Crafting full curriculums and lesson plans can be a time-consuming process for many teachers, especially those who teach multiple classes with different subjects. Educators at Dickinson ISD in Texas have come up with an elegant solution to this challenge by creating “bundles,” or self-contained online teaching templates that can be altered to fit any lesson plan, curriculum, or educational environment as a teacher sees fit.
“The bundles will give the teachers everything they need through days one to five,” says Deanna Williams, Coordinator of Digital Learning & Instructional Material for the district. “They can use the course as is or that can select pieces of what is available a la carte.”
To start the bundle process, teachers first upload and assign their documents into Schoology, through which these are turned into digital materials so then can be assigned. The now-bundled curriculum is divided over days that a teacher can use to map what they want to teach in a manner that best suits their classroom environment.
“I’ve been working mainly with the reading ELA curriculum specialist. She would give me the materials that go into a planning document,” says Williams. “Now it’s streamlined to where she can submit a Google Doc and I basically know what she needs. I will take her information and create a slide deck from it.”
Bundles are customizable. “When teachers use the templates I create, they can alter the text, the colors, the wording, to better suit the lesson plan they have in mind,” says Williams.
Making Teaching More Straightforward
The bundles show how a curriculum can be condensed and simplified for teachers. While this has obvious benefits for teachers well into their tenures, it can also be beneficial for those who are just starting out to make the teaching experience more palatable.
“One teacher went from her original slide deck, which I think was 41 slides that she assigned to over 100 students, to just 14 slides,” says Williams. “And so it made it a lot easier for her. She was so excited to have [her curriculum] honed down.”
While it may appear that these bundles take away some of the agency teachers enjoy when creating lesson plans, Williams explains that after adjusting to the system, many teachers find that the support they have and the time they save are invaluable.
“Teachers were apprehensive at first,” recalls Williams. “We presented [the system] as ‘Enjoy your Christmas break, and when you come back, here’s your bundle.’ So when they came back, everything was done for them. They assign it and during a curriculum preview day, we gave them the material and let them dig into it. I also provide support and tell them that if they are leery about technology or if they are not comfortable with it, I will come and support you.”
How Bundles Get Students Excited to Learn
Bundles help teachers organize their lessons how they see fit, but what about the benefit for students? So far, bundles have kept students engaged in what they are learning, says Williams.
“The students were so excited,” she says. “Teachers and coaches tell me that their kids come in and ask what tomorrow will be like. They get so excited.”
Having the same curriculums and lesson plans repeated over and over can become monotonous for both teachers and students. These bundles allow teachers to add more personality to their lessons, giving students more to look forward to every day.
Some of the Tools Williams Uses:
- Schoology
- Canva
- Quizizz
- Google Suite
- Edgenuity
- iReady
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