Wonders 2023

Educator Newsletter
Issue 4, Back-to-School 2023

Wonders News!

Welcome back to school, Wonders community!

As you navigate this busy season, we hope you feel excited for a new year of literacy learning. The months ahead bring new opportunitiesto reach a variety of learners, to create a supportive, engaging classroom, and to inspire a love of reading and writingand we thank you for all that you do to make this possible.

In this issue, you'll find professional learning resources, tools to bolster your classroom and Wonders experience, and a helpful product update.

Wishing you a great start to the new year!

- The Wonders Team

Resources for Your Return to the Classroom

Whether you're new to the classroom or an experienced educator, starting a new school year can be daunting! Our variety of back-to-school resources are here to support you as you meet new students, take on new challenges, and look forward to the year ahead.

Guides for Teachers and Administrators : Do you have questions around setting up and working through your Wonders digital experience? Explore our related resources for teachers and administrators, including orientation videos and guides for getting started.

Program Resources : Discover Wonders -specific teacher and parent support with our collection of Program Resources . You'll find teacher tutorials, Student and Teacher Dashboard guides, and more to help you implement Wonders with confidence.

Designing Classroom Norms & Shared Agreements to Build a Student-Centered Culture : Shape your classroom to foster collaboration and community with tips from educator Nicole Quinn. This Inspired Ideas post considers the power of building and upholding classroom norms to set expectations and develop student agency this year.

We're Giving Away a Trip to Plain Talk 2024!

Join the Wonders user community , where we are hosting an exciting contest for members!

The winner will receive a trip to Plain Talk 2024, and you can find out more by joining and checking out the pinned post for contest rules and requirements.

We hope to see you there!

Adaptive Learning Across Wonders Copyrights

Adaptive Learning is now available in all Wonders copyrights, including 2014, 2017, California Wonders , 2020, Texas Wonders , Florida Wonders , and 2023.

To help you meet the needs of all students, Adaptive Learning provides intensive, direct, and individualized support for learners who'd benefit from additional foundational skills practice. It also includes student-friendly design and theming, independent practice opportunities, teacher reporting capabilities, and more.

If you're a current WonderWorks or Wonders for English Learners user, you have access to Adaptive Learning as usual with additional program enhancements.

Learn more in our FAQ at Wonders Adaptive Learning > Teacher Resources > Adaptive Updates August 2023 and updated user guide at Wonders Adaptive Learning > Teacher Resources > Wonders Adaptive Learning User Guide.

McGraw Hill Summer 2023 Literacy Symposium

It's not too late to experience the McGraw Hill Summer 2023 Literacy Symposium!

Though the July live event has passed, our library of virtual professional learning sessions is available through the end of the year.

In this session collection, you'll find panels and presentations on essential topics across literacy. These sessions fall within six learning tracks (the Science of Reading, the Science of Writing, Knowledge Building, Purposeful Technology, Student and Educator Wellbeing, and Reaching All Learners) and offer timely, practical advice to support your literacy instruction.

The sessions also feature some of the foremost experts in literacy learning, including Wonders authors Dr. Jana Echevarra, Dr. Douglas Fisher, Dr. Timothy Shanahan, Kathy Rhea Bumgardner, M.Ed., Ed.S., and Dr. Jan Hasbrouck.

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:

Activities to Help Start the School Year Off Right : With a new year comes a new classroom roster! Explore activities to get to know your new students and establish an engaging classroom culture in this article from education consultant Nina Sethi. Our favorites include asking students to tell name stories, starting a read aloud, and having students write a letter to themselves about the upcoming year.

Fostering Connected Classrooms to Combat Loneliness : The return to school offers students a chance to forge meaningful connections and combat isolation they may have experienced in the summer. This post offers ways to inspire togetherness and build a supportive school environment, including setting student-driven routines, learning outside of the classroom, and reading in groups.

Helping Multilingual Learners Develop Literacy and Language Proficiency : In this article, Dr. Jana Echevarra discusses ways educators can support the multilingual learners in their classrooms. She reflects upon the importance of accessible foundational skills instruction, English language development (ELD) activities, connections between English and home languages, and content knowledge.