Step 1: Determine Usage
Will you use Exploros as a core curriculum or as a supplement?
Core: Integrate Exploros lessons throughout the entire social studies program.
Supplement: Identify specific units or lessons where Exploros can enhance learning.
Will teachers be required to teach lessons from Exploros?
Yes: Ensure all teachers are aware of the usage expectations.
No: Allow teachers flexibility to incorporate Exploros as they see fit.
Step 2: Curriculum Integration
Pacing Guide Alignment:
Use your existing pacing guide to align Exploros lessons.
Identify key lessons that align with your current scope and sequence.
Frequency of Lessons:
Decide how often Exploros lessons will be taught.
We recommend teaching with Exploros at least two or three times a week. This consistency will help you implement student-centered learning that engages your students and guides them to achieve depth of learning. In addition, it will build a reliable dataset for the reports.
Step 3: Planning and Preparation
Choosing Experiences:
Identify standards you struggled with last year. Identify lessons within Exploros that match these challenging standards for focused improvement.
You may choose experiences for topics that are generally difficult to cover in class or that require significant differentiation.
You may choose experiences that integrate a wide variety of standards in a single lesson or that cover specific standards that are prescribed for a given week by the pacing guide.
Decide as a team which experiences to teach so that all social studies teachers assign the same Exploros experiences. All the department teachers will then have a common conversation and focal point for PLCs and grade-level teams. They can discuss and share pedagogic strategies knowing that they are all delivering the same content using the same 5E learning model.
Professional Learning:
Schedule time to create a pacing guide and plan the curriculum with teacher input whenever possible.
Schedule and provide professional learning opportunities for teachers.
Include initial training and ongoing support sessions.
Step 4: Implementation Support
Live Support:
Encourage teachers to reach out in the Exploros live chat for curriculum planning and implementation support.
Utilize Exploros’ customer support for any technical or instructional challenges.
Monitoring and Feedback:
Establish a system for regular feedback from teachers and students.
Use feedback to continuously improve the integration and effectiveness of Exploros lessons.
Step 5: Evaluation and Adjustment
Assessment of Impact:
Regularly assess the impact of Exploros on student learning outcomes.
Use assessment data, student work samples (ended experiences portfolio), and teacher observations to evaluate effectiveness.
Continuous Improvement:
Make necessary adjustments based on feedback and assessment results.
Continue to refine and enhance the use of Exploros in your social studies curriculum.