We hope you had a restful summer break and are looking forward to this season of falling leaves, new classroom rosters, and endless learning possibilities.
The return to the classroom can feel overwhelming, so we invite you to take a moment to acknowledge the wonder of the work you do. Whether you’re a returning educator or brand-new to the field, your efforts supporting students are important and powerful. This year, you’ll work to shape how students interact with their worlds through literacy, and we truly thank you for being here.
Wonders News, our quarterly user newsletter, is designed to support the amazing work you do in your classroom every day. In these emails, you'll get helpful Wonders resources, time-saving tips, professional development tools, and more.
Explore our latest newsletter below, and sign up now to continue to recieve Wonders News!
Back-to-School Teacher and Administrator Resources
As you prepare your classroom or school for students’ return, do you have questions around getting set up with Wonders? Our assortment of back-to-school supports for teachers and administrators can help.
In the articles below, you’ll find Teacher and Administrator Orientation videos; a guide to getting started with Wonders’ digital platform, ConnectED; an Organization Administrator User Guide; and quick links to other beneficial resources.
Looking for further support? Check out the Wonders user community, where you can connect with fellow educators, converse with product experts, and attend community-only webinars, book studies, and more.
You now have access to a new version of your Online Assessment platform. This version includes updated navigation, as well as several new features to make creating, administering, and grading assignments more effective. With the updates, you can:
Generate a class scoresheet by uploading student scores or test results via a .csv file;
Reopen assignments to let students make revisions following their submissions;
Allow late submissions so students can submit after the due date;
Share your assignments with both your Google Classroom and fellow teachers; and
Permit multiple attempts, so your class or specific students can attempt an assignment up to three times.
Pro Tip: Wonders features a variety of assessment options to help you understand student needs and differentiate accordingly. The Universal Screener provides information on student readiness for grade-level content. Diagnostic assessments pinpoint areas where students might benefit from additional help, while formative progress monitoring assessments check student progress and shape instruction. Outcome or summative assessments are used to measure achievement in relation to progress through the curriculum.
Find out more in the Assessment Handbook under Resources > Resource Library > Assessments
Wonders Eight-Step Implementation Support
Learning a new curriculum can be challenging, and you may have questions about how best to implement Wonders in your classroom. Enter our new Eight-Step Implementation Support! This collection of eight implementation guides walks you through essential Wonders elements, components, and routines. You’ll find introductions to Wonders professional learning, lesson planning, foundational skills, writing, and more.
Access the guides atResources > Professional Development > Overview > Learn to Use Wonders > Eight-Step Implementation Support
Introducing the New Adaptive Learning
If you use WonderWorks or Wonders for English Learners, your digital course now features a new Adaptive Learning system! This system includes a new design with different themes aligned to instructional topics, an updated instructional model in which each activity corresponds to a specific skill or objective, and a brand-new teacher experience. You’ll also find improved reporting, enhanced accessibility features, and a streamlined student experience, all available on a mobile-friendly platform.
To discover more about the new Adaptive Learning, you can access a learning module and an updated user guide on ConnectED.
Resources > Professional Development > WondersWorks OR English Learners > Learn to Use > Wonders Adaptive Learning Overview
The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to set classroom procedures and expectations and to start building relationships with students. In the videos below, Wonders Curriculum Specialist Christina Quarelli offers tips and tricks for creating a supportive, welcoming classroom this year.
Sending Warm Fuzzies: Are you looking to establish rapport with student families, parents, or caretakers as the year begins? Try sending a warm fuzzy, or a special note about a student’s positive behavior. Did a student volunteer to help you pass out papers, offer a friend guidance about an assignment, or ask great questions in class? Let their families know, and you’ll have laid the groundwork for open, productive communication in the future.
Establishing Seating Charts: Building a set seating chart at the start of a new year can be tricky, particularly as you may not know your students well. In this video, Christina discusses fun activities you can do in your classroom to learn more about your students and their collaboration styles. This knowledge will help you establish a more effective seating chart as a result!
Teaching Digitally Savvy Learners: For students, back-to-school season means an abundance of new—a new setting, a new curriculum, and new digital classroom tools. As it can be difficult for students to learn these tools and grade-level content simultaneously, building digitally savvy learners early on can increase student confidence. This video covers activities to help familiarize your students with the digital tools they’ll be using as they learn.
Inspired Ideas
Looking for resources to share with parents, research to inform your work, or inspiration from experts and peers? Visit our blog, Inspired Ideas. You’ll discover stories from educators, strategies from experts in reading instruction, and news from learning scientists and edtech experts. Here are three highlights to explore:
Activities to Get to Know Your Students During the First Week of School: Knowing your students—their backgrounds, their goals, their dispositions—is key to fostering learning. This article presents our favorite activities for getting to know your students, including setting a class goal, creating self-portraits, and more.
Key Ingredients for the Beginning of the School Year: Written by educators Stephanie Howell and Tara Ruckman, this post presents a fun “recipe” for a successful school year. Learn how essential ingredients like embracing change, making choices, and establishing culture come together to build powerful learning experiences.
How Teaching Gave Me the Gift of Empathy: In this article, McGraw Hill’s Dan Parvu explores how teaching taught him empathy. He discusses his experiences as both a student and teacher and offers tips for practicing empathy in the classroom and elsewhere.
We’re Here to Help
Having trouble logging in? Is something not working the way you expect it to? Our support teams are available via phone, email, or live chat.
Do you have a success story, an "a-ha" moment, or words of advice for other teachers you’d like to share? We’d love to feature it! Email us at wondersnews@mheducation.com and it could be in our next newsletter.
And remember to share how you use Wonders in your classroom and tag #ReadingWonders.
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