Curriculum & InstructionMenlo Park City School District Annual Curriculum Prospectus
2026–27 School Year
This prospectus is published in accordance with California Education Code sections 49063 and 49091.14, which require school districts to compile and make available annually a curriculum prospectus describing the titles, descriptions, and instructional goals of the courses offered to students. California Education Code section 49091.14 further establishes the right of parents and guardians to review their child's school curriculum and provides that this prospectus shall be made available for review or copying upon request.
The instructional materials listed below have been adopted by the Menlo Park City School District Board of Education and are used across the district's elementary (K–5) and middle (6–8) programs. Course descriptions and instructional goals are provided for each core program area: English Language Arts, English Language Development, Mathematics, Science, History–Social Science, Foreign Language, and Health. Materials and adoptions are reviewed periodically and may be updated; the most current version of this prospectus is maintained on the District website.
Parents and guardians who wish to review curricular materials in person or request copies may contact their school site office or the Educational Services Department.
This prospectus is reviewed and updated annually by the Educational Services Department. For questions or to schedule a review of curricular materials, please contact your school site or the Educational Services Department at the District Office.
Elementary Program Grades K-5
Elementary Program Grades K-5
English Language Arts
Units of Study for Teaching Reading
Heinemann, Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) | Grade(s): K-5
Description: A workshop-based reading curriculum in which students learn through explicit minilessons, guided and independent practice, and structured partner and small-group work. Reading levels and skills progress across the K–5 sequence through fiction and nonfiction units of study.
Instructional Goals:
- Develop foundational and advanced decoding, fluency, and comprehension skills appropriate to each grade level.
- Build stamina and independence as readers through high-volume, choice-driven reading practice.
- Strengthen students' ability to think and talk analytically about texts, citing evidence to support interpretations.
Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing-Elementary Series
Heinemann, Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) | Grade(s): K-5
Description: A companion writing curriculum to the Units of Study for Teaching Reading, organized around the three primary writing genres assessed under the Common Core: opinion, informational, and narrative writing, taught through a workshop model with mentor texts and revision strategies.
Instructional Goals:
- Compose clear, organized opinion, informational, and narrative pieces appropriate to grade-level standards.
- Apply the writing process planning, drafting, revising, and editing with increasing independence.
- Use mentor texts and craft techniques to strengthen voice, structure, and elaboration in student writing.
Words Their Way
Pearson | Grade(s): K-5
Description: A developmental, word-study approach to phonics, spelling, and vocabulary instruction that groups students by developmental stage and uses hands-on sorting activities to build pattern recognition in words.
Instructional Goals:
- Develop accurate, automatic decoding and encoding of words through stage-appropriate word study.
- Build spelling proficiency and knowledge of orthographic patterns that transfer to reading and writing.
- Expand vocabulary knowledge through structural and morphological analysis of words.
Heggerty: Bridge to Reading (K-2 Phonemic Awareness)
Heggerty | Grade(s): K-2
Description: A daily, brief, systematic phonemic awareness curriculum used as a foundational bridge into formal phonics and reading instruction in the primary grades.
Instructional Goals:
- Develop phonemic awareness skills, including rhyming, blending, segmenting, and manipulating sounds in words.
- Build the oral language foundation necessary for successful decoding and early reading acquisition.
Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI)
Fountas and Pinnell | Grade(s): K–5
Description: A small-group, supplemental intervention system designed to provide additional, intensive support to students reading below grade-level expectations, using leveled texts and systematic lesson routines.
Instructional Goals:
- Accelerate reading progress for students reading below grade level through targeted, small-group instruction.
- Strengthen foundational reading behaviors, fluency, and comprehension strategies.
- Close gaps between a student's current reading level and grade-level expectations.
English Learners: English Language Development (ELD)
English 3D, California Edition
EL Education / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | Grade(s): K-5
Description: A designated English Language Development program for English Learners that builds academic English through structured discussion, close reading, and explicit language instruction aligned to the California ELD Standards.
Instructional Goals:
- Develop academic English proficiency across the listening, speaking, reading, and writing domains.
- Build the language skills English Learners need to access and succeed in grade-level core content.
- Progress through California ELD proficiency levels toward English language fluency.
ELD Links
Lingual Learning | Grade(s): K-5
Description: A supplemental English Language Development resource providing differentiated, standards-aligned language practice and scaffolds to support English Learners alongside designated and integrated ELD instruction.
Instructional Goals:
- Reinforce targeted English language skills aligned to each student's ELD proficiency level.
- Provide additional practice and scaffolding to support access to grade-level academic content.
Mathematics
California Math Expressions
Houghton Mifflin | Grade(s): K-5
Description: A core mathematics program built on the California Common Core State Standards that develops conceptual understanding through multiple representations, problem solving, and structured practice.
Instructional Goals:
- Build conceptual understanding and procedural fluency in grade-level mathematics standards.
- Develop students' ability to reason mathematically and communicate their thinking.
- Apply mathematical concepts to solve real-world and multi-step problems.
Big Ideas Math Common Core Advanced 1
Cengage Learning | Grade(s): 5
Description: An accelerated mathematics pathway course for qualifying Grade 5 students that compresses and extends grade-level content to prepare students for an advanced middle school mathematics sequence.
Instructional Goals:
- Master accelerated grade-level mathematics content beyond the standard Grade 5 sequence.
- Build the conceptual and procedural foundation needed for advanced middle school mathematics.
- Strengthen problem-solving and mathematical reasoning at an accelerated pace.
Science
Twig Science Next Gen California
Twig Science | Grade(s): K-5
Description: A complete K-8 science program built for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Twig Science California includes comprehensive print and digital Teacher Editions, a 3-D performance assessment suite, and a digital platform supporting flexible lesson planning.
Instructional Goals:
- Engage students in the three dimensions of NGSS: disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts.
- Develop scientific reasoning through phenomena-based, hands-on investigation.
- Build skills in collecting, analyzing, and communicating evidence-based scientific explanations.
History–Social Science
Exploring Social Studies California
Teachers' Curriculum Institute (TCI) Teachers Created Materials | Grade(s): K-5
Description: The core K-5 history–social science program, providing grade-level content in geography, civics, economics, and history through interactive lessons and inquiry-based projects aligned to the California History-Social Science Standards.
Instructional Goals:
- Build foundational knowledge of geography, civics, economics, and history aligned to California standards.
- Develop students' ability to analyze historical sources and multiple perspectives.
- Foster engagement through hands-on, inquiry-based investigation of social studies content.
Untold Stories
Teacher Created Materials | Grade(s): K-5 (supplemental)
Description: A supplemental literacy and social studies resource used alongside the core history–social science program. Untold Stories presents grade-level nonfiction texts profiling people, places, and events from diverse and often underrepresented backgrounds, pairing each story with vocabulary, comprehension, and discussion activities.
Instructional Goals:
- Broaden students' exposure to diverse perspectives and traditionally underrepresented historical figures and events.
- Build literacy skills- vocabulary, comprehension, and discussion- through nonfiction text study.
- Strengthen students' sense of representation and connection between their own identities and the people they study.
Health
Kimochis
Kimochis | Grade(s): K-5
Description: A social-emotional learning program that uses character plush toys and accompanying lessons to help young students identify, express, and manage their feelings.
Instructional Goals:
- Build vocabulary and skills to identify and express a range of emotions.
- Develop early social-emotional competencies, including empathy and conflict resolution.
RULER
Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence | Grade(s): K-5
Description: An evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning that teaches the skills of Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions for students and staff.
Instructional Goals:
- Build students' emotional intelligence and self-regulation skills.
- Strengthen the school community's shared emotional vocabulary and climate practices.
Puberty Talks
Health Connected | Grade(s): 5
Description: An age-appropriate, standards-aligned puberty and health education curriculum for Grade 5 students addressing physical, social, and emotional changes associated with adolescence, consistent with California's comprehensive sexual health education requirements.
Instructional Goals:
- Provide medically accurate, age-appropriate information about puberty and body changes.
- Build comfort and skills for discussing health topics with trusted adults.
- Support healthy decision-making and self-awareness during the transition to adolescence.
Middle School Program Grades 6-8
Middle School Program Grades 6-8
English Language Arts
StudySync
McGraw-Hill | Grade(s): 6-8
Description: The core middle school English Language Arts program, offering a digital and print platform with grade-level literary and informational texts, writing instruction, and discussion-based activities organized around thematic units of study.
Instructional Goals:
- Build proficiency in close reading and analysis of grade-level literary and informational texts.
- Develop writing skills across argumentative, informative, and narrative modes through structured units of study.
- Strengthen academic discussion, collaboration, and evidence-based discourse skills.
Mathematics
Big Ideas Math Common Core Advanced 1
Cengage Learning | Grade(s): 6
Description: An accelerated Grade 6 mathematics course that extends beyond standard Grade 6 content to place qualifying students on an advanced pathway toward Algebra 1 in Grade 8.
Instructional Goals:
- Build accelerated mastery of Grade 6-7 mathematics content within a single year.
- Develop fluency and reasoning needed to progress to advanced middle school mathematics.
Big Ideas Math Common Core
Cengage Learning | Grade(s): 7
Description: The core Grade 7 mathematics program is aligned to the California Common Core State Standards, covering ratios, proportional relationships, expressions, equations, geometry, and statistics.
Instructional Goals:
- Build proficiency in grade-level standards, including proportional reasoning and linear relationships.
- Develop algebraic thinking in preparation for formal Algebra coursework.
Big Ideas Math Common Core Advanced 2
Cengage Learning | Grade(s): 7/8
Description: An accelerated mathematics course for qualifying students that compresses Grade 8 content with pre-Algebra topics, continuing the advanced pathway toward high school mathematics.
Instructional Goals:
- Master accelerated Grade 7-8 content in preparation for Algebra 1 or higher coursework.
- Strengthen advanced problem-solving and abstract mathematical reasoning.
Big Ideas Math Common Core Algebra 1 (High School Credit)
Cengage Learning | Grade(s): 8
Description: A high-school-credit Algebra 1 course offered to qualifying Grade 8 students, covering linear, quadratic, and exponential functions, systems of equations, and foundational algebraic modeling.
Instructional Goals:
- Build mastery of Algebra 1 standards, earning high school credit prior to Grade 9.
- Develop algebraic modeling and problem-solving skills for advanced mathematics pathways.
Big Ideas Math Common Core Algebra 2
Cengage Learning | Grade(s): 8
Description: A high-school-credit Algebra 2 course for the most highly accelerated Grade 8 students who have completed Algebra 1, covering advanced functions, polynomials, and statistical reasoning.
Instructional Goals:
- Extend algebraic mastery into advanced functions, polynomials, and statistics.
- Prepare students for advanced high school mathematics, including Pre-Calculus and beyond.
Science
Elevate Science Middle Grades for California (2020)
Savvas Learning | Grade(s): 6/7/8
Description: An NGSS-aligned middle school science program combining digital and hands-on investigations across physical, life, and earth/space sciences, organized around real-world phenomena.
Instructional Goals:
- Engage students in phenomena-driven inquiry across the physical, life, and earth/space sciences.
- Build proficiency with NGSS science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts.
- Develop skills in evidence-based argumentation and scientific communication.
History–Social Science
History Alive! The Ancient World
Teachers' Curriculum Institute (TCI) | Grade(s): 6
Description: A Grade 6 world history program using interactive, inquiry-based strategies to study early human societies and ancient civilizations, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, and Rome.
Instructional Goals:
- Build understanding of the origins and development of early human civilizations.
- Develop skills in analyzing primary and secondary historical sources.
- Engage in collaborative, inquiry-based historical investigation.
History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond
Teachers' Curriculum Institute (TCI) | Grade(s): 7
Description: A Grade 7 world history program covering the medieval and early modern periods across global civilizations, using interactive lessons, simulations, and primary source analysis.
Instructional Goals:
- Build understanding of medieval and early modern societies across multiple world regions.
- Develop comparative analysis skills across civilizations and historical eras.
- Strengthen evidence-based historical writing and discussion.
US History: American Stories- Beginnings to World War I
Cengage Learning / National Geographic Learning | Grade(s): 8
Description: A Grade 8 United States history program spanning early settlement through World War I, integrating National Geographic primary sources, maps, and multimedia content with narrative historical text.
Instructional Goals:
- Build chronological and thematic understanding of U.S. history from the colonial era through World War I.
- Develop skills in interpreting primary sources, maps, and historical narratives.
- Strengthen civic understanding of the founding, expansion, and development of the United States.
Foreign Language
Senderos 2023 Spanish Levels 1A, 1B, 1, and 2
Vista Higher Learning | Grade(s): 6-8 (Adopted 2022)
Description: A sequential middle school Spanish language program developing communicative proficiency across levels, with integrated culture, grammar, and vocabulary instruction.
Instructional Goals:
- Develop foundational and intermediate Spanish communication skills across listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
- Build cultural understanding of Spanish-speaking countries and communities.
- Prepare students for continued world language study in high school.
Galería 2020 Spanish Levels A, B, and C
Vista Higher Learning | Grade(s): 6-8 (Adopted 2022)
Description: An introductory Spanish language sequence for middle school students, focusing on foundational vocabulary, grammar structures, and beginning communicative proficiency.
Instructional Goals:
- Build introductory Spanish vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skills.
- Develop early proficiency across the four language domains.
- Establish a foundation for continued Spanish language study.
Bien dit! Levels 1A, 1B, 1, and 2
Houghton Mifflin | Grade(s): 7/8 (Adopted 2017)
Description: A sequential French language program for middle school students building communicative proficiency through vocabulary, grammar, and cultural study.
Instructional Goals:
- Develop foundational and intermediate French communication skills across listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
- Build cultural understanding of French-speaking countries and communities.
- Prepare students for continued world language study in high school.
Health
Skills for Adolescence
Lions-Quest | Grade(s): 6-8
Description: A social-emotional learning and life-skills curriculum for middle school students addressing decision-making, communication, peer relationships, and resilience during adolescence.
Instructional Goals:
- Build life skills, including decision-making, goal-setting, and communication.
- Strengthen resilience and healthy peer relationship skills during early adolescence.
RULER
Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence | Grade(s): 6-8
Description: A continuation of the K–5 RULER approach to social and emotional learning at the middle school level, supporting students in recognizing, understanding, and regulating emotions.
Instructional Goals:
- Build emotional intelligence and self-regulation skills appropriate to adolescent development.
- Sustain a consistent emotional vocabulary and climate practice across grade levels.
Teen Talks
Health Connected | Grade(s): 8
Description: An age-appropriate, standards-aligned, comprehensive health and sexual health education curriculum for Grade 8 students, consistent with the California Healthy Youth Act.
Instructional Goals:
- Provide medically accurate, age-appropriate, comprehensive health education.
- Support healthy decision-making, communication, and relationship skills.
- Meet California Healthy Youth Act requirements for comprehensive sexual health education.
