HMH INTO LITERATURE® CALIFORNIA

Districts should look for explicit alignment with the California Common Core State Standards and the CA ELD Standards, including integrated and designated language development with clear language objectives, not add-on scaffolds. Middle school programs must address both skilled reading and lingering foundational gaps, supporting grade-level comprehension while providing explicit decoding, fluency, and word-study instruction when the data indicates a student skill gap. California guidance emphasizes learning through content. Districts should prioritize curricula that organize instruction around Essential Questions, coherent text sets, and sustained knowledge building, rather than isolated skills practice. Effective programs embed integrated ELD, provide designated ELD materials aligned with core content, and enable strategic use of home language to ensure equitable access for English learners.

HMH Into Literature California applies the science of reading through a structured literacy-aligned instructional model that is adapted for Grades 6–8, focusing on meaning-making while ensuring access to the critical skills needed. The program provides explicit, teacher-led instruction using the gradual release model that supports direct modeling, guided practice, and intended application, which are key principles of evidence-based literacy instruction. Targeted close reads develop comprehension, syntax awareness, and academic language through careful attention to text structure, vocabulary, and meaning—an application of science of reading research in secondary contexts.

HMH Into Literature California is designed for mixed-ability middle school classrooms where students may be proficient comprehenders, developing readers, or both. The program provides extensive scaffolding and resources to support a wide range of readers as they continue to develop their skills and further their literacy growth.

Yes, knowledge and academic vocabulary development are core design features of HMH Into Literature California. Each unit is organized around an Essential Question and a knowledge map, ensuring that students build content knowledge cumulatively across multiple texts and genres. Academic vocabulary is taught in context, with explicit routines, morphology support, and repeated exposure through reading, discussion, and writing. Vocabulary development supports language comprehension, a key pillar of the science of reading, while honoring California’s emphasis on disciplinary literacy and academic language.

Writing instruction is a core, non-optional component of HMH Into Literature California, as every unit is designed around an integrated writing and language goal that is worked toward across all lessons in the unit, not reserved for the end of instruction. Writing is intentionally positioned as a vehicle for knowledge building, comprehension, and language development. Students engage in writing with every core text, including short, text-dependent writing, collaborative writing, and extended compositions that build toward a culminating end-of-unit writing task.

HMH Into Literature California is designed as an integrated literacy system, not a collection of separate strands. Reading and writing are taught together through shared texts. Students analyze complex literary and informational texts and immediately apply their understanding in writing—reading as writers and writing as readers, as emphasized in the CA ELA/ELD Framework. Grammar and language instruction are embedded, not isolated. Watch Your Language! routines link grammar and conventions directly to the sentences students read and write, showing how language works in authentic texts. Academic language is developed through text-based discussion, vocabulary in context, sentence-level analysis (e.g., Sentence Zoom-Ins), and structured speaking and listening tied to the Essential Question. Instruction follows a gradual release model—teacher modeling, guided practice, and independent application—supporting both explicit instruction and growing student independence.

HMH Into Literature California was intentionally developed to meet California’s dual ELD expectations through seamless support for both Integrated and Designated ELD. In daily core instruction, lessons pair language objectives with content objectives so English language development occurs during reading, writing, discussion, and collaboration, supported by embedded multilingual learner scaffolds such as structured talk, sentence frames, strategic use of home language, and routines like Sentence Zoom-Ins and Turn & Talks. Language development is tightly connected to unit texts, Essential Questions, and knowledge-building topics, reinforcing meaning-making. In addition, the program includes a dedicated Designated ELD component with aligned Teacher’s Guides and student practice that focuses explicitly on how English works—vocabulary, sentence structure, cohesion, and language functions—so students can apply new language learning directly back into core instruction, extending the strong ELD foundations established in HMH Into Reading California for secondary learners.

Yes. HMH Into Literature California was intentionally designed to support the full continuum of multilingual learners in accessing grade level ELA content, including both newcomers with limited prior schooling and long-term English learners (LTELs). The program provides integrated multilingual learner scaffolds at point of instruction across Emerging, Expanding, and Bridging proficiency levels, ensuring access to grade-level texts while supporting language growth. In addition, the Designated ELD Teacher’s Guides include explicit front-matter guidance on considering students’ home-language literacy and schooling history, helping teachers differentiate support for newcomers with foundational gaps and LTELs who require targeted support. For rapid acquisition and accelerated progress toward reclassification, newcomers and LTELs benefit from the specialized designated ELD provided in HMH English 3D^®.

HMH Into Literature California embeds robust multilingual and Spanish-language supports directly into core instruction, including English-Spanish YA texts and lesson supports with at least one bilingual text experience per unit, authentic print and digital Spanish resources such as Cuentos Cortos for Grades 6–8, and point-of-use scaffolds like sentence frames, structured discussion prompts, Visual Vocabulary, Text Sketches, and Sentence Zoom-Ins.

HMH Into Literature California centers culturally and linguistically affirming practices by design. Units are built around diverse, high-quality texts—classic and contemporary—selected to reflect students’ identities, languages, histories, and lived experiences, helping students see themselves as capable readers and thinkers. Instructional routines encourage student voice, choice, collaboration, and strategic use of home language, reinforcing the value of linguistic assets rather than treating them as barriers. This asset-based approach is consistent across HMH Into Reading California (K–5) and HMH Into Literature California (6–8), ensuring that cultural relevance and linguistic affirmation are sustained across grade bands.

HMH Into Literature California is explicitly aligned with the CA ELA/ELD Framework, with design features that reflect the framework’s integrated vision of literacy and language instruction. The program embeds content and language objectives, Integrated ELD supports, and structured academic talk throughout daily lessons, while providing protected Designated ELD instruction aligned to unit texts, topics, and vocabulary. Knowledge building through coherent text sets, attention to meaning-making, and explicit instruction on how English works all reflect core Framework expectations. Together with HMH Into Reading California, the program provides a coherent K–8 pathway that fully addresses California’s standards and guidance for English learners.

HMH Into Literature California includes built-in professional development and implementation support to ensure a strong launch and sustained success. Teachers receive live or on-demand Getting Started sessions, step-by-step Teacher Success Pathways, and yearlong resources through Teacher’s Corner^®, all embedded in the HMH Ed platform. Leaders are supported through Leader Success sessions and Leader’s Corner^®, providing year-round access to resources, live events, reports, and guides to support a successful implementation. Additional professional learning includes HMH Coachly^® for 1:1 job-embedded coaching all yearlong; in-person coaching; program-aligned courses; and leadership supports from the Center for Model Schools.