Empowering Our Young Readers: New Elementary Literacy Curriculums for 2026-2027
New Prague Area Schools is excited to announce the implementation of two new, highly aligned literacy curriculums starting in the 2026-2027 school year: Arts and Letters by Great Minds and Functional Phonics and Morphology by CAREI. This significant update follows a rigorous selection process during the first semester of this school year, where 18 K–5 pilot teachers dedicated themselves to testing different curriculums to determine which would have the greatest impact on student learning and be most feasible for our staff to implement.
Why These Resources Were Chosen
The pilot team recommended these resources because they are both strongly aligned with the Science of Reading.
Arts and Letters (A&L) was overwhelmingly preferred by staff. Teachers noted that the curriculum holds readers to high levels of learning while providing necessary scaffolds to support all learners and keep all students engaged. Highly engaging texts are at the center of explicit instruction around reading, vocabulary, and writing all while eliciting curiosity in our learners.
Functional Phonics and Morphology (FPM) was selected for its explicit, systematic, and sequential approach to foundational skills that is highly aligned with state standards. Teachers noted that FPM provides practice opportunities to build word reading fluency through embedded decodable texts, eliminating the need for teachers to supplement.
What Makes These Resources Unique?
Arts and Letters: This curriculum focuses on building deep background knowledge through four modules per grade level centered on topics in history, science, and the arts. It uses a unique five-step framework—Wonder, Organize, Reveal, Distill, and Know—to help students explore complex texts. Furthermore, writing is never separate; students write specifically about what they are reading to reinforce their comprehension while learning the conventions of writing.
Functional Phonics and Morphology: Functional Phonics (grades K-3) focuses on hearing sounds in words, matching those sounds to correct letters to spell words, and applying that knowledge to reading words and passages. Functional Morphology (grades 3-5) focuses on the meaningful parts of words including prefixes, suffixes, and Greek and Latin roots. Students focus on word meaning as they practice reading, spelling, and writing words with common parts.
Supporting the Minnesota Read Act
These new curriculums are a direct investment in the goals of the 2024 Minnesota Read Act. The legislation required the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to review curriculums for their alignment with structured literacy. Both A&L and FPM are recognized on MDE’s highly aligned resource list. By pairing A&L (which masters Language Comprehension) with FPM (which focuses on Word Recognition), our schools are ensuring every student receives the necessary instruction for reading success.
The Implementation Plan
The transition will be supported by a robust professional development plan to ensure staff are fully prepared for the fall of 2026:
- Spring 2026: Staff will participate in training and begin implementing Functional Phonics and Morphology.
- 2026-2027 School Year: Teachers will receive at least three dedicated district training days for Arts & Letters, facilitated by experts, along with ongoing coaching sessions throughout the year.
- Beyond 2027: Instructional coaches will continue to provide support as these routines become a natural part of our daily excellence.