Wit & Wisdom in Sync - Plan and Prepare

Wit & Wisdom in Sync™ teachers use the Learn Anywhere Plan (LAP) in concert with the Wit & Wisdom® Teacher Edition (TE) to plan instruction. The tips below support planning, preparation, and delivery.

• Get to know Wit & Wisdom.If you have not already done so, complete the Wit & Wisdom Preparation Protocols (Module, Focusing Question Arc, Lesson) to ensure you have the deep knowledge of the curriculum to teach Wit & Wisdom in Sync. The protocols are available in the Wit & Wisdom in Sync platform or via direct link (http://witeng.link/prep-protocols).
• Connect the LAP and Wit & Wisdom.Review the Wit & Wisdom in Sync Module LAP alongside the Wit & Wisdom Module Map. Confirm the connection between the Daily LAP and the corresponding lesson in Wit & Wisdom. Review the Wit & Wisdom in Sync LAP alongside the Wit & Wisdom TE to clarify the roles and actions of the Great Minds teacher, classroom teacher, and students.
• Compare the LAP and Wit & Wisdom by using dual monitors or a split screen. If you have access to a workspace with two monitors, use one monitor for the LAP and the other monitor to toggle between the TE and your own space for planning notes.
  If you do not have access to two monitors, work with your IT support to determine how best to add a split-screen extension to your web browser so that you can open both the LAP and the TE to plan across the two resources.
  You may also want to consider additional tech tools to support planning and preparation. Your web browser, for example, may have a plug-in that allows you to make on-screen annotations.
• Plan the sequence (by using the numbers on the LAP!) and delivery mode of the daily LAP. Determine whether you will teach the LAP Day synchronously with students or if they will watch the Great Minds video independently and then gather in small groups or as a whole group for the classroom teacher instructional elements. Use the numbers in the top corner of each cell in the LAP to see the recommended sequence of the instructional parts. If students work with the Great Minds teacher for steps 1–3 and then with the classroom teacher for steps 4–6, it might be easy to schedule the Great Minds video as an independent activity. If students alternate each step between the Great Minds and classroom teachers, it might be better to teach synchronously with the whole group with the Great Minds video.
• Review the Wit & Wisdom Projected Slides. Teachers in Grades 3–8 have access to Wit & Wisdom Projected Slides for Modules 1–4. Teachers in Grades K–2 have access to Projected Slides beginning with Module 2. Projected Slides are slide presentations that teachers can use to help emphasize the main points of each lesson; show visuals; display important questions, definitions, text, or information; and prompt discussion. Some of these slides are used in the Daily Videos delivered by the Great Minds teacher. Other Projected Slides correspond most closely to instructional content allocated to the classroom teacher in the Wit & Wisdom in Sync Learn Anywhere Plans. When planning classroom teacher instruction, teachers should review the slides to check how they might be useful to lesson delivery.
• Plan for submission of student work. Note when students complete a task or write a response so that you can direct students when, where, and how to submit their work. Plan for any tech support you will need to provide students, including teaching them how to highlight in a Google Doc, find assigned tasks in Affirm, and submit Google Docs on Google Classroom.
• Connect with support staff. Can teacher aides and special education, English learner, and other support staff help instruction by participating in breakout rooms, assigning fluency practice, or following up on key elements of a lesson? If so, make a weekly plan to work together.
• Schedule or assign follow-up small-group or individual meetings or other supports. Based on assessment data or other evidence, are there students who would benefit from closer supports or scaffolds? If so, consider scheduling 1:1 meetings to provide feedback, creating sentence frames for tasks for specific students, and recording or providing Read Alouds as needed. Determine whether and to whom you will teach Deep Dives and assign Vocabulary Videos.

Copyright © 2024, Great Minds PBC