56 core topics
+ 48 prerequisite topics taught
as needed · approximately 30 hours of instruction
including spaced review
How the course runs
An adaptive diagnostic (up to
40 questions) places the student on the course's knowledge
graph - topics already known are credited, and instruction begins exactly
at the learning frontier. Every topic is taught with a worked-example
lesson and auto-graded practice; a topic is mastered at
75%+ and then maintained through spaced reviews on an
expanding schedule. Mixed checks follow every 6 lessons;
each unit ends with a 12-item quiz, and course-wide assessments appear at
25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% mastery. Prerequisite gaps below the course are detected and taught rather
than skipped, so completion certifies the whole tower, not just the top.
Core curriculum
Writing Strong Sentences
· 7 topics
Knowing When You Have a Sentence[M]
Tell a finished sentence from a piece of one.
Saying More Than the Bare Fact[M]
Add detail that answers a question a reader would ask.
Verbs That Do the Work[M]
Choose a verb precise enough to replace a description.
Naming the Thing Exactly[M]
Replace a category word with the actual thing.
Joining Two Sentences[M]
Put two related sentences together without making a run-on.
Choosing the Right Joining Word[M]
Pick the joining word that states the real relationship.
Not Starting Every Sentence the Same Way[H]
Notice a repeated opening and rewrite one to break it.
Paragraphs & Topic Sentences
· 7 topics
The Sentence the Others Are About[H]
Find or choose the sentence a paragraph is built on.
The Sentence That Does Not Belong[H]
Spot a sentence that wanders off the paragraph's point.
Naming Why It Does Not Fit[H]
Say what is wrong with an off-point sentence, not just which it is.
Details That Actually Support[H]
Choose detail that backs the claim you made.
Ending Without Adding[H]
Close a paragraph by landing the point, not opening a new one.
Linking Words Between Sentences[H]
Use a transition that states the real relationship.
Where One Paragraph Ends[H]
Find the point where a new idea starts and split there.
Opinion & Argument Writing
· 7 topics
A Claim or a Fact?[H]
Tell a position someone could argue with from a fact they could check.
The Reason Under a Claim[H]
Find the sentence that says why a position holds.
A Reason That Just Says It Again[H]
Spot a reason that goes in a circle instead of forward.
Evidence That Actually Proves It[H]
Tell measured evidence from a stronger way of repeating an opinion.
Claims You Cannot Defend[H]
Recognize a claim pushed past what any evidence could support.
Answering the Other Side[H]
Answer the strongest objection instead of talking past it.
The Shape of an Argument[H]
Name the job each sentence in an argument is doing.
Informative & Explanatory Writing
· 8 topics
Explaining or Arguing?[H]
Tell a sentence that explains from one that argues, tells a story, or gives orders.
Saying What You Will Explain[H]
Open a report with a sentence that says what about the subject will be explained.
Putting Facts Where They Belong[H]
Group related facts under the heading that answers the same question.
Sentences That Add Something[H]
Develop a point with real information instead of repeating it louder.
Defining a Word for Your Reader[H]
Write a definition that names the kind of thing and what sets it apart.
The Exact Word[H]
Use the subject's own word instead of describing your way around it.
Sounding Like a Report[H]
Keep the writer, the reader, and casual talk out of an explanation.
Your Own Words, the Same Facts[H]
Restate a source's fact in your own wording without changing it.
Narrative Writing
· 9 topics
Starting Where the Story Starts[M]
Begin a story inside the moment instead of outside it.
Telling It in an Order a Reader Can Follow[H]
Keep events in order and mark the jumps with real time signposts.
Showing a Feeling Instead of Naming It[H]
Replace a named feeling with something a reader can watch.
The Detail That Earns Its Place[H]
Choose details that do a job instead of filling space.
Dialogue That Does a Job[H]
Keep the lines that change something and cut the ones that do not.
Slowing Down the Part That Matters[H]
Spend sentences in proportion to what a moment is worth.
One Narrator, One Time[H]
Hold a story in the same tense and the same person all the way through.
An Ending That Lands[H]
End by showing what is different now.
The Shape of a Story[H]
Name the job each sentence in a story is doing.
Revising & Editing
· 9 topics
Revising and Editing Are Different Jobs[M]
Tell a change that fixes what a piece says from one that fixes how it is written.
Cutting Words That Do No Work[H]
Cut the words that repeat something the sentence has already said.
Pronouns That Point at Nothing[H]
Find a pronoun a reader cannot trace back and rewrite it so they can.
The Sentence in the Wrong Place[H]
Find the sentence a reader meets before they can understand it.
Where the Describing Words Landed[H]
Put a describing phrase next to the thing it is supposed to describe.
Lists That Match[H]
Build every item in a list out of the same kind of phrase.
Tense That Slips[H]
Keep a whole piece in one tense, and put a slipped sentence back.
What a Spellchecker Cannot Catch[H]
Catch a correctly spelled word that is the wrong word.
Finding the Error and Naming It[H]
Find the one error in a sentence, name what kind it is, and fix just that.
Research & Reference Skills
· 9 topics
A Question Worth Researching[M]
Turn a subject into a question that sources can actually settle.
The Words Worth Searching[H]
Pull the searchable words out of a research question.
Choosing the Right Reference Work[H]
Match a research need to the reference work built to answer it.
Finding It Inside the Book[H]
Use contents, index, glossary and title page for what each is for.
Guide Words and Alphabetical Order[H]
Use guide words to decide whether a word is on a page.
Does This Source Answer My Question?[H]
Tell a source that answers your question from one that merely shares it.
Who Wrote It, and Why[H]
Weigh a source by its author, its date and its purpose.
Notes in Your Own Words[H]
Take a note that carries the idea without carrying the sentence.
Naming Where It Came From[H]
Record a source completely enough that a reader could find it.
Prerequisite material
- taught
automatically when the diagnostic finds gaps
Phonological & Phonemic Awareness· 5 topics
Counting Syllables
Break a word into its beats.
Hearing the First Sound
Tell which sound a word starts with.
Hearing the Last Sound
Tell which sound a word ends with.
Hearing the Middle Vowel Sound
Find the vowel sound in the middle of a short word.
Blending Sounds into Words
Push separate sounds together to make a word.
Phonics: Letters, Sounds & Short Vowels· 5 topics
Capital and Lowercase Letters
Match every capital letter to its lowercase partner.
Letter Sounds
Say the sound each letter stands for.
Short Vowel Sounds
Hear and write the five short vowel sounds.
Reading Short Words
Sound out and read consonant-vowel-consonant words.
Word Families
Read a whole set of words by learning one ending.
High-Frequency Words & Sight Vocabulary· 2 topics
Recognizing High-Frequency Words
Know the most common words on sight, instantly.
High-Frequency Words in Sentences
Use common words correctly inside a real sentence.
Print Concepts & Early Comprehension· 2 topics
Listening Comprehension
Understand a story that is read out loud to you.
What Happened First, Next, Last
Put the events of a story in the order they happened.
Sentence & Capitalization Basics· 4 topics
What Makes a Sentence
Tell a complete sentence from a group of words.
Naming Part and Telling Part
Split a sentence into who it is about and what happens.
Capital Letters and End Marks
Start every sentence with a capital and end it with a mark.
Choosing the Right End Mark
Use a period, question mark, or exclamation point.
Prefixes & Suffixes· 8 topics
Finding the Base Word
Strip the extra parts off a word to find the word underneath.
What a Prefix Means
Know what the common prefixes do to a word.
Using a Prefix to Read a Word
Work out what a prefixed word means without being told.
What a Suffix Means
Know what the common suffixes add to a word.
Using a Suffix to Read a Word
Work out what a word with a suffix means.
Reading a Word You Have Never Seen
Work out an unfamiliar word from its prefix, base, and suffix.
Endings Change a Word's Job
See how a suffix turns one kind of word into another.
Choosing the Right Form
Pick the form of a word that a sentence actually needs.
Retelling, Sequence & Summary· 6 topics
Who the Story Is About
Name the character a story follows.
First, Next, and Last
Say what happened first, what came in between, and what came last.
Putting the Whole Story in Order
Arrange all the events of a story from beginning to end.
Finding the Problem
Name what goes wrong in a story.
Finding the Solution
Say how a story's problem gets resolved.
Summarizing a Story
Retell a story keeping only what matters.
Main Idea & Supporting Details· 4 topics
Topic or Main Idea?
Tell what a text is about from what it says about it.
Finding the Main Idea
Say in one sentence what a whole text is telling you.
Details That Back It Up
Find the fact in a text that supports a particular idea.
Writing a Summary
Retell a text keeping only what matters.
Reading in Science: Life Science (Grades 2-4)· 1 topics
Science Words Defined in Place
Work out a technical word from the sentence that introduces it.
Reading in Social Studies: American History (2-4)· 1 topics
Evidence in a History Text
Point to the detail that actually proves a claim.
Reading in Social Studies: American History (5-6)· 1 topics
Claims and the Evidence Under Them
Separate what a history text asserts from what it shows.
Nouns & Verbs· 4 topics
What a Noun Is
Name the words that stand for a person, place, or thing.
What a Verb Is
Name the words that tell what someone does.
Finding the Verb in a Sentence
Pick out the verb inside a whole sentence.
Making the Verb Match
Choose a verb form that matches one thing or many things.
Sentence Types, Fragments & Run-Ons· 5 topics
Spotting a Fragment
Tell when a group of words stops before it is a sentence.
Spotting a Run-On
Notice when two sentences have been jammed into one.
Three Ways to Fix a Run-On
Repair a run-on, and choose the repair that fits the meaning.
Joining Two Sentences
Combine short sentences with the joining word the meaning needs.
Sentence, Fragment, or Run-On?
Sort any group of words into complete, too short, or too long.