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Curriculum Design

Overall design and approach to our curriculum

Wonders is a comprehensive literacy solution designed to meet the challenges of today’s classroom and reach all learners. A wealth of research-based print and digital resources provide unmatched support for building strong literacy foundations, accessing complex fiction and nonfiction texts, writing to sources, and building social emotional learning skills.

Whether in the core classroom, an English language learner, or benefiting from intervention support, Wonders provides students equity of access to rich texts and rigorous instruction. ELL support is built into the core curriculum, with resources designed to ensure equity of access for all— including newcomers, beginning, intermediate, and advanced learners.

While it can be used “out of the box,” student and teacher choice are at the heart of Wonders. Wonders was designed to support the entire classroom as you “teach your way”—whether following a suggested pathway of instruction or a create-your-own- workshop using Wonders resources.

Evidence-based practices or research that guided the development of our curriculum

As a learning science company, McGraw Hill is dedicated to the application of foundational and current research toward the development of products designed to improve student and educator outcomes. As such, we have drawn upon decades of rigorous literacy research studies, as well as our collaborative work with preeminent reading researchers and experts, to inform the design, development, and ongoing efficacy testing of Wonders. We recognize that reading instruction must be flexible enough to accommodate the specific needs of every learner and every educator, while also providing a robust learning experience that addresses each of the skills and competencies identified as critical for successful literacy development.

To review the pedagogy behind the program, please visit: https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/program/microsites/MKTSP-BGA10M0/pedagogy.html

Components included in our curriculum by grade level

The following codes are used to identify the priorities. If a component is not included in a particular grade-level, N/A will be displayed in that cell.

• C = Core Universal Component
• T = Targeted Support/Intervention for some students
• I = Intensive Support/Intervention for few students
• X = Not addressed

Unaddressed components in our curriculum for any given grade-level and supplements to meet the DDOE definition of K-3 HQIM

Intensive Support/Intervention in all grade levels in all areas is addressed comprehensively within our WonderWorks program. WonderWorks is an intensive intervention resource designed to help drive student achievement by connecting focused strategies for intervention with the content of the Wonders core program. WonderWorks Intervention is organized in the same way as core Wonders and follows the same scope and sequence.   It is designed for students up to two years below grade level and is accelerated to close achievement gaps. WonderWorks supports the delivery of high-quality literacy instruction aligned to the science of reading. WonderWorks develops Oral Language for all grade levels, and embedded foundational skills instruction with an Adaptive Learning tool allows teachers to collect data and monitor time on task for foundational skills. In combination with Wonders, WonderWorks provides a comprehensive, integrated plan for meeting the needs of all students.

Wonders was designed to support educators as they adapt instruction to meet the needs of their classroom and students. Options for small group time, differentiated lesson pages, and small group options in the unit front matter call out opportunities to customize the suggested lesson plan for enhanced differentiation and a greater focus on small group time. Deep support for small- group instruction includes mini-lessons in comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and foundational skills for students Approaching, On, and Beyond grade level, as well as core-classroom support for English Learners and weekly opportunities for students to “Level Up” to the next group or to “Gifted and Talented” challenges.

General education intervention support includes daily quick-checks of understanding and suggestions of specific small-group mini-lessons for quick remediation where students may be below grade level. Robust Tier 2 support is found within the Wonders Teacher’s Edition, as well as five additional Intervention Teacher’s Edition digital handbooks targeting comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, phonics and word study, and writing and grammar. All this instruction is aligned to results from the Wonders Data Dashboard, making it easy for either general or special education teachers to spot an issue, regroup, reteach, and if necessary, remediate with a specific assignment targeted to individual student needs.

In addition, WonderWorks ©2022  is designed to drive student achievement by connecting focused strategies for intervention with the content of the Wonders core program. Grounded in research, the two programs work together to support students who may benefit from Tier 2 intervention. WonderWorks helps ensure student access to the same content, skills, strategies, and knowledge building as the core program by offering instructional on-ramps and acceleration. WonderWorks follows the same scope and sequence as the core Wonders and has a timeline/plan for exit.

How our curriculum is aligned to the science of reading

The content and major instructional approaches of Wonders have their basis in an extensive body of rigorously conducted and thoroughly replicated instructional research and are consistent with the exciting findings that have emerged from recent basic scientific investigation.

For more information, please see the resources linked below:

•   Wonders SoR Proof Points
•   Shanahan White Paper- SoR
•   Foundational Skills Approach

Please use the links below to review the scope and sequence for the acquisition of foundational skills:

• Grade K
• Grade 1
• Grade 2

All texts are Lexiled. Lexile scores for all reading materials are available in the attached scope and sequence documents, as well as the Teacher’s Edition at point of use.  Scope and Sequence linked Here.

Each grade level contains an explanation of each component. If a component is not included in a particular grade-level, “N/A” will be displayed.

How our curriculum aligns with the common core state standards and shifts

Wonders is fully aligned to the Common Core Standards (CCSS). See correlation. 

CCSS standards can be found at point-of-use in each digital lesson.  Each assessment item is also tagged to specific standards. The online teacher dashboard provides a “Standards Search” feature.

In addition to the scope and sequence and standards alignments, Wonders provides explicit directions for implementing the key components of the program in the Teacher’s Edition lessons. Every lesson provides specific lesson objectives both in print and in the online teacher lesson planner, where the teacher can also access a compiled list of all standards covered for the week and links to the specific lessons where those skills are covered.

The Teacher’s Edition provides student outcomes across skill areas for each week/unit, including information on which skills are tested in Wonders assessments, to help identify how students are progressing toward mastery of a specific skill.

How our curriculum support students’ achievement of grade-level content

Students are exposed to grade-level text via the shared read and anchor text from each text set, with scaffolded supports to ensure they are successful.

Supported by data from the Data Dashboard, Wonders partners with educators to match students to instruction to teach, re-teach, and practice key skills for students in need of additional support. Small-Group differentiated instruction can be found at the end of the week in the daily yellow pages. For students who are struggling to access grade-level text, scaffolding is provided in small group instruction, with frequent comprehension checks and recommendations for quick remediation.

Intervention support in Wonders includes daily quick-checks of understanding and suggestions of specific small-group mini-lessons for quick remediation. Tier 2 support is found within the small group lessons of the Teacher’s Edition, as well as five additional Tier 2 digital handbooks targeting comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, phonics and word study, and writing and grammar.

Embedded supports included in the curriculum for students with diverse learning needs

Wonders is structured to serve the needs of a diverse classroom of learners. Student-centered learning, small-group instruction, and minilessons with embedded support for students in need of targeted intervention (such as those who are not meeting the learning standards or are achieving below grade level) are central to the program’s design.

Wonders provides options for differentiation at point-of-use in the Teacher’s Edition and simplifies grouping for targeted instruction with the Data Dashboard. Educators can manage and gain insight into instructional decisions by filtering class, group, or individual student data. The Data Dashboard also provides resource recommendations to enhance learning at all levels. The digital Data Dashboard gives teachers real-time recommendations for appropriate level assignments, reading selections, remediation, and more based on student performance data automatically compiled from previous assignments and assessments. This gives teachers actionable next steps for targeted small group enrichment instruction.

Curriculum Topics

Alignment of Curriculum to Curricular Aims as Outlined in Delaware Law

The study of Black History serves to educate students about how Black persons were treated throughout history.  Please describe how and to what degree your curriculum attends to the following curricular aims as outlined in Delaware law:

• Examines the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and intolerance
• Prepares students to be responsible citizens in a pluralistic democracy
• Reaffirms the commitment of free peoples to the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Wonders was created to promote literacy and deepen understanding for every child. A commitment to multicultural education and our nation’s diverse population is evident in the literature selections and themes found throughout every grade. Please see specific examples per grade level below:

Minimum Requirements Included in Grade K-3 Curriculum

C=Core, S=Supplemental, I=Independent

Professional Learning

What competency-based professional learning our organization offers on our curriculum

McGraw Hill offers a wide variety of professional learning options to support effective classroom instruction and classroom implementation. Please review the sample professional learning plan linked below; for grade-level specific sessions related to the components below, see pages 7-8.

 Sample Professional Learning Plan

Each grade level contains an explanation of each component. If a component is not included in a particular grade-level, “N/A” will be displayed.

How our professional learning is aligned to Delaware’s definition of high-quality professional learning

The professional learning methodology behind our professional development design and delivery is based on our five research-based principles of effective educator professional learning:

1. Content Specific Learning
2. Active Engagement
3. Teaching Models
4. Collaborative Learning
5. Practical Application

In order to accomplish the above-mentioned goals, McGraw Hill is committed to providing customized, comprehensive, and research-based professional development to each district with a focus on teacher leadership to ensure sustainability & scalability.

How our professional learning is grounded in Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning

McGraw Hill’s professional learning sessions are planned using backward design.  When creating any training plan, the first step is to meet with leadership to determine the needs of the district. This includes a strong focus on the learning outcomes, and from these the training is designed.  All our training sessions contain small group work that helps develop community within the group. There are also specific targets around data and evaluation to continuously improve the training.

SB4 requires that the competency-based professional learning provided to educators on reading instruction be provided during the school day. How our professional learning can be facilitated through a coaching model

McGraw Hill knows that Professional Learning is a major part of teacher growth and in the utilization of new resources.  Our team of professional trainers and facilitators can provide professional learning before, during, or after the school day.  McGraw Hill can also support a train-the-trainer model for ongoing coaching.  Our Turnkey Model provides district staff with the needed background to coach teachers and to provide model lessons.

McGraw Hill works with each school or district to customize a plan that best meets their needs and objectives. An Executive Planning Meeting will be held with all key stakeholders to create a customized plan for the implementation of Wonders. A Lead Curriculum Specialist from McGraw Hill will be the point person to coordinate the professional learning sessions with the district.

Although McGraw Hill does provide Coaching and Administrator support guides within our online platform, we do not offer job-embedded coaching as part of our professional learning options. We recommend that districts work with a 3rd party to achieve job-embedded coaching goals.

McGraw Hill designs and offers professional learning opportunities aimed at using our curricular resources effectively. The resources are grounded in/ designed from the Science of Reading research, so the pedagogical approaches are SoR-based; however, we do not provide agnostic professional learning on the Science of Reading.

How we demonstrate that educators have not only completed the required professional learning called for in the legislation, but that teacher practice has positively changed in order to improve student literacy

McGraw Hill will support each district in implementing Wonders with fidelity to effect positive impact on students via improved teacher practice. Tools such as observational checklists for administrators, model classroom videos, and implementation guides are available to support each district in monitoring teacher practice. We are also happy to work with any third-party professional learning organizations that districts may partner with for monitoring teacher practice.

McGraw Hill does not offer agnostic professional learning on the Science of Reading. We will support educators in their implementation of our curricular resources, but we do not offer tracking or reporting. This would be up to each district to implement practices to track and report.

How our Professional Learning attend to the differences in the Science of Reading for students who are Multilingual Learners, specifically students with varied levels of English Proficiency and students being educated in dual language programs

McGraw Hill offers specialized professional learning sessions that focus on the needs of Multilingual Learners. Our approach is informed by these guiding principles:

• Provide Specialized Instruction
• Cultivate Meaning
• Teach Structure and Form
• Develop Language in Context
• Scaffold to Support Access
• Foster Interaction
• Create Affirming Cultural Spaces
• Engage Home to Enrich Instruction
• Promote Multilingualism

We also offer a Spanish Language Arts program for grades K-6, Maravillas, that works in tandem with Wonders for dual language instruction.

McGraw Hill will offer professional learning support to educators on how to maximize their usage of the resources available within the curriculum for supporting multilingual learners. Multiple supports for MLLs are provided in the curriculum, and training can be designed around how to efficiently and effectively utilize these resources to make the most impact on students. Examples of MLL support within the program include ELL Small Group Lesson Plans, Leveled Reader Lesson Plans, and various point-of-use recommendations within the teacher’s experience. Our latest copyright also includes the ELL Small Group Guide, which is designed to enable flexible delivery of small group instruction for ELLs.

Assessments

Our curriculum assesses students’ mastery of grade-level content

Wonders assessments are aligned with instruction. The results of these assessments are used to inform subsequent instruction and aid in making leveling and grouping decisions. Unit assessments also serve as summative assessments by providing a way to measure students’ progress through the curriculum. The Wonders Assessment system is systematic and comprehensive including informal progress monitoring and formal weekly, unit, and benchmark assessments as well as a digital space to create individualized assessments.

The digital Data Dashboard gives teachers real-time recommendations for appropriate level assignments, reading selections, remediation, and more based on student performance data automatically compiled from previous assignments and assessments. This gives teachers actionable next steps for targeted small group instruction. In addition, the Assessment Handbook is available to assist with the interaction of components and leveling decisions. The Assessment Handbook can be found online at Resources > Resource Library > Assessment

The components of our balanced assessment system (universal screeners, diagnostics, and progress monitoring) including frequency of administration during the school year

Wonders assessment includes the following components:

• Universal Screener: gauges student readiness for the demands of grade-level instruction.
• Placement and Diagnostic: contains assessments that can be administered throughout the year to verify grouping/leveling.
• Progress Monitoring: highlights student understanding of key skills and strategies taught in each text set.
• Unit: focuses on the wider variety of skills and strategies taught throughout each unit.
• Benchmark: assesses skills mid-year and end-of-year and can signal student readiness for high-stakes testing.

House Bill 304 with HA1 identifies “Universal reading screener” as a tool used as part of a multi-tiered system of support to determine if a student is at risk for developing reading difficulties and the need for intervention and to evaluate the effectiveness of core curriculum as an outcome measure

Explain how your curriculum leverages universal reading screening to measure the following:

1. 1. phonemic awareness,
   2.  phonological awareness, 
   3. symbol recognition, 
   4. alphabet knowledge, 
   5. decoding and encoding skills, 
   6. fluency, 
   7. and comprehension.

Wonders features a universal screener to measure student readiness for the demands of grade-level work. Results from the screener point to students who might be at risk and candidates for intervention or remediation. Placement and Diagnostic Assessment works off of and expands from the screener results by offering assessment forms that diagnose students’ specific strengths and weaknesses in phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, letter naming and alphabetic knowledge, fluency, and comprehension.

Our curriculum will identify students who have a potential reading deficiency, including identifying students with characteristics of dyslexia:

Wonders offers a variety of progress-monitoring and diagnostic assessments to track student development through the curriculum. Habitual poor performance in these assessments (which is visible through student reports) can assist in identifying students with reading deficiencies and help focus on general areas of concern that often correlate to learning issues such as phonological memory, reading words in isolation, and slow and inaccurate oral reading.

Timely data collection and reporting of universal screening is a required curriculum component from House Bill 304 with HA1

Wonders reporting allows for data-driven instructional decisions and pathways using aggregated and disaggregation of data. Teachers view student and class reports, and administrators view data at district, school, and class levels. Users can filter performance by raw score, percentage score, and skill/standard performance. Mastery levels allow for grouping of students with similar performance. Wonders reports include activity reporting with item analysis, grade-card reporting, and reports that capture progress over time at assignment and skill/standard levels.

Professional learning provided to educators on how to use the assessments included in our curriculum

McGraw Hill offers both initial and follow-up program training on assessing and evaluating student achievement, including placement and diagnosis as well as ongoing assessment and progress monitoring. The Wonders Assessment Handbook further assists teachers with the interaction of program components and leveling decisions. We also offer customizable professional learning and can provide a deeper dive into Wonders assessments, including how to utilize the Data Dashboard for leveling and grouping decisions.

Additional professional learning and assessment information