Educators from across the region recently gathered in Big Rapids, Michigan, to witness innovative literacy instruction in action. The visit to Brookside Elementary offered a firsthand look at how Big Rapids Public Schools are using American Reading Company’s ARC Core curriculum in their K–5 classrooms.

Throughout the session, guests observed students actively reading and writing about thematic content with a strong emphasis on vocabulary development through this work. The visit also included time at Big Rapids Middle School, where educators reviewed student work, participated in a Q&A session with ARC teachers, and learned more about the Science of Reading framework that informs the curriculum’s design.

Matt Reher, Vice President of Teaching and Learning at ARC, highlighted how the curriculum builds vocabulary in context by helping students deepen their knowledge instead of relying on traditional memorization techniques. “Even just focusing on one theme for nine weeks of the year — you learn vocab four times as fast when you’re learning by topic as opposed to words,” Reher emphasized. The visit gave educators insight into effective, research-based instruction and strengthened regional collaboration around high-quality instruction.

Read the full article from Dylan Schwartz at Pioneer for a deeper look at how Big Rapids is leading the way in literacy: Educators visit Big Rapids, Michigan schools to observe reading program

Read More