Curriculum & Instruction

The Importance of Using Standards-Aligned Materials

September 13, 2020

In a recent article titled, “Four Ways State Leaders Can Help Teachers Implement High Quality Curriculum,” the author discusses how state policymakers can support the reopening of schools for a successful school year. She encourages policymakers to “Provide clear and simple guidance to ensure all content is standards-aligned and offer examples of what that may look like for in-person and virtual settings.”

As districts searched for new online materials to support at-home learning, technology compatibility may have driven their purchasing decisions. Now that they are having to use the materials, alignment should be an important consideration. Here are three reasons why understanding the standards alignment of materials being used for at-home learning is critical to students’ academic success.

Why Teachers Need More Planning Time

December 8, 2022September 6, 2020

Planning time: Image of teacher on her laptop computer

This article discusses “Four Ways State Leaders Can Help Teachers Implement High-Quality Curriculum.” One of the author’s suggestions is that leaders provide time and space for educators to plan. One of the reasons educators need more planning time is that online preK-12 materials have become increasingly complex to use. Here’s why.

Planning time to learn the product’s organization and how to navigate to various types of content

Learning List reviewers have reviewed thousands of PreK-12 instructional materials. Our team is adept at learning how to navigate through online materials. These days, reviewing online materials is taking longer because materials often consist of different components to remediate, enrich and extend students’ learning. Sometimes, each component uses a different online platform; more commonly, the assessments component uses a different platform from the material’s instructional components. Thus, merely learning how to navigate through online materials takes longer than it used to.

A Seismic Shift in Science Materials

September 3, 2020

Over the last several years, we have reviewed hundreds of science materials aligned to state standards, Advanced Placement frameworks, and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Over the last two years, we have observed a significant design shift in science products. Using the 5E model and Project Based Learning (PBL), publishers are designing science instruction to engage students in doing science, rather than learning about science. Where traditional instructional materials might present information and ask students to respond through short-answer or multiple-choice questions, newer materials provide teachers with resources to facilitate inquiry-based science instruction.

Dear Mom and Dad, Welcome to Your 1st Year of Teaching!

July 21, 2022August 29, 2020

Are you a first-time homeschool teacher or are you proctoring at-home learning while your child is attending school online this semester? Either way, you are likely out of your comfort zone and feeling (a little) overwhelmed. How are you ensuring that your child is learning what he/she is supposed to learn? This blog post provides a few pointers and accompanying resources to help you keep your child on track during this school year.

Important Considerations When Selecting Materials to Support Continuous Learning

August 12, 2022June 25, 2020

If your district is, or will be, selecting online materials to support continuous instruction next fall, here are a few considerations to keep in mind:

How Can Instructional Materials Support Growth Mindset?

March 13, 2023April 13, 2020

Growth Mindset, a term coined by Carol Dweck, addresses the beliefs and resulting actions that people have about learning. People with a growth mindset believe that their abilities, intelligence levels, and skills will improve over time and as a result of effort. They believe they can learn.

Much of what is written about growth mindset and the strategies to develop it focuses on pedagogy. While establishing a growth mindset culture in the classroom is primarily dependent on the teacher’s behavior, expectations, and instruction, the design and contents of the instructional materials can also support or hinder the development of a growth mindset.

Factors to Consider When Selecting Intervention Materials

July 12, 2022February 19, 2020

When our Learning List team talks to district staff, we hear a variety of responses to the question, “How are you currently selecting resources to support Tier I intervention?” Answers range from systemic processes with district-wide solutions to teachers each selecting their own materials from multiple sources. The results of intervention are equally varied. Ensuring successful intervention requires consideration of multiple factors that can be addressed by answering the following questions:

Mapping Resources to your District Curriculum

July 12, 2022February 17, 2020

Districts invest significant time, resources, and money into the development of curriculum and the purchase of instructional materials. A lack of consistency between the sequence of the curriculum and the sequence of instructional materials can be a hurdle to implementation of both.

Mapping instructional resources to the district curriculum will support teachers with planning so that lessons and activities from instructional materials are in sync with the curriculum.

What “Aligned to Standards” Means To K-12 Publishers, Teachers and Students

November 4, 2022October 3, 2019

During our many conversations regarding the alignment of instructional materials we have found that the concept of curriculum alignment and even the phrase “aligned to standards” means different things to different people. For example, the marketing director of a publishing company recently told us that “aligned to standards” in their marketing material means that their material generally addresses the concepts contained in the standards. In contrast, when we ask educators what they understand when they read that a material is “aligned to standards,” they repeatedly tell us they expect the material to address the content knowledge and skills the standards require students to learn.

New Review: Heinemann’s Units of Study in Reading Middle School Grades

June 28, 2022April 25, 2019

Which instructional materials is your district considering for reading instruction in middle school? Particularly if you are implementing the reading workshop model, consider Learning List’s review of Heinemann’s Units of Study in Reading Middle School Grades (Units of Study Reading).

Units of Study Reading is a supplemental reading product for students in grades 6 through 8. The program is primarily an instructional narrative for teachers and includes print and online teaching resources. Lucy Calkins’ workshop model underpins the framework for reading instruction focusing on developing avid readers who choose and understand increasingly complex texts. Units are not specific to a grade level which means district or campus staff sequence the units based on the district’s curriculum, availability of resources, and student needs or reading levels. Teachers without prior experience in teaching writing workshop will require significant professional development and time to study materials and resources to ensure successful implementation. [Read more. . . ]

+ More