What’s included in our grades K–2 language arts curriculum

Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts^® (CKLA) is a comprehensive early literacy curriculum, grounded in the Science of Reading. The K–2 curriculum sequences deep content knowledge-building with research-based foundational skills. With Amplify CKLA, you’ll have the instruction and guidance of proven, evidence-based practices to help all of your students become strong readers, writers, and thinkers.

Choose Level

K–2 3–5 PreK

Year at a glance

The Amplify CKLA curriculum is modeled after proven research in early literacy that supports a two-strand approach to literacy instruction in the early years. With this approach, students in Grades K–2 complete one full lesson per day that builds foundational reading skills in the Skills Strand, as well as one full lesson that builds background knowledge in the Knowledge Strand. The deep content knowledge is sequenced together with research-based foundational skills in Grades K–2 so that students develop the early literacy skills necessary to help them become confident readers, as well as build the context to understand what they’re reading.

In Grades 3–5, lessons combine skills and knowledge with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater emphasis on writing. Students start to use their skills to go on their own independent reading adventures, further opening up their worlds.

Units & domains at a glance

The number of days to complete each Skills Unit and Knowledge Domain varies based on instructional purpose.

Illustration of a fairy tale scene with a pig playing a violin in a tree, a wolf running, a woman by a river knitting, and sheep grazing.

Knowledge Domain 1

Nursery Rhymes and Fables

Well-known fables introduce students to new vocabulary, build phonological awareness, and prompt discussion of character, virtues, and behavior.

Number of Lessons: 12

Illustration of people in a park with oversized hands and butterflies, featuring a photographer, a jogger, and another person catching a butterfly with a net.

Knowledge Domain 2

The Five Senses

Students explore how they learn about the world using their five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Number of Lessons: 8

Una ilustración que representa a un gran lobo con sombrero de copa liderando un desfile de animales y personas con instrumentos musicales a través de un paisaje montañoso.

Knowledge Domain 3

Stories

Students develop an awareness of language and recurring themes in children’s literature, including classic stories, trickster tales, and fiction from other cultures.

Number of Lessons: 10

Knowledge Domain 4

Plants

Read-aloud texts introduce students to basic knowledge of ecology, parts of plants, how plants grow, and the interdependence of all living things.

Number of Lessons: 11

Ilustración de una escena de granja que muestra un camión rojo que transporta verduras, campos de cultivo, vacas pastando en una colina, un granero y un molino de viento contra un cielo azul.

Knowledge Domain 5

Farms

Students identify several farm animals and crops and contrast how plants make their food with how animals get their food.

Number of Lessons: 9

Ilustración de un nativo remando en una canoa en un río con búfalos pastando en un campo, tipis al fondo y pájaros volando en el cielo bajo un sol brillante.

Knowledge Domain 6

Native Americans

Students explore cultures of three Native American groups, as well as how conditions in different geographical regions influence their ways of life.

Number of Lessons: 8

Una ilustración muestra un rey y una reina en tronos, un castillo en un acantilado y una mujer con enanos cerca de un árbol. Cortinas rojas enmarcan la escena.

Knowledge Domain 7

Kings and Queens

Students listen to read-aloud texts, both fiction and nonfiction, about kings, queens, and royal families, which build students’ understanding of royal customs.

Number of Lessons: 8

Ilustración que muestra las cuatro estaciones: primavera con flores, verano con árboles verdes, otoño con hojas que caen e invierno con nieve y gente en trineo. Un niño lee debajo de un árbol.

Knowledge Domain 8

Seasons and Weather

This is an introduction to weather and the seasons, where students learn that regions of Earth experience different characteristic weather patterns throughout the year.

Number of Lessons: 8

Un velero de madera con símbolos de cruz roja en sus velas navega cerca de una isla tropical con exuberante vegetación y palmeras. A lo lejos se ven otros dos barcos en el agua.

Knowledge Domain 9

Columbus and the Pilgrims

A look at the first contact between Europe and the Americas and some of its results.

Number of Lessons: 9

Una escena histórica muestra gente afuera de una gran mansión de estilo colonial con dos chimeneas. En primer plano se ve un carruaje tirado por caballos y a la izquierda se ve una casa más pequeña.

Knowledge Domain 10

Colonial Towns and Townspeople

Students are introduced to the early history of the United States as they explore what life was like for people in colonial times.

Number of Lessons: 10

Illustration of people recycling in a park with a factory emitting smoke in the background, contrasting natural beauty with industrial pollution.

Knowledge Domain 11

Taking Care of the Earth

Students are introduced to the importance of environmental awareness and conservation as they become familiar with the earth’s natural resources.

Number of Lessons: 10

Ilustración del Monte Rushmore con los rostros tallados de cuatro presidentes de Estados Unidos. Un águila vuela en primer plano.

Knowledge Domain 12

Presidents and American Symbols

Students learn about the legacies of five famous presidents, several national symbols, the branches of government, the role of the president, and elections.

Number of Lessons: 9

Un fondo naranja con íconos de manos y bocadillos dibujados a mano. Un gran bocadillo blanco en el centro contiene el texto "hola" en letras minúsculas.

Skills Unit 1

Students build phonological awareness through environmental noises, words within sentences, and sounds within words. They learn basic strokes used to form letters.

Ilustración de perfil de la cabeza de un niño sobre un fondo naranja, rodeada de varios garabatos que incluyen nubes, un pato, pastelitos y una campana.

Skills Unit 2

Students learn how to blend syllables together to form multisyllabic words. They orally produce two- and three-sound words by blending sounds.

Un contorno blanco de una mano escribiendo con un bolígrafo sobre un fondo naranja lleno de varios dibujos sencillos, incluidos animales, objetos y palabras relacionadas con la fonética y la pronunciación.

Skills Unit 3

Students learn eight new sounds and practice blending them into words. They learn how to write letters that represent the new sounds.

Una ilustración de un perro delineado en blanco sobre un fondo naranja, rodeado de varios garabatos relacionados con mascotas, como una pelota, huesos, un pez, hojas y huellas de patas.

Skills Unit 4

With oral language games, chaining exercises, and shared reading, students practice blending eight new sounds into words and writing the sound-letter correspondences.

Ilustración de un escarabajo con partes del cuerpo numeradas sobre un fondo naranja, rodeado de garabatos de hojas, mariposas, troncos y otros insectos.

Skills Unit 5

Eight new sounds are introduced, including a spelling alternative for /k/. Students continue to practice previously learned sound-letter correspondences.

Ilustración abstracta: dos manos de contorno blanco sobre un fondo naranja con objetos dibujados con líneas tenues, incluidos sombreros, pantalones, un gato, un lápiz, huellas de patas y una línea en zigzag.

Skills Unit 6

Students are introduced to consonant clusters, letter names, and rhyming words. Students begin to read text independently using decodable Student Readers.

Un dibujo lineal simple ilustra una escena de baño con una ducha, burbujas y un pato de goma, sobre un fondo naranja con la palabra "baño" en un lugar destacado.

Skills Unit 7

Students learn about various digraphs. Students practice blending and segmenting the sounds through phonemic awareness and phonics activities, chaining exercises, and reading.

Una ilustración en línea blanca de una concha marina y otros objetos con temática oceánica sobre un fondo naranja. El fondo también tiene varios elementos delineados como una gaviota, una red, un faro y un sol.

Skills Unit 8

This unit introduces students to double-letter spellings for consonant sounds, as well as seven new high-frequency Tricky Words.

Ilustración de la letra "A" mayúscula y minúscula sobre un fondo naranja con varios dibujos lineales, que incluyen una tienda de campaña, un cangrejo y una pecera.

Skills Unit 9

Students practice writing uppercase letters and learn 17 new Tricky Words. Students answer comprehension questions about stories in the Student Reader.

Ilustración de un pequeño avión con contornos blancos sobre un fondo naranja, volando entre las nubes. Al fondo se ven apenas visibles otros objetos y palabras.

Skills Unit 10

Students learn the basic code spelling for the five long vowel sounds. Students are administered a cumulative end-of-year assessment.

Illustration of animals around a large tree with a house, featuring a fox, rabbit, deer, and other animals in various activities by a river.

Knowledge Domain 1

Fables and Stories

Students are introduced to fables and stories, increase vocabulary and reading comprehension skills, and become familiar with the key elements of a story.

Number of Lessons: 10

Ilustración que presenta anatomía humana, actividades de estilo de vida saludable, profesionales médicos, símbolos dietéticos, una ambulancia y microorganismos, destacando la conexión entre salud, nutrición y ejercicio.

Knowledge Domain 2

The Human Body

Students are introduced to the systems of the human body, care of the body, germs and disease, vaccines, and keys to good health.

Number of Lessons: 10

Una ilustración que presenta varias escenas de cuentos de hadas y folclore, incluida una calabaza grande, un tigre, Caperucita Roja, personas con atuendos tradicionales y una pagoda roja con una montaña de fondo.

Knowledge Domain 3

Different Lands, Similar Stories

Students encounter cultures from around the world as they explore the ways in which folktales from different lands treat similar themes or characters.

Number of Lessons: 9

Ilustración que muestra el antiguo Egipto con pirámides, la Esfinge, agricultores arando un campo con bueyes y ganado pastando bajo un cielo soleado.

Knowledge Domain 4

Early World Civilizations

Students explore Mesopotamia and Egypt and learn about the importance of rivers, farming, writing, laws, art, and beliefs.

Number of Lessons: 16

Escena ilustrada de la antigua Mesoamérica con maíz, un río, agricultores y pirámides al fondo. En primer plano se ve a una persona con traje tradicional.

Knowledge Domain 5

Early American Civilizations

Students compare and contrast key features of the early civilizations of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca, and explore the development of cities.

Number of Lessons: 11

Illustration of a space scene with an astronaut in the foreground, a rocket launching, people with a telescope, and a distant planet with rings.

Knowledge Domain 6

Astronomy

In this introduction to the solar system, students learn about Earth in relation to the moon, other planets, the sun, and the stars.

Number of Lessons: 9

Dos paleontólogos en un paisaje volcánico examinan fósiles en primer plano, mientras un volcán emite humo y lava al fondo.

Knowledge Domain 7

The History of the Earth

Students learn about the geographical features of Earth’s surface, the layers of the earth, rocks and minerals, volcanoes, geysers, fossils, and dinosaurs.

Number of Lessons: 8

Una escena de vida silvestre diversa que presenta un cactus del desierto con un pájaro, un conejo, elefantes, un león, un oso polar sobre el hielo y montañas distantes bajo un cielo nublado.

Knowledge Domain 8

Animals and Habitats

Students focus on the interconnectedness of living things as they learn what a habitat is and explore specific types of habitats.

Number of Lessons: 9

Una princesa con un vestido rosa sostiene una rana junto a un arroyo con un castillo, árboles y gente al fondo. En primer plano camina un zorro con un sombrero con una pluma roja.

Knowledge Domain 9

Fairy Tales

Students learn about the Brothers Grimm, identify common elements of fairy tales, make interpretations, and compare and contrast different tales.

Number of Lessons: 9

Ilustración que muestra una escena histórica con soldados, veleros y hombres con atuendo colonial discutiendo en el interior.

Knowledge Domain 10

A New Nation: American Independence

Students are introduced to important historical figures and events in the story of how the 13 colonies became an independent nation.

Number of Lessons: 12

Los pioneros con carros cubiertos y caballos señalan hacia un valle con tipis nativos, fogatas y humo elevándose. Un oso se encuentra sobre una roca y se ven montañas al fondo.

Knowledge Domain 11

Frontier Explorers

Students are introduced to exploration of the American West, its key figures, and how colonists spread westward, including their interactions with native peoples.

Number of Lessons: 11

Ilustración de un mapa desplegado con líneas discontinuas que forman un camino abstracto y una "X" que marca un punto. El fondo es naranja con íconos de viajes como coronas, maletas y el Big Ben.

Skills Unit 1

Unit 1 provides a review of the sounds/spellings taught in the CKLA Kindergarten curriculum. Teachers administer the beginning-of-year assessment.

Ilustración de una bicicleta delineada en blanco sobre fondo naranja con varios dibujos lineales mecánicos y relacionados con la aventura.

Skills Unit 2

Students read and write words with long vowel spellings and learn new Tricky Words. The unit also includes grammar lessons on nouns.

Una ilustración que presenta el contorno blanco de una luna creciente, estrellas y varios animales y objetos, incluidos una rana, un pájaro y uvas, todo sobre un fondo naranja con elementos de texto y diagramas.

Skills Unit 3

Work continues on vowel sounds and their spellings. Grammar focus is on verbs and verb tense. Formal instruction in the writing process begins.

Ilustración de una nutria nadando sobre un fondo naranja, con varios íconos de animales y zoológicos en el fondo, incluidos peces, huellas y una pata con el texto "nutria".

Skills Unit 4

Students work with /r/-controlled vowel sounds. Students practice segmenting two-syllable words. Adjectives are introduced as students practice descriptive writing.

Una ilustración del sombrero de un mago con orejas de conejo asomando sobre un fondo naranja con varios objetos y símbolos delineados.

Skills Unit 5

Students work with spelling alternatives for sounds. Students also learn to identify sentence types. They plan, draft, and edit opinion letters.

Ilustración de una montaña rusa con tres pasajeros en un estilo artístico simplista de línea blanca sobre un fondo naranja con varios garabatos, incluido un dinosaurio, un pastel, palomitas de maíz y letras.

Skills Unit 6

Students continue to work with several spelling alternatives for sounds. Students review nouns and pronouns. They plan, draft, and edit personal narratives.

Ilustración de una canoa con remos y la ortografía fonética "float /foʊt/" sobre un fondo naranja con varios íconos culturales y de viajes.

Skills Unit 7

Students focus on spelling alternatives for sounds. Students plan, draft, and edit an informative/explanatory text. Students are administered an end-of-year assessment.

Un hombre con un hacha se encuentra entre paisajes exagerados con un castillo, un tren con humo, un buey azul y una persona con un mono observando la escena.

Knowledge Domain 1

Fairy Tales and Tall Tales

Students consider characteristic elements of fairy tales and tall tales and consider problems faced by the characters and lessons each story conveys.

Number of Lessons: 8

Ilustración de un paisaje vibrante que presenta diversos monumentos culturales, incluidos templos, palacios, pirámides, una escena de elefantes, montañas distantes y fuegos artificiales en el cielo.

Knowledge Domain 2

Early Asian Civilizations

Students are introduced to Asia, specifically India and China. In addition, students are introduced to related folktales and poetry.

Number of Lessons: 14

Ilustración que muestra la antigua Grecia con un anfiteatro, estatuas, soldados con armadura, un barco y un templo en una colina rodeada de vegetación.

Knowledge Domain 3

Ancient Greek Civilization

Students explore the civilization of ancient Greece, which lives on in many ways—in our language, government, art, architecture, the Olympics, and more.

Number of Lessons: 12

Illustration of various mythological scenes including greek gods, a flying horse, and roman architecture under a sunny sky.

Knowledge Domain 4

Greek Myths

Building on the Ancient Greek Civilization domain, students explore common characteristics and story elements of several well-known Greek myths and mythical characters.

Number of Lessons: 10

Ilustración de una batalla entre barcos británicos y estadounidenses cerca de un fuerte. El barco británico está a la izquierda con soldados, mientras que el barco estadounidense está a la derecha. La gente porta una gran bandera estadounidense en primer plano.

Knowledge Domain 5

The War of 1812

Students are introduced to major figures and events in the War of 1812, sometimes called America’s “second war for independence.”

Number of Lessons: 8

Un paisaje nevado con un zorro durmiendo en una madriguera, gente corriendo y andando en bicicleta por un sendero y árboles que muestran los cambios estacionales.

Knowledge Domain 6

Cycles in Nature

Students are introduced to natural cycles that make life on Earth possible, such as seasonal cycles, life cycles, and the water cycle.

Number of Lessons: 9

Ilustración de carros cubiertos tirados por caballos a lo largo de un sendero en el desierto, con un coyote aullando sobre una alta formación rocosa y un tren de vapor al fondo.

Knowledge Domain 7

Westward Expansion

Students are introduced to an important period in the history of the United States—the time of westward expansion during the 1800s.

Number of Lessons: 9

Ilustración de un jardín vibrante con flores, abejas, mariposas, una oruga en una hoja, una crisálida y un apicultor que maneja una colmena junto a un estanque.

Knowledge Domain 8

Insects

Students learn about the helpful and harmful characteristics of insects, insect life cycles, and social insects such as bees and ants.

Number of Lessons: 8

Ilustración de una escena histórica con gente escuchando el discurso de un hombre en una plataforma. Al fondo se ve un río y una procesión de personas. En primer plano hay un documento de proclamación.

Knowledge Domain 9

The U.S. Civil War

Students learn about the controversy between the North and the South over slavery and about key historical figures during that time.

Number of Lessons: 11

Una escena en la que aparece una persona explicando un diagrama anatómico humano, otra persona haciendo ejercicio, una cadena de ADN, campos y un microscopio de fondo.

Knowledge Domain 10

Human Body: Building Blocks and Nutrition

Students learn about the human body, including body systems, good nutrition, keys to good health, and the advances in microbiology made by Anton van Leeuwenhoek.

Number of Lessons: 9

Un grupo diverso de personas se encuentra en un muelle con vistas a un bullicioso puerto con barcos y un gran barco, un avión volando por encima y la Estatua de la Libertad al fondo.

Knowledge Domain 11

Immigration

Students explore the idea of e pluribus unum and the importance of immigration in the history of the United States.

Number of Lessons: 10

Women in early 20th-century clothing march with signs for voting rights and justice in front of a yellow bus labeled "Cleveland Ave.," making history that can inspire lessons in a K–2 language arts curriculum.

Knowledge Domain 12

Fighting for a Cause

Students explore the connection between ideas and actions, and see how people can do extraordinary things to change the dominant ideas and actions of an entire nation.

Number of Lessons: 9

Un contorno simplificado de un gato saltando para atrapar una mariposa, sobre un fondo verde con varias ilustraciones relacionadas con gatos y palabras como "saltar" y "leche".

Skills Unit 1

Sound-spellings with an emphasis on consonant sounds, one- and two-syllable words, and Tricky Words are reviewed. The beginning-of-year assessment is administered.

Ilustración de un animal verde sobre un fondo verde con varios objetos delineados como una cama, un conejo, una nube y sonidos fonéticos.

Skills Unit 2

The unit focus is on various sound-spellings and words with one- and two-syllables. Students begin the writing process, writing narratives and opinions.

Fondo verde con el contorno blanco de un birrete de graduación en el centro, rodeado de varios garabatos educativos y relacionados con logros, como un trofeo, una cinta y una portería de fútbol.

Skills Unit 3

Practice with spelling alternatives continues. Grammar focuses on capitalization, quotation marks, ending punctuation, and common and proper nouns. Students write personal narratives.

Ilustración de un paisaje urbano con varios símbolos que incluyen un tren subterráneo, una panadería, la Estatua de la Libertad y carteles que dicen "ahora contratando" y "ciudad/ee" sobre un fondo verde.

Skills Unit 4

Students practice a range of spelling alternatives. Students practice persuasive writing as part of a friendly letter. Students learn more about nouns and verbs.

Ilustración de un caballero a caballo sosteniendo una lanza, con un fondo de temática medieval que incluye un castillo, coronas y escudos, todo sobre un fondo verde lima.

Skills Unit 5

Students practice chunking sounds as they read multisyllabic words. Grammar work includes adjectives, subjects, and predicates. Writing includes rewriting a story ending.

Fondo verde con dibujos lineales blancos de temática náutica, que incluyen un ancla, un pez, un fuerte, un cañón, un barril, un pez, una tortuga y un cangrejo. También están presentes palabras como "ancla/er" y "naval".

Skills Unit 6

Students review advanced phonics and grammar skills. Students are introduced to expository/report writing. Students take an end-of-year assessment.

Program components

The program includes instructional guidance and student materials for a year of instruction, with lessons and activities that keep students engaged every day.

Component

FORMAT

Knowledge Strand Teacher Guide

Knowledge Strand Teacher Guides contain Amplify CKLA’s cross-curricular read-alouds and application activities, all of which are standards-based to build mastery of content knowledge and literacy skills. There is one Teacher Guide per Knowledge Domain.

Print or digital

Illustration from a K–2 language arts curriculum showing animals and children engaged in outdoor activities, with textual overlays about nursery rhymes and fables.

Knowledge classroom materials

Amplify CKLA includes oversized Flip Books and smaller Image Cards that bring each topic to life through vivid visuals.

Print or digital

Illustration from a children's book showing a fox, pig, and girl swinging on a rope by a river, with styled trees and a birdhouse. Part of the amplify CKLA nursery rhymes

Skills Strand Teacher Guide

Amplify CKLA Skills Strand Teacher Guides include comprehensive research-based instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, print concepts, the alphabetic principle, grammar, writing mechanics, comprehension, spelling, and other critical foundational literacy skills.

Print or digital

Illustration of an orange book cover titled "Amplify CKLA Skills 1" for core knowledge language arts' grade 1 teacher guide, featuring a white dotted line forming a path on a

Hands-on Skills ancillaries

Dynamic classroom materials include student Chaining Folders, Small and Large Letter Cards, Spelling Cards, Sound Cards, Big Books, Vowel and Consonant Code Flip Books, Code Charts, and more.

Print or digital

Illustration of a worksheet titled "large letter cards" with various images and letters for kindergarten education, part of the K–2 language arts curriculum, including a boat, hat, and musical notes.

Assessment and Remediation Guide

The unit-by-unit Assessment and Remediation Guide provides thousands of pages of activities for reteaching, differentiation, and additional practice.

Print or digital

A red book cover titled "Skills 1: Assessment and Remediation Guide" with a white ribbon icon and Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts branding, designed to support teacher materials for the K–2 language arts curriculum in amplify CKLA.

Digital experience

The Amplify CKLA digital experience delivers ready-made, customizable, slides-based lesson presentations to enhance instruction and save time. Everything needed to plan and present high-quality, engaging early literacy instruction is in one convenient place.

Digital

Component

FORMAT

Knowledge Strand Activity Books

Knowledge Strand Activity Books provide students with the opportunity to deepen world and word knowledge by responding to text in a diversity of ways.

An orange kindergarten activity book cover with the word "hello" in a speech bubble, hand and foot illustrations, and labeled "Skills 1" at the bottom—perfect for introducing foundational reading skills as part of a K–2 language arts curriculum.

Skills Strand Student Reader

Unique decodable Student Readers provide direct practice with just-learned sound-spelling patterns, using compelling stories and characters to integrate phonics and comprehension.

Illustration of a photo titled "snap shots," showing an animated girl in a yellow top and a boy in a blue shirt both smiling against a green doodled background, designed to amplify CKLA foundational

Skills Strand Activity book

Skills Strand Activity Books support the program’s connected approach to reading and writing, providing ample opportunities to respond to text while building core skills.

Digital experience

Digital

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