Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Announces Cutting-Edge Common Core English Language Arts Curriculum, Collections© 2015


Boston – Global education leader Houghton Mifflin Harcourt today introduced Collections© 2015, an innovative, new English Language Arts program for students in grades 6-12. Built to meet the rigorous expectations of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Collections propels the traditional literature anthology into the future with a multifaceted digital approach to prepare students for college, career and beyond. Now available for sampling and evaluation, classroom pilot programs are currently underway in several markets, including St. Vrain, Colo. and Salt Lake City, Utah. 

At each grade level, Collections is organized into six thematic groups of multi-genre, complex texts that provide a foundation in all aspects of Common Core instruction. Complemented by flexible digital components that deepen students’ knowledge, reinforce key skills and create personalized learning environments, the program includes myWriteSmart, an interactive writing and editing workspace, a companion website — hmhfyi.com — offering current and curated media resources on key Collections topics, and personalized user dashboards for progress monitoring and planning.

“Collections is designed for active participation and promotes meaningful use of technology with its intuitive fusion of digital and print components,” said Mary Cullinane, Chief Content Officer and EVP, Corporate Affairs, HMH. “The curriculum helps schools make the instructional shifts related to the Common Core State Standards and engages and inspires students in new ways as they analyze a variety of texts, collaborate with peers and teachers, and gain confidence in their voices.”  

With a fresh perspective on language arts, Collections places instructional focus on analysis, drawing inferences and conclusions, and producing evidence-based writing. Complex anchor texts and performance tasks challenge students to analyze and synthesize fiction, literary nonfiction, informational texts and other media, including extensive resources from History®, Lifetime, A&E and Bio. Additional audio-visual components, such as text recordings and “screencasts” further sharpen research, writing and discussion skills, while in-text annotation and audio tools support close reading.

Curriculum highlights include: 

  • Teacher and Student Digital Edition Dashboard - the primary portal for digital Collections allows for direct communication between educators and students, as well as annotation, progress monitoring, assignment submissions and assessment tools

  • hmhfyi.com - a curated website featuring radio broadcasts and online news articles relevant to each Collection and to students’ lives, enhanced with “For Argument’s Sake” writing and discussion prompts

  • myWriteSmart - a collaborative writing and publishing tool for composition assignments, completing performance tasks, class discussion and more

  • mySmartPlanner - an accessible lesson planning and organizational tool for teachers

  • myNotebook - an integrated note-taking tool that helps students collect and organize ideas

  • Close Reader - collections of additional texts with opportunities to apply and practice close reading techniques  


Developed in HTML5, Collections is browser-based and fully optimized for iOS and Android powered tablets. Its ePub3 components can be downloaded to support off-line access to resources, making it a flexible option for today’s diverse classrooms. 

To learn more, please visit www.hmhco.com/collections


About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global learning company with the mission of changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners. Among the world’s largest providers of pre-K–12 education solutions and one of its longest-established publishing houses, HMH combines cutting-edge research, editorial excellence and technological innovation to improve teaching and learning environments and solve complex literacy and education challenges. HMH’s interactive, results-driven education solutions are utilized by 60 million students in 120 countries, and its renowned and awarded novels, non-fiction, children's books and reference works are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.