When students know a lot about a topic and know the vocabulary associated with that topic, they become stronger readers who can more easily learn new information. To build students’ knowledge, each Wit & Wisdom module provides resources for six to eight weeks of deep study of a single topic considered from multiple perspectives. When our team considered what knowledge would best empower students to access and understand the world, we decided to focus on topics in literature, science, and history that would provide a solid foundation for students to build on. The literary texts in Wit & Wisdom draw students into engaging stories told in exemplary ways. With Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Kindergarten students learn how rhythm and rhyme bring a text to life. Grade 4 students explore how poetry can unleash powerful emotions in Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. Grade 5 students explore Shakespeare’s Elizabethan England through a close read of Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood, and Grade 8 students dive into A Midsummer Night’s Dream to understand the bard’s genius. By exploring poetry, prose, novels, and short stories, students learn about the world and develop a love of reading. Scientific topics in selected texts illuminate the realities of our world. Topics range from the weather in Grade 1 to the circulatory system in Grade 4 to epidemics in Grade 7. Through a close read of these selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the experiments they conduct and and the topics covered in their science classes. Students explore American history in each grade, K–8. Kindergarten students learn about the construction of the White House, Grade 3 students read about the experiences of immigrants at Ellis Island, and Grade 5 students explore the reality of the Civil War. Informational texts on these topics are taught alongside engaging literature to reinforce knowledge building. To complement what students are learning in the classroom, parents can plan visits to local museums, science centers, and historical sites. Students are often excited to discuss what they’re learning in the classroom in real-world contexts in their daily lives, which can spark exploration of new and interesting areas that all family members can enjoy.