Learning List has reviewed Scientific Minds’ Science Sidekicks, which is a supplemental product that supports science instruction in grades 3-5. Content is web-based and includes some printable components. Instruction focuses on “chunking” standards into small, manageable amounts of content that are easy for students to understand. Lessons are presented using interactive slideshows that include opportunities for teacher-led whole group instruction, small group work, and independent study. [Read more…]
Instructional Materials Reviewed
Blog posts featuring highlights from our reviews of thousands of widely used PreK-12 instructional materials.
New Product Review: myON
myON is a supplemental online product that supports cross-curricular reading instruction in grades K-12. Content is formatted as a digital library of authentic texts organized by theme and reading level. Most texts are non-fiction and informational. The library is searchable by keyword and a variety of filters, including standards. Resources enable independent student reading and group instruction using interactive whiteboards. Learning List conducted and editorial review for myON’s K-12 library. We did not conduct an alignment review because myON is a library focused on developing students’ reading skills; it does not teach state standards. [Read me…]
New Curriculum Review: Special Topics in Social Studies Courses
Learning List has reviewed both of the comprehensive products submitted for state-adoption in response to Texas’ Proclamation 2018 for “Special Topics in Social Studies” courses. These products include:
Kendall Hunt’s Mexican American Studies (MAS) Toolkit. The course emphasizes the experiences of Mexican Americans in Texas, particularly in the Houston area, and focuses heavily on how racism and bias have influenced Mexican American lives. Instruction addresses contemporary issues affecting Mexican Americans (e.g., Arizona’s 2012 ban on ethnic studies).
Discussion prompts and collaborative learning activities are interspersed throughout the text.
Content is available in print and eBook formats.
Tanglewood Publishing’s Surviving the Angel of Death: The True Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz. Instruction focuses on using a memoir of the Holocaust as the basis for a book study that explores themes related to perseverance, love, and forgiveness. Although the text deals with disturbing subject matter, it does so in a manner that is appropriate for young adults. The memoir eschews gruesome detail and emphasizes the themes of perseverance through unimaginable hardship, commitment to family, and, ultimately, the importance of forgiveness. Content is available in print format and includes an Educator’s Guide. [Read more…]
New Curriculum Review: UTeach Computer Science Principles
Learning List has reviewed UTeach Computer Science (CS) Principles. This comprehensive product supports instruction in Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles courses. Content is available in a web-based format and may be downloaded as a PDF. Instruction is project-based and emphasizes collaborative learning activities that develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Student materials are available at no cost. [Read more…]
Frequently Asked Questions About Learning List
As the school year shifts into high gear, we are getting a lot of questions about our service. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions.
What is Learning List?Learning List is a subscription-based instructional materials review service designed to help improve student learning by empowering educators to choose and use instructional materials most effectively.
We created Learning List in 2013 to help districts become better informed consumers of instructional materials. Initially, districts used our reviews to facilitate their selection of materials. Over time, subscribers began telling us that our reviews also helped them identify the best parts of their existing materials to use to teach each standard. As one instructional coach explained, “We use your alignment reports as a GPS through our materials to ensure that we’re using the pages that teach each standard fully.”
What types of materials do you review?
We have reviewed over 2500 of the most widely used instructional materials, including:
- Materials in the four core subjects, 12 Advanced Placement courses, Tech Apps and 85 CTE courses;
- Comprehensive and supplemental materials, including RtI, testprep, criterion-referenced test banks, and professional development resources;
- Publisher produced and free open educational resources (OERs);
- State-adopted and non-adopted materials (i.e., materials that were not submitted for state adoption); and
- English and Spanish versions of materials.
Subscribing districts get access to all published reviews and may request reviews of additional materials as part of the subscription. That’s why Learning List is a service, not just a website.
New Product Reviews: Odysseyware Middle School Mathematics and English Language Arts and Reading (Texas Editions)
Learning List has reviewed Glynlyon’s Odysseyware Texas middle school products for mathematics and English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR). Both products are Texas Editions that were developed to address the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Both math and ELAR products are comprehensive resources that cover a full year’s content. [Read more…]
Changes to the Lexile Framework
The increased emphasis on ensuring that all students are able to read and understand complex texts has prompted MetaMetrics, the developer of the widely used Lexile Framework for text complexity, to extend the Lexile scale to enable more precise measurement of text complexity in grades K-2.
In the past, the Framework identified texts with Lexile levels below zero (i.e., 0L) simply as Beginning Reader and included a “BR” code without an associated Lexile level. With the extension of the scale, BR texts will now include a numeric Lexile value after the BR code. For example, BR100L represents a Lexile level of -100L and BR300L represents -300L. [Read more…]
New Curriculum Review: Glynlyon Odysseyware Mathematics 300-500 and Language Arts 300-500 Series
Learning List has reviewed Glynlyon’s Odysseyware products for mathematics and English language arts (ELA) for grades 3-5. Although neither product was created to address the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) specifically, Learning List has conducted TEKS alignment verifications for each product at each grade level. Mathematics 300, 400, and 500 and Language Arts 300, 400, and 500 are year-long courses for students in grades 3, 4, and 5, respectively. [Read more…]
What Should You Expect From Test Prep Materials?
Over the last five years, we have learned a lot about instructional materials. One observation is that comprehensive and supplemental materials, including RtI and test prep resources, are designed very differently and are intended for different purposes. Another observation is that unless you use a material for its intended purpose, it is unlikely you will achieve the result you need.
New Curriculum Review: Odysseyware High School English Language Arts Courses
Learning List has reviewed several of Odysseyware’s high school English language arts products, including English I, English II, English III, and English IV and the “Fundamentals” version of each course (e.g. English I Fundamentals). Each product supports year-long instruction in self-paced and credit-recovery programs and blended learning environments. [Read more…]