Rose James, District Literacy Coordinator, RoseJames@berkeley.net
Erica Carter, District Literacy TSA (TK-8), EricaCarter@berkeley.net
2020 Bonar Street, Berkeley, CA 94702
Hours: Monday – Friday | 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM | 510-644-8727
Pre-Kindergarten
The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Early Childhood Education Department provides preschool programs that nurture young children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development, as well as develop kindergarten school readiness skills. Oral language, early literacy skills such as rhyming, print awareness, and reading aloud are the Language arts focal points of our Pre-K literacy program. Resource: BUSD ECE Website here.
Transitional Kindergarten
In Transitional Kindergarten teachers observe, reinforce, and actively support student’s development of oral and written language skills. Students are engaged in listening comprehension, oral storytelling, and instruction in the alphabet. Teachers intentionally develop students’ beginning literacy skills toward Kindergarten readiness with a focus on rhyming and awareness of different units of speech (words in sentences, syllables, sounds), letters and sounds, and early reading behaviors.
- Alignment of PreSchool Foundations with California CCSS State Standards
- TK LA Curriculum: Heggerty (Phonological Awareness), Zoo Phonics (Phonics Program) Estrellita (SLA– Sylvia Mendez)
Kindergarten-5th Grade (Elementary)
Elementary students in BUSD are taught the structure of language through systematic ad phonics (the study of the relationship between written and spoken language) and word study appropriate to their grade level as well as instruction in spelling and language conventions. Students are asked to apply those grade level skills and conventions in their own reading and writing daily. Students engage with a range of literature, poetry, and nonfiction/informational texts. Instruction in Language Arts includes instruction that is culturally responsive and relevant to their lives. Instruction builds on and grows students’ funds of knowledge. BUSD’s literacy program is committed to building student agency and independence as thinkers, readers and writers in service of them becoming critical consumers and producers of written and spoken language.
- California State Common Core State Standards (K-5) Learning Standards
- Grades (K-2) Phonics Curriculum: Fast Track Phonics, Estrellita (K) and Canciones y Cuentos (K-2) (Sylvia Mendez)
- Grade (K-1) Phonological Awareness Curriculum: Heggerty
- Grades K-2 Phonics Curriculum: FastTrack Phonics
- Grade K-5 Reading and Writing Curriculum: Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
We are also committed to the Language Arts development of our Multilingual Learners. For more information about how BUSD is supporting our Multilingual students click here. Also learn more about the alignment of Common Core and ELD Frameworks HERE.
Grades 6-8 (Middle School)
Our middle school literacy program is comprehensively designed to foster a love for language and literature while continuing to grow essential literacy skills. Through close reading of complex texts, (short stories, novels, journalism, nonfiction, poetry) students develop their own identity as readers, writers, and literary scholars.
The writing process is a focal point for our growing writers as students craft , narrative, literary response structures, persuasive writing, and research skills. By engaging with these multifaceted approaches, students not only build proficiency in reading and writing but also develop a lifelong appreciation for the richness and power of language.
- Common Core ELA/SLA Standards 6-8th Grade
- Grades 6-8 Curriculum: Inquiry By Design
Grades 9-12 (Berkeley High School)
All incoming ninth grade students are assigned to one of seven houses, or hives. These hives are composed of approximately 120 students who share 4 teachers in their core subject areas: Math 1 (or Advanced Math 1), Physics 1, English, and Ethnic Studies/Social Living. Students choose their remaining two classes out of several elective options. At the end of ninth grade, students have the opportunity to rank one of the five learning communities at Berkeley High School for their 10th-12th grade education.
For information on Berkeley High School Programs and Small Schools click here