Curriculum Camp Digital Resources
Welcome to our curriculum camp resources page, designed to be your go-to hub for valuable information and tools. Explore a curated collection of templates, models, guides, and other downloadable assets that will support you in creating an equitable, viable, and coherent literacy curriculum.
Check back each time you reengage in refining your curriculum because we’re constantly revising and updating these resources based on what we learn with all of you!
Standards Alignment
Students must develop the skills and concepts of their state standards to be able to fully engage in each grade or course. Resources may or may not align to your standards… and usually, they do not. Check out the guidance to the right to strengthen standards-based learning in your school.
- Texts and learning experiences should be aligned to unit learning targets
- Some text is used to build schema, some may serve as spaced practice, however, all of the texts can’t be emphasized.
- Module assessments and checks for understanding should be aligned to these targets
- Students should reflect on unit goals weekly
- You can add prerequisite targets for students with less experience
- Small group instruction can be aligned to these targets and/or prerequisite targets
Classroom Clarity
Classroom clarity is at the heart of an effective curriculum. The process begins with baseline data triangulation to determine your focus based in evidence. Clusters of priority standards are selected based on the strengths and needs of the the district, school, and/or team. Learning intentions and success criteria bring these clusters to life.
- These tools have easily accessible, student-friendly learning targets aligned to a school’s priority standards
- Teachers can cut and paste targets to use for any lesson or assessment tool
- They include essential questions and big ideas aligned to priorities as well as key concepts/vocabulary necessary to understand and discuss the standards
- Key concepts/vocabulary are also included
- These tools have easily accessible, student-friendly learning targets aligned to a school’s priority standards
- Teachers can cut and paste targets to use for any lesson or assessment tool
- They include essential questions and big ideas aligned to priorities as well as key concepts/vocabulary necessary to understand and discuss the standards
- Key concepts/vocabulary are also included
This document lists out standards addressed within the grades and units. Use it as a guide to see what HMH is focused on.
HMH Modules by Standards and SkillsUnit Planning Tools and Tips
There are two categories of unit planning tools. 1) Teacher Facing Tools (below in teal) and 2) Student Facing Tools (below in lavender).
All tools support developing a learner-centered approach to curriculum design based on mastery learning.
Check out our unit design tips to get you started.
Use these tips anchored in backward design to troubleshoot your units and achieve tighter alignment and focus on learning priorities.
Problems with Unit Planning
- Oriented towards (coverage-exposure), not focused on mastery
- Unit goals are not focused on mastery
- Unit goals are not clearly related or communicated to students
- Focused on test-prep
- Targeting too many standards
- Students lack understanding of unit based goals
- Shallow standards-based essential questions
- Knowledge is not clear
- Unit layout does not prepare students to transfer their learning
- Insufficient differentiation
Teacher Facing Planning Tools
These unit planning tools support prioritizing the curriculum to support mastery learning. We have already paced out the units based on the DOE’s recommendations.
These templates enable you and your colleagues to plan out the year at a glance to clarify pacing and ensure time for assessment and re-engagement across the semester or year.
There are tabs to plan out each unit in more detail so that everyone is clear on the focus and expectations for each unit as well as the thinking behind each decision.
Blank Pacing and Unit Planning Organizer TemplateThese templates enable you and your colleagues to plan out the year at a glance to clarify pacing and ensure time for assessment and re-engagement across the semester or year.
There are tabs to plan out each unit in more detail so that everyone is clear on the focus and expectations for each unit as well as the thinking behind each decision.
Blank Pacing and Unit Planning Organizer TemplateThis prototype includes both a year-long pacing guide and a completed example planning for unit 1 of kindergarten. This can be used as a model for any grade. If you are a kindergarten teacher or team you will need to adapt our suggestions for unit 1 to the specific needs of your students.
Kindergarten Prototype with Unit 1This prototype includes both a year-long pacing guide and a completed example planning for unit 1 of fifth grade. This can be used as a model for any grade. If you are a fifth-grade teacher or team you will need to adapt our suggestions for unit 1 to the specific needs of your students.
5th Grade Prototype with Unit 1These templates include pacing for the year for each elementary grade. The tabs are formatted to simplify unit-by-unit planning.
Templates for All Grades K-8Student Facing Planning Tools
The Student Facing Unit Plan should be used with students to clarify the prioritized unit learning targets for the unit. It is simple and accessible to students as you can see in these examples.
These student facing unit tool examples are meant to serve as models of success. They are based on a general analysis of the HMH Into Reading Modules they represent but may need to be adapted to match the strengths and needs of your particular students.
Examples: K-5 Student Facing Unit ToolsThis student facing unit tool example is meant to serve as a model of success. It is based on a general analysis of the writing expectations of the first HMH Into Reading Module but may need to be adapted to match the strengths and needs of your particular students.
Example: 5th Writing Student Facing Unit ToolAccess this blank template to create student facing unit tools for primary grades. These are most often used in K-1, but can be used in other settings if appropriate.
Primary Student Facing Blank Unit TemplatesAccess this blank template to create student facing unit tools for elementary grades 2-5.
Elementary Student Facing Blank Unit TemplatesAccess this blank template to create student facing unit tools for grades 6-8.
Middle Grades Student Facing Blank Unit TemplatesNYC DOE Approved Resources
The following resources have come from the NYC DOE. They provide guidance to schools on the implementation of the new curriculum. Some are specific to HMH’s Into Reading or Wilson’s Fundations, but others are general to literacy learning regardless of adopted programs or resources.
This document provides guidance on which modules to work through with students as well as standards to focus on, the types of text in the module, and possible connections to other subject areas/courses.
NYC HMH Module Selection Guidance K-5This document provides guidance on which modules to work through with students as well as standards to focus on, the types of text in the module, and possible connections to other subject areas/courses.
NYC HMH Module Selection Guidance 6-8This slide deck includes guidance, data, and examples to support teachers and administrators in making decisions about what, when, and how to teach in literacy.
D31 Into Reading Engaging with Complex Texts K-5This document provides clear guidance on how to make the most of the literacy block in elementary schools.
Literacy Block Guidance K-5The major instructional shifts presented in this document outline the most important content and approaches to learning literacy and provide definitions, context, and justifications of the author’s thinking.
NYC Instructional Shifts K-5 24-25The major instructional shifts presented in this document outline the most important content and approaches to learning literacy and provide definitions, context, and justifications of the author’s thinking.
NYC Instructional Shifts 6-12 24-25This resource outlines the scope and sequence and pacing for the various levels of Fundations.
Fundations/Wilson Pacing GuidanceUnit Assessment
This section provides guidance and resources for strengthening the impact of unit assessments. Some of the options to the right do not lead to a specific tool or template but contain helpful explanations and/or tips.
It is important to align module assessments to the learning targets taught. This will ensure coherence and support data driven decision making. The HMH module assessment has very strong vocabulary questions. Some questions are not aligned to your state standards.
Each folder contains module assessments and answer keys for the grade level.
Aligning Module Assessments to Unit Learning Targets- Assessment doesn’t align to unit learning targets
- Curriculum embedded assessment tasks do not align clearly with state standards
- Students are not aware of unit learning targets
- Not enough time for “assessment for learning”
- Products or performances are not anchored in UDL
- Contrived or inauthentic performance tasks
- Invalid evaluation criteria or rubrics
- Lack of pre-assessment
- Eliminate standardized writing test questions (you don’t have these questions in NY state). Lower grades can remove phonics questions since they don’t align to the DOE approved phonics curriculum.
- You will want to make sure you create questions at surface and deep based on unit learning targets
- You can use Magic School + to generate standards-based questions using any text you can copy and paste.
- Use multiple choice generator to create standards based MC assessments
- You can use Magic School + to generate standards-based questions using any text you can copy and paste.
You will need to refine question items in the HMH platform. This video explains how to revise and add HMH assessment questions.
HMH Testing Platform Video- Two Texts: There are two texts that you can use for assessment. What is the purpose for each? Consider using one for a pre-assessment for the next unit or to ensure that students are engaging in what they learned from previous units.
- Unit Performance Tasks: In HMH they have students do an on demand writing piece.
- You may want students to just make a claim and back up the claim with evidence from the text (this will align the task to what students have to do on the state test).
Text Selection to Drive Assessment
Once you are clear about the targets for each unit. There is a lot of text with HMH. This will require you to emphasize some text over others. The menu to the right includes some key tips to help you narrow your focus.
Make sure you and the students know the purpose for reading each text; students should be engaged in reading complex text 30” or more daily.
- Repeated Reading (fluency and prosody)
- Read Aloud
- Shared Reading
- Close Reading
Consider using some of the HMH test passages if you want shorter texts. There are also quality texts with other aligned DOE resources for Science and Social Studies. You may also want to consider the Rigby Readers.
- There is typically a text that is a preview for the next unit; consider reading this text in week 4 (re-engagement week)
- Some text is in the unit is placed purposefully to build and activate schema/knowledge
- You may want students to listen this the prior week and track thinking using a graphic organizer
- Engage in a discussion before you read
- Many times the text will activate key vocabulary
Ensure that text-sets are culturally responsive. Text selections are mirrors when readers see their own lives reflected in the pages.
- Texts are windows when they allow readers a view of lives and stories that are different from their own and they become sliding glass doors when readers feel transported into the world of the story and when they feel empathy for the characters.
- HMH Culturally Responsive Scorecard
Magic School + can also create informative text based on the theme and you can customize it to work with any grade level
Magic School +Collaborative Reading Protocols
Many of our partner schools have had success using collaborative reading protocols such as repeated interactive read aloud, close reading, or shared reading.
The options to the right will link you to grade-level specific collaborative reading protocols that can be used all or in part as you and your students read and revisit texts.
Decks have been created for grades 1-5. Each slide is designed to list some of the most important questions and concepts to consider when reading, making sense of, and discussing texts. The “speaker notes” provide guidance for teachers and include suggested question stems, points to consider, ideas about what learning is new or challenging to the grade, and links to resources you may find helpful.
In grades 2-5, the decks can be shown directly to the students, but in first grade, they are more of a guide for you, the teacher. Some of our kindergarten partners have had success using these same guidelines to deepen comprehension and develop independence in their interactive read alouds.
Informational Collaborative Reading ProtocolsDecks have been created for grades 1-5. Each slide is designed to list some of the most important questions and concepts to consider when reading, making sense of, and discussing texts. The “speaker notes” provide guidance for teachers and include suggested question stems, points to consider, ideas about what learning is new or challenging to the grade, and links to resources you may find helpful.
In grades 2-5, the decks can be shown directly to the students, but in first grade, they are more of a guide for you, the teacher. Some of our kindergarten partners have had success using these same guidelines to deepen comprehension and develop independence in their interactive read alouds.
Fiction Collaborative Reading Protocols