After Long Closures in Hawaii: Grade-Level Literacy to Rebuild Routines
After Long Closures in Hawaii: Grade-Level Literacy to Rebuild Routines
After a long school closure in Hawaii, literacy catch-up works best as short, steady practice at each child's actual level, not a rush to cover everything missed. The Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum ($49.99) gives teachers and families grammar, writing prompt and phonics packs for every grade from 1 to 6, plus six reading stories, so each child starts where they are.
Look at the Grades 1–6 packsFor Hawaii teachers and families rebuilding literacy after a long closure, the Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum ($49.99) gives grade-level practice in one purchase. Each grade from 1 to 6 has a grammar pack, a writing prompt pack and a phonics or word study pack, and six reading comprehension stories round it out. Use small daily pieces to restore routines and spot gaps, alongside your school's own reading program.
The resources
Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum, Grades 1–6
24 resources in one download: $49.99 instead of $95.76 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum | Grammar, Writing, Phonics & Reading Packs for Every Grade
Grade 1 ELA Pack | Grammar, Writing Prompts, Phonics, Reading & Vocabulary
Grade 3 ELA Pack | Grammar, Creative Writing, Phonics, Reading & Vocabulary
Grade 5 ELA Pack | Grammar, Writing Prompts, Phonics & Two Reading Stories
ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle | Everyday English, Grammar & Vocabulary | 9 Resources | Grades 2–6
The real problem
Months away from class, and a gentle way back
After the August 2023 fires on Maui, Lahaina schools stayed closed for about two months. A gap that long is different from a storm week. Children spent weeks in new places, with sleep and routines disrupted, and returning to school meant adjusting all over again. Some had lost far more than school time. For literacy, the effect is uneven. Reading habits fade without practice, especially in Grades 1–3, where phonics and fluency are still being built. Older students may have kept reading but stopped writing. In one class, a teacher can find children who are fine, children whose spelling has slipped back, and children who simply cannot focus yet. Pushing hard to recover lost weeks rarely works in that situation. What tends to help is predictable, low-pressure practice: the same kind of short task at the same time each day, at a level where the child can succeed. That rebuilds the routine first and the skills second. It also gives the teacher a quiet way to see where each child stands without formal testing during a hard season.
Why it fits
Using grade-level packs to rebuild routines
Because every grade has its own packs, you can meet children where they are, which matters more after a long gap than keeping to a pacing guide.
- Grammar packs for each grade give a short, familiar task to open every school day.
- Phonics packs for Grades 1–3 help younger readers rebuild sound and spelling skills step by step.
- Word study for Grades 4–6 moves into patterns, morphology, roots and prefixes for older students.
- Writing prompt packs offer story starters and structured prompts, with no need to write about the fires.
- Six reading stories, such as Mia and the Moonlight Garden, provide calm reading time.
- Packs for neighboring grades let a child work a level down without a separate purchase.
Getting started
A gentle six-week restart
A suggested shape for a class or family after a long closure. Adjust it to how the children are doing.
- Weeks 1–2: routine before contentOpen each day with one grammar page at or slightly below grade level. The goal is a calm, predictable start in which every child finishes something.
- Week 2: listen to them readDuring the grammar routine, sit with a few children each day and listen to them read one of the six stories aloud. Note who needs phonics work and who is ready to move on.
- Weeks 3–4: add phonics or word studyAdd the phonics pack for each child's working level. Some younger readers may need the pack from the grade below, which is fine and does not need to be announced to the class.
- Weeks 4–5: bring writing backIntroduce the writing prompt packs with story starters. Keep topics light and imaginative. If a child chooses to write about their own experience, let them, but do not assign it.
- Week 6: check, then rejoin the programCompare where children are with your school's reading program and Hawaii's grade-level standards. Move students back into regular instruction and keep the packs for review.
What to buy
The full curriculum or one grade at a time
The Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum at $49.99 is the pick for classes with a wide spread of levels and for families with several children; the 24 parts cost $95.76 separately. A single child working at one level can start with one grade pack instead: the Grade 1 ELA Pack ($12.99), or the Grade 3 or Grade 5 ELA Pack ($13.99 each). Students who are still learning English are better served by the ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle ($79.99), which focuses on everyday English, grammar and vocabulary for Grades 2–6.
Honest limits
What to keep in mind
The curriculum is not written for Hawaii and does not follow Hawaii's ELA standards or any school's reading program. It includes no Hawaiian language, no local stories and nothing about the fires, and it offers no trauma support; counselors and your school's guidance come first. Check the packs against your grade-level standards before using them for anything beyond practice. You print the pages yourself. The license covers your own class or family; a school or tutoring program sharing it needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. Within 7 days you can exchange it for store credit of equal value if it does not fit, but there are no cash refunds.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does it follow Hawaii's ELA standards?
No. It is not aligned with, approved under or endorsed by Hawaii's standards or the state's public school system. It provides general grammar, writing, phonics and reading practice for Grades 1–6. Compare it with your grade-level standards and your school's reading program before treating it as anything more than practice.
Is it appropriate for children affected by the fires?
The content is ordinary literacy practice and does not mention fires or disasters, which can make it easier to use during recovery. It is not a counseling resource. Follow your school counselor's guidance for children who are struggling, keep sessions short on hard days, and let a child skip a day when they need to.
Can I use packs from a lower grade without singling a child out?
Yes. Print pages from whichever grade fits and hand them out without grade labels. Because the curriculum spans Grades 1 to 6, you can move a child up or down a level as they settle back in, without buying anything new. Keeping the pages unlabeled also lets children in the same class work at different levels quietly.
We are in temporary housing. Will this work at home?
It can. The packs are a digital download that stays in your account under Orders, so you can print a few pages at a time at a library or school office. Younger children will need an adult nearby to read directions and help them get started, while older ones can usually work more on their own.
How long should catch-up practice take each day?
There is no fixed amount, and the packs do not prescribe one. For most children a short block is enough to restore the habit; for younger ones that may be ten or fifteen minutes. Steady daily practice usually matters more than long sessions, especially in the first weeks back.
Can our school's tutoring program use it?
Use across a team or school is possible, but send Teach Lessons a short message first describing who would use it. One purchase on its own covers your own teaching. The files cannot be posted publicly or passed on to families outside your class, though printed pages for your own students are fine.
Small steps back into reading
Open the curriculum page, look at the packs for your grades, and print one calm week to start.
Look at the Grades 1–6 packs