1. Adaptations for Struggling Learners K–5
Global Neutral a
Global Warm Neutral
d3d1c8
Global Accent On Dark
ffbf00
Global Accent on Light
ff9800
Global Accent Alt
97c410
ELA - Coral
ff5147
Math
009f93
Leadership
7872bf
Leadership Pathway:
Adaptations for Struggling Learners K–5
54 min as designed
Materials:
Handouts for participants:
Grade 3 Curriculum Overview A Story of Units, pages (9 pgs) and the Module 3 Overview (10 pages)
Participants will likely want to refer to their SAP Focus handout from the previous day as well.
Documents are from:
Grade 3 all math curricula (scroll down past module 1):
February 2016

2. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5 At a Glance
Day
Ideas
Wednesday
8:30-4:00
The Foundation
Components of a Comprehensive Literacy Program
Thursday
Building Knowledge and Vocabulary
The Juicy Language of Text
Organizational Systems and Structures
Friday
Focus, Coherence and Rigor
Saturday
8:30-2:30
Observing the Standards and Shifts
Adaptations for Struggling Learners
L E A R N I N G C O N T E N T
1 min
Speaker Notes:

3. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5 Adaptation Session
Objectives:
Participants will be able to assess a curriculum for focus and use across grade coherence to guide adaptation
Participants will be able to adapt a curriculum map for students below grade level
Participants will be able to adjust critical systems and structures to ensure standards-based support is occurring for struggling learners
Agenda:
Opening
Naming the Challenge
Curriculum Map Scavenger Hunt
Curriculum Map Adaptation
Summary and Reflection
Survey
1 min
Speaker Notes:
We’ll start by naming the challenge we have with struggling learners in mathematics.
What we learned about Focus and Coherence yesterday is really going to drive what happens in your schools for these children.
Since one of the answers lies in how we adapt curriculum maps, we’ll first look at one curriculum map and learn how to figure out if the scope and sequence places a correct emphasis on the major work of the grade. We want you to to be able to do this with any grade level of your own curricula back at home.
Next, you will practice making some adaptation decisions based on your identification of the major work and the prerequisites needed for below grade level students to engage in that on-grade-level work.

4. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K-5 Naming the Challenge
What percentage of your students are not
at grade level in mathematics?
1 min
Speaker’s Notes:
Say: Think for a moment. What percentage of your students are not at grade level, do you estimate?
Share responses with a show of hands (less than 25%, 25% - 50%, more than 50%).
We all know, though, that students don’t show up on grade level. What do we do with students that have gaps?
IMAGE CREDITS:

5. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5 Avoiding the “Blanket Review”
1 min
Speaker’s Notes:
We are trying to avoid the kind of “blanket review” that we grew accustomed to in the past--spending half the year reviewing what we did last year.
Acknowledge that teachers might think teaching previous grade level content for the first part of the year IS addressing prerequisite thoughtfully – rather than embedding prerequisites where they make the most sense coherently with major work of the current grade level.

6. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5 Percentage of 8th Grade Math Lessons That Were Entirely Reviewed, By Country (1999)
1 min
Speaker’s Notes:
In fact, TIMSS data show that in the US, we spend a major chunk of the school year just reviewing.

7. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5 From the Appendix to the Publishers’ Criteria
“The natural distribution of prior knowledge in classrooms should not prompt abandoning instruction in grade level content, but should prompt explicit attention to connecting grade level content to content from prior learning. To do this, instruction should reflect the progressions on which the CCSSM are built…Much unfinished learning from earlier grades can be managed best inside grade level work when the progressions are used to understand student thinking.”
1 min
Speaker’s Notes:
Unfinished prior learning is best completed in context. That is, we find the places in our curriculum where unfinished earlier learning logically fits. This allows us to preserve focus and coherence.
In order for you to lead or support teachers with this, it is important for you to apply what you now know about Focus and Coherence to curriculum maps. Let’s analyze one now.

8. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5 Curriculum Map Scavenger Hunt
You’ll look at:
The curriculum map for the year
Titles of each module
The standards associated with each module
1 min
Speaker’s Notes:
The first step is to be able to diagnose how well any curriculum map attends to the major work of the grade
Specifically, we want you to be able to determine how much time is spent on the major work standards as well as when in the school year students are immersed in the major work (early, not late)
For this activity you’ll be looking at “A Story of Units” - the curriculum map for P-5 ENY curriculum from Grade 3.
Hand out Grade 3 Curriculum Overview A Story of Units, pages (9 pgs)

9. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5 Curriculum Map Scavenger Hunt
How many modules focus on major work?
How many days of instruction is this?
What percent of the instructional year is this?
Name all modules that include major work, supporting and additional content standards.
15 min
Speaker Notes:
You have 15 minutes. Choose your preferred way of working: alone; in pairs or very small groups (3 or 4). If you are more than a pair, move together so you can track where you are in the document
When done, share answers. Answers are as follows:
Grade 3
Scope and Sequence:
1. Five out of 7 focus on major work (Modules 6 and 7 excluded)
Module 1 All OA major work
Module 2 NBT Additional cluster and MD major work
Module 3 return to all OA major work
Module 4 MD major work (geometric measurement and multiplication)
Module 5 NF major work
Module 6 MD supporting cluster
Module 7 MD supporting/additional clusters AND G major work
instructional days
3. 72%
4. Module 5: Fractions as Numbers on the Number Line; Module 7 Recognize perimeter…
Transition: Point out knowing Focus is an important input when making decisions about adjusting scope and sequences. Now that we have a good idea of what is in this scope and sequence, let’s talk about how it would be adapted for kids who struggle.
IMAGE CREDITS:

10. Consider expanding focus on major content where necessary.
ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5 Adaptation Process: Scope and Sequence
Use the progressions to add prerequisite standards from prior grades to all units.
Consider expanding focus on major content where necessary.
+ X.1, Y.2
+ X.1, Z.5
+ Z.2
+ X.3
+ X.1, Z.5
+ X.1, Y.5
+ X.4, Y.5, Z.6
X = Grade Below
Y = 2 Grades Below
Z = 3 Grades Below
3 min
Speaker Notes:
The answer lies in how we use time, knowing the prerequisites, when we conduct reviews and how.
Adapting for students with gaps is a multi-step process.
When we consider a scope and sequence, we start by thinking about the prerequisites for all units. Imagine, here, that “Grade X” is the year before, “Grade Y” is two years prior,” and “Grade Z” is three years below the grade you teach.
When a unit is focused on Major Content—we consider spending more time there. This slide is about thinking abut what you might need to add.
Major Content
Major Content
Major Content

11. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5 Adaptation Process: Lessons
Adapt lessons to include prerequisite content in the context of grade-level objectives.
The prerequisite standards we associate with each unit allow us to adapt lessons and add additional lessons.
Consider adding additional lessons that address prerequisite content where necessary and appropriate.
2 min
Speaker Notes:
We are also able to adapt lessons themselves.
We use grade level content as opportunities to review prior learning; for example, using addition of fractions with unlike denominators as an opportunity to review fraction equivalence.
If necessary, we add additional content lessons as well, where necessary and appropriate. In cases where upwards of 50% of students are not at grade level, this strategy should be emphasized more.
Ask: what structures do you already have in place to help add additional lessons to address the prerequisites?
Sample answers may include use of RTI time or Gap or Flex days. If they don’t offer those strategies, ask if anyone is using these structures to review prerequisites prior to on grade level work (they may only use them in response to formative assessment data).
The next slide shows an example of a curriculum that helps you with this. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

12. 2 min
Speaker Notes:
This is a screen shot from Module 1 of the Story of Units. Point out the recommendations for consolidating and omitting lessons. If you know you can omit a lesson, then you know you have room you can plug in the pre-requisites. Also note the balance of Rigor it claims.
Let’s look at the Story of Units third grade curriculum map, tap into what we know about Coherence, and make some proposals about how to adjust it for struggling students.

13. Identify adaptations for the sequence of lessons within the module.
ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5 A Pivotal Moment for Third Graders
It is late October, and you are leading a third grade team as they plan for implementing Module 3 in A Story of Units. Historically, this team has had good success ensuring their students are fluent with their multiplication and division facts, but the data indicate that a significant percentage of students struggle with applying what they know about these two operations to new or novel problems. What do you and the team need to do to adapt this module so these children catch up?
Identify the prerequisite standards you'd need to add to adapt this module.
Identify adaptations for the sequence of lessons within the module.
Identify adaptations for the year-long scope and sequence.
25 min
Speaker Notes:
20 min
Hand out the Module 3 Overview (10 pages). Use it along with the standards and the “Coherence Map” to determine the prerequisite standards to add to Module 3.
Then consider if you would consider adding more time to this module, and why (or why not)
5 min
Ask 2 groups/people to share what they adapted and why

14. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K–5
Feedback
Please fill out the survey located here:
-Click “February Institute” on the top right
-Click “Details” on the center of the page
5 min
Speaker Notes:
Please fill out the survey to help us improve!

15. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K-5 References
Slide
Source 6 7
8-13

16. ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS K-5 Image Credits
Slide 4:
Slide 9:
Magnifying_glass_icon_mgx2.svg/2000px-Magnifying_glass_icon_mgx2.svg.png