fit conceptually into our new module. We decided to increase representation of female historical figures and build civic knowledge about the Supreme Court to add to what was learned in our Reaching Our Goals unit. We chose a biography of Sonia Sotomayor by Megan Stine. Because Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina U.S. Supreme Court justice, her story expanded representation. As we worked to ensure that Shared Reading and ELA had the same number of days, we were able to add three additional books. We added The Story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Biography Book for New Readers, by Susan B. Katz, as a Shared Reading text. We had room for another text in the unit and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the most celebrated female leaders in America, fit the bill. As a White Jewish girl who grew up during World War II, Ruth Bader Ginsburg faced many challenges in order to reach her goals. She became the second woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. Ironically, we made that selection just before she died.

We added Red Kite, Blue Kite, by Ji-Li Jiang, as a Shared Reading text in our Powerful Connections unit. This text tells the true story of a boy and his father living during the Cultural Revolution in China. They maintain a powerful connection by flying special kites during this terrible and tragic time in Chinese history.

Finally, we added The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, a picture book by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, as a Shared Reading text to fit within our A Journey of Self Discovery unit. This text tells the true story of a 13-year-old boy from Malawi who, after having to drop out of the school he loves when his family can no longer afford the fees, sneaks into the library and learns how to construct a windmill from scraps to create electricity for his entire community.

For Grade 4, we removed five books. Through our study of reviews of texts for their bias, we removed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for its author’s implicit references to slavery. We removed Steal Away Home, a piece of historical fiction, because characters’ language about enslaved people and slavery is offensive. We removed the Zombies! Evacuate the School poetry anthology to make room for a replacement text with better potential to increase knowledge and bring awareness to social justice issues. We removed George Washington’s Socks to make room for a new book and theme. Finally, we replaced Around the World in a Hundred Years because it did not fit the new themes we have included in this revision. These decisions allowed us to add new books which connect to content across the curriculum.

We added six new books to build knowledge and increase representation. Selections from the poetry anthology Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World, by Susan Hood, fit themes throughout Shared Reading, and introduce poems that connect to content and books. Love, Amalia, by Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel M. Zubizarreta, tells the story of a young Latina girl who navigates her relationships with friends and family through love, change, loss, and redemption. In A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, by Michelle Y. Green, students read the biography of Mamie Johnson—one of only three women to ever play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues. Starry River of the Sky, by Grace Lin, gives students the chance to explore how people change and learn to understand one another. The author employs Chinese myth and the lived experiences of a boy and the villagers who take him in. In Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean by Sigrid Schmalzer, students learn about the impact of sustainable farming through cooperation between scientists and farmers. Finally, in Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic, by Ginnie Lo, students read about the role of growing and preparing food in building strong connections among family, community, and culture.

In order to ensure that there were enough days to complete the Culminating Task in Module 1, we decided to shorten our poetry lessons. We removed four simple poems from our Read Aloud list: “The Eagle,” “A Narrow Fellow in the Grass,” “The Bat,” and “Explaining an Affinity for Bats.” We replaced them with poems written by Black poets and featuring Black characters. We looked for diverse characters doing everyday things.

We chose the poetry text Messenger, Messenger, by Robert Burleigh, for our Powerful Words unit. This poetry text features a Black protagonist, Calvin Curbhopper, and the illustrations show a busy city from multiple perspectives. Readers get a look at the work of a big-city bicycle messenger. The author uses hip-hop rhyming couplets to help readers see the action.

We added another poetry text by Robert Burleigh to provide students with an opportunity to compare and contrast a single author’s different writing styles and explore poetry structures. This text, Hoops, describes the game of basketball in an abstract way, using descriptive language that captures the game in free verse. The illustrations depict a diverse collection of players engaging in a beautifully raw game of basketball.

Finally, we added Half and Half, by Lensey Namioka, in Module 4. We needed a book to accompany The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg in our Demonstrating Courage unit. The protagonist Homer P. Figg demonstrates courage by setting out on a dangerous journey to find his brother during the Civil War era. We needed a text to show students that demonstrating courage looks different depending on the situation. Lensey Namioka tells the story of a young girl who is coping with feelings about her mixed racial and cultural heritage. The author provides an authentic literary experience through which students can envision the character’s struggle to represent her identity accurately and her realization that she does not fit into preset boxes for race and culture.