Curriculum Q&A Blog
A directory with links to each individual blog post
For answers to common questions about curriculum implementation, please visit our Curriculum Q&A Blog, which is updated monthly.
Links to Individual Blog Posts
Click on the question numbers to see the response to the question.
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. |
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. |
How can I manage students and materials during differentiated small groups and independent rotations in the K-2 Reading Foundations Skills Block? |
How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me? Part 1: Orienting to the Year |
How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me? Part 2: Orienting to a Module |
Question: How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me? Part 3: Orienting to a Unit |
Question: How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me? Part 4: Orienting to a Lesson |
Question: How can I manage students and materials during ALL Block to maximize student learning? |
How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me? Part 5: Orienting to a Skills Block Year and Assessments |
How Do I Plan When the Planning Has Been Done for Me?Part 6: Orienting to a Skills Block Module and Cycle |
Are the protocols in the curriculum really that important? Can I skip them when I don’t have time (or energy)? |
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? |
I know learning targets are important, but how can I make them come alive more during lessons? |
Why are anchor charts so important and used so frequently in the curriculum? |
Is it okay to branch out to find new and different total participation techniques when I’m teaching the curriculum? |
How can I foster a culture of grappling in my classroom so that students learn to enjoy taking on the challenges in the curriculum? |
How can I manage space, students and materials during K-2 Labs to maximize student learning, engagement and independence? Part 1 |
How can I manage space, students and materials during K-2 Labs to maximize student learning, engagement and independence? Part 2 |
What are all the considerations that go into determining the right level of text complexity for my students? |
How can I get students more engaged during close reading? |
How is close reading different with primary students? |
How do I plan a close read-aloud to support student learning, engagement and pacing? |
There’s so much evidence of student progress to collect: What should I focus on? (Part 1: K-2 edition) |
There’s so much evidence of student progress to collect: What should I focus on? (Part 2: 3-5 edition) |
Why is it so important to test drive the assessments in the curriculum? |
Now that I’ve collected evidence of student progress, what do I do with it? How can I best support students who need it? |
What’s the best way to empower and engage English language learners? |
How can I ensure that my English language learners have the opportunity to engage in rigorous academic discourse? |
There are so many challenges when teaching a new curriculum. Do you have any inspiration for me? |
How can I develop the kind of active, collaborative classroom culture needed to teach the curriculum well? |
How can I help my students develop independence and self-control so that they are more effective learners? |
What practices can help my students develop self-management skills? |
How do I proactively plan a lesson with activeclassroom management practices in mind? |
How can I get students more engaged with their texts as they prepare to write? |
What are all the ways students build their writing skills in the curriculum? |
What practices best support primary students to create high-quality writing? |
How can models, critique, and descriptive feedback help my students produce high-quality writing? |
How can the use of models improve my students’ work? |
What’s the best way for my students to get individual feedback on their work? |
How do the texts in our curriculum engage students and inspire them to become agents of change? (an interview with author Melissa Stewart) |
How can teachers adapt a performance task to help students feel empowered to become agents of change within their own communities? |
How does the EL Education K-5 Language Arts curriculum elevate student achievement beyond just test scores? |
How Do I Focus On What Matters in Planning? |
How does the curriculum foster a strong classroom culture and support character development, particularly at the beginning of the school year? |
What Has the Read-Think-Talk-Write Cycle Done for Us Lately? |
What’s the “Rule of Three” and how does it support students as writers? |
How can I sharpen my implementation of student-engaged assessment practices within the curriculum? |
Why Do Language Dives Matter? |
How Do I Make the Most of EL Education’s Remote Learning Resources? (Advice for Parents and Caregivers) |
How can I use my knowledge of trees, birds and pollinators to contribute to a better world? |
How Were the Three Modules per Grade Level Chosen for the EL Education Flex Curriculum: 2020-21? |
What Is the EL EducationFlex Curriculum: 2020-21?
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What Is the EL Education Flex Curriculum: 2020-21?
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What are “priority standards” and how can they inform student progress when using the Flex Curriculum: 2020-21? |
Is it Really All or Nothing? Navigating Hybrid Learning during the Pandemic. |
How Can I Approach My Planning So That I Don’t Treat the Lessons in the Curriculum Like a Script? |
How Can I Learn More about the Curriculum during the Summer So That I’m Prepared In the Fall? |
What grade-level phonics skills should I be addressing with my students in grades 3-5? |