Journeys

Guide young readers to new heights

Learning to read is an excursion into the unknown. It's about meeting challenges head-on and gaining confidence with each victory. Preparing students for this voyage requires a program that lets teachers introduce the right discoveries at the right time. When things begin to line up, you can see confidence start to shine in students' eyes. Journeys is a comprehensive K-6 English language arts program. It provides an instructional system for reading both literature and informational texts, for acquiring foundational reading skills, and for developing mastery of speaking, listening and writing.

Essa

Meets new ESSA evidence standards

Analysis

Promotes deep analysis of authentic texts

6 7 Million

Reaches 6.7 million students nationwide


A map for students on the path to literacy

Journeys is built on a deep foundation of scientific research but treats students as young people who need to be encouraged—and to have fun. The result? An engaging learning experience that fits.

Journeys Personalized

Sculpt lesson plans from scaffolded instruction and immerse students in small group sessions that fit like a glove.

Journeys Rigorous

Provide opportunities for thoughtful analysis and problem solving using texts that can be read and re-read for multiple purposes.

Journeys Scientific

Prepare students for today’s rigorous standards—and the demands of next-generation assessments—with an approach to instruction that’s based on pioneering academic research.

See what Journeys has in store for your classroom.

Enrich the classroom with tools that foster a love of learning

To build confidence, students need flexible, individualized study. Journeys features complex anchor texts that challenge students, smart lesson plans that let teachers target the needs of all students, and assessments and digital tools that help track classroom progress.

Student Experience

With the right combination of demanding materials and individualized instruction, Journeys offers students the types of challenges needed to mold them into stronger readers. It’s a recipe for the continued growth they’ll need to excel at today’s rigorous assessments, college, and beyond.

Student texts promote deep reading.

JOUR Student Text bullet1

Anchor text reading instruction challenges students well beyond their first encounter. A special three-part routine guides students to grasp big ideas, then analyze short passages, and finally undertake independent close reading.

JOUR Student Text bullet2

The Student eBook guides students to highlight and make notes about the answers and evidence they are learning to gather.

JOUR Student Text bullet3

Trade Books provide a backdrop for project-based learning and give students the opportunity to apply what they have been learning to extended texts.

A wide range of texts meet all students at their level.

JOUR Precision bullet1

Journeys Leveled Readers for Guided Reading, by Irene Fountas, allow students to get individualized practice alongside the core coursework.

JOUR Precision bullet2

Complete solutions for Tier I, II, and III intervention to reinforce skills, scaffold instruction, and teach key foundational skills.

JOUR Precision bullet3

Strategic language support for English learners provides integrated support and scaffolds for every lesson, plus five days of additional instruction to develop language skills, all enabling ELs to engage with core instruction.

Teacher Experience

Students’ confidence grows when the challenges they face are the right size. Teachers should be given the tools to find the right fit. Journeys is designed to be that tool. 

Simple, flexible instruction allows teachers to shine.

Weekly lesson plans make it easy for teachers to design customized lessons, allowing them to spend more time teaching and less time planning.

Lesson Plan Journeys Wf289878

A realistic approach to pacing allows teachers to focus on depth and rigor, giving the class more time with each text.

Jour Simple Sec2 Bullet2

Digital tools, like our Interactive Focus Wall and Teacher eBook, simplify planning and enrich instruction.

Jour Simple Sec2 Bullet3 Vs2

Practical, powerful assessments keep teachers informed and students prepared.

A comprehensive assessment system (including weekly tests, benchmark assessments, and unit tests) gives teachers the tools they need to monitor student progress.

Jour Practical Bullet1

The online dashboard gives teachers visibility into the progress of their class, providing the insights they need to develop customized lesson plans.

Jour Practical Bullet2

Tech-enhanced questions like drag-and-drop and multi-select allow students to prepare for high-stakes assessment formats.

Jour Practical Bullet3
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE

Journeys scope and sequences are plans teachers can trust. They provide a pedagogical sequence that’s developmentally appropriate and research-based. That way, as students embark on their literacy journey, a path is being charted for the skills and knowledge they’ll need down the road.

OUTCOMES
  • Cultivate a vivid vocabulary

    Vocabulary readers, flashcards and in-the-moment digital tools fill classrooms with ways to build vocabulary along every step of the journey

    Informational texts let students gain mastery over core academic vocabulary as well as domain-specific knowledge and words

  • Grasp spelling and grammar

    Weekly grammar skill targets, supplemented with daily lessons, support students’ understanding of how English works 

    A spelling scope and sequence designed by Shane Templeton builds students’ spelling skills


  • Demonstrate research and writing skills

    Deep-dives into text analysis give students the foundation they need to interpret texts from multiple angles and form insights

    Student books and digital tools prompt students to mark up and annotate texts, allowing understanding to blossom into written form 

  • Sharpen listening and speaking skills

    Team projects and class conversations guide students to develop critical listening skills and mastery of group communication

    Presentations and collaborative work put students in a position to develop social awareness and speaking skills

Giving students confidence to write their own stories

Award-winning texts. A research-based method. There’s a reason it’s used everywhere: Journeys works.

OUR SOLUTIONS

HMH Professional Services helps teachers and administrators prepare to transition to a new program. As you implement Journeys, our team can partner with yours to make sure you start off on the right foot.

Research & Results

Designed using the science of literacy development

Using the latest research on what makes literacy instruction effective, Journeys was designed to be a system that reliably turns students into confident readers and writers. An impressive collection of scientific studies shows how well it works.

FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH

Journeys outfits aspiring readers and writers with the skills they need to scale the challenges of today’s rigorous assessment demands. Explore the research that shows just how high those students can climb.

EFFICACY RESEARCH

With a "strong evidence" rating from evidenceforessa.org, Journeys has been proven to simply work. And when students’ futures are at stake, results are what matter.

Authors

To build Journeys, HMH® worked with the brightest minds in literacy. Assembling a team of authors and consultants across every key area in the field of literacy, we put together an English language arts program that anticipates teaching needs and equips students to succeed.

Mary Ellen Headshot Wf289878

Distinguished Professor Emerita, Education, California State University, Long Beach; Journeys Program Consultant

Marty Hougen

National consultant, presenter, researcher, and author

Carol Jago

HMH Author and Associate Director, California Reading & Literature Project at UCLA

1019310 Erik Palmer

Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

Shane Templeton

Foundation Professor Emeritus, Literacy Studies, University of Nevada, Reno; Into Reading Program Author

Valencia Sheila Print

Professor, Language, Literacy, and Culture, University of Washington; Journeys Program Consultant

Default Female

Director, Literacy Collaborative, Lesley University; Language Arts consultant; Journeys Special Consultant

News & Events

The program authors behind Journeys want to continue the conversation about literacy instruction. Read what they’ve been thinking and stay up to date with the latest news and scholarship.

See what Journeys has in store for your classroom.

See what Journeys has in store for your classroom.