Curriculum Q&A Blog

Question 1

Can you help me understand how all the parts of the K–2 language arts curriculum fit together? I’m going to start teaching it next fall and I need a big-picture overview before I dive into the details.

Question 2

What’s the big picture overview of the 3-5 language arts curriculum? I’m excited to dig in but I want to get oriented to whole thing first.

Question 3

How can I manage students and materials during differentiated small groups and independent rotations in the K-2 Reading Foundations Skills Block?

Question 4

How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me? Part 1: Orienting to the Year

Question 5

How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me? Part 2: Orienting to a Module

Question 6

Question: How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me? Part 3: Orienting to a Unit

Question 7

Question: How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me? Part 4: Orienting to a Lesson

Question 8

Question: How can I manage students and materials during ALL Block to maximize student learning?

Question 9

How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me? Part 5: Orienting to a Skills Block Year and Assessments

Question 10

How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me?Part 6: Orienting to a Skills Block Module and Cycle

Question 11

Are the protocols in the curriculum really that important? Can I skip them when I don’t have time (or energy)?

Question 12

What are the key resources I will use when teaching the EL Education K-5 Language Arts curriculum, and where can I find them all?

Question 13

I know learning targets are important, but how can I make them come alive more during lessons?

Question 14

Why are anchor charts so important and used so frequently in the curriculum?

Question 15

Is it okay to branch out to find new and different total participation techniques when I’m teaching the curriculum?

Question 16

How can I foster a culture of grappling in my classroom so that students learn to enjoy taking on the challenges in the curriculum?

Question 17

How can I manage space, students and materials during K-2 Labs to maximize student learning, engagement and independence? Part 1

Question 18

How can I manage space, students and materials during K-2 Labs to maximize student learning, engagement and independence? Part 2

Question 19

What are all the considerations that go into determining the right level of text complexity for my students?

Question 20

How can I get students more engaged during close reading?

Question 21

How is close reading different with primary students?

Question 22

How do I plan a close read-aloud to support student learning, engagement and pacing?

Question 23

There’s so much evidence of student progress to collect: What should I focus on? (Part 1: K-2 edition)

Question 24

There’s so much evidence of student progress to collect: What should I focus on? (Part 2: 3-5 edition)

Question 25

Why is it so important to test drive the assessments in the curriculum?

Question 26

Now that I’ve collected evidence of student progress, what do I do with it? How can I best support students who need it?

Question 27

What’s the best way to empower and engage English language learners?

Question 28

How can I ensure that my English language learners have the opportunity to engage in rigorous academic discourse?

Question 29

There are so many challenges when teaching a new curriculum. Do you have any inspiration for me?

Question 30

How can I develop the kind of active, collaborative classroom culture needed to teach the curriculum well?

Question 31

How can I help my students develop independence and self-control so that they are more effective learners?

Question 32

What practices can help my students develop self-management skills?

Question 33

How do I proactively plan a lesson with activeclassroom management practices in mind?

Question 34

How can I get students more engaged with their texts as they prepare to write?

Question 35

What are all the ways students build their writing skills in the curriculum?

Question 36

What practices best support primary students to create high-quality writing?

Question 37

How can models, critique, and descriptive feedback help my students produce high-quality writing?

Question 38

How can the use of models improve my students’ work?

Question 39

What’s the best way for my students to get individual feedback on their work?

Question 40

How do the texts in our curriculum engage students and inspire them to become agents of change? (an interview with author Melissa Stewart)

Question 41

How can teachers adapt a performance task to help students feel empowered to become agents of change within their own communities?

Question 42

How does the EL Education K-5 Language Arts curriculum elevate student achievement beyond just test scores?

Question 43

How Do I Focus On What Matters in Planning?

Question 44

How does the curriculum foster a strong classroom culture and support character development, particularly at the beginning of the school year?

Question 45

What Has the Read-Think-Talk-Write Cycle Done for Us Lately?

Question 46

What’s the “Rule of Three” and how does it support students as writers?

Question 47

How can I sharpen my implementation of student-engaged assessment practices within the curriculum?

Question 48

Why Do Language Dives Matter?

Question 49

How Do I Make the Most of EL Education’s Remote Learning Resources? (Advice for Parents and Caregivers)

Question 50

How can I use my knowledge of trees, birds and pollinators to contribute to a better world?

Question 51

How Were the Three Modules per Grade Level Chosen for the EL Education Flex Curriculum: 2020-21?

Question 52 - Part 1

What Is the EL EducationFlex Curriculum: 2020-21?

• Part 1 - Grades K-2

Question 52 - Part 2

What Is the EL Education Flex Curriculum: 2020-21?

• Part 2 - Grades 3-8

Question 53

What are “priority standards” and how can they inform student progress when using the Flex Curriculum: 2020-21?

Question 54

Is it Really All or Nothing? Navigating Hybrid Learning during the Pandemic.

Question 55

How Can I Approach My Planning So That I Don’t Treat the Lessons in the Curriculum Like a Script?

Question 56

How Can I Learn More about the Curriculum during the Summer So That I’m Prepared In the Fall?

Question 57

What grade-level phonics skills should I be addressing with my students in grades 3-5?