What’s New in Wit & Wisdom?

At Great Minds^®, we believe that every student deserves access to the highest quality education possible. That's why we are committed to building instructional materials that reflect the latest research and meet the needs of both students and educators. As part of this commitment, we are excited to announce some recent revisions and additions to Wit & Wisdom^®, our English language arts curriculum. These changes are designed to provide an even more engaging and effective learning experience for students, while also supporting educators and families in their important work of preparing students for greatness. Let’s explore some of the key updates to Wit & Wisdom and how they can benefit your classroom.

Enhanced Support for Multilingual Learners

Wit & Wisdom is intentionally crafted to deepen and accelerate learning for all students, regardless of their background or language proficiency. The curriculum offers multiple entry points to new topics while honoring the unique lived experiences and knowledge each learner brings to the classroom. Research shows that background knowledge of a given topic exponentially improves a student’s learning experience. We are excited to introduce two new instructional resources to better support multilingual learners and enhance your teaching experience.

Multilingual Learner Resources for Grades K–5

This research-aligned support puts the spotlight on existing lesson elements found in Wit & Wisdom modules that specifically benefit multilingual learners in grades K–5 and include:

• a Multilingual Learner Resource Module Map, which lists the lessons and their supports in module sequence,
• an overview of module learning alignment to World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) and English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards,
• targeted reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening supports for specific lessons, and
• implementation support videos, including:
  • The Multilingual Learner Resources Grades K–5 Video Overview,
  • The Multilingual Learner Resources Grades K–5: Reading Supports,
  • The Multilingual Learner Resources Grades K–5: Writing Supports,
  • The Multilingual Learner Resources Grades K–5: Language Supports, and
  • The Multilingual Learner Resources Grades K–5: Speaking & Listening Supports.

Wit & Wisdom Prologue™ for Grades 6–8

Wit & Wisdom Prologue supports grades 6–8 multilingual learners and students with language-based disabilities by front-loading key content and language from specific Wit & Wisdom lessons. Prologue comes with the following free resources to serve as guidance on how to connect Prologue lessons with Wit & Wisdom modules and topics:

• Prologue Implementation Guide
• Preparation Protocols
• Prologue Glossaries
• Prologue Implementation Videos, including:
  • Welcome to Wit & Wisdom Prologue
  • Wit & Wisdom Prologue: Preparing for Implementation
  • Wit & Wisdom Prologue: Scaffolds for Student Success
  • Wit & Wisdom Prologue: Prepare a Prologue Lesson
  • Wit & Wisdom Prologue: Navigating Prologue
  • Wit & Wisdom Prologue: Collaborating for Effective Implementation

Materials for Multilingual Learners and Their Families

These resources invite families and caregivers of multilingual students to participate in their child’s learning. The following supports are available in 14 different languages including Spanish, Chinese, Arabic:

• Grades K–8 Multilingual Glossaries
• Family Welcome Letters
• Family Tip Sheets
• Knowledge Building Primer

We’ve also included additional activities for educators to share during parent-teacher events so that families can get a hands-on preview of the knowledge their child will learn and build on.

Enhanced Implementation Supports

Wit & Wisdom teachers can access the following implementation supports:

• Getting Started Videos for grade-level guidance
• Projected Slides: slide presentations that correspond to Wit & Wisdom lessons
• Wit & Wisdom Question Sets for supplementary standardized test preparation

Updated Resource Pack

• Implementation Guide
• Reviewer Guides for grades K–5 & 6–8
• Pilot Overview and Checklist
• The Art of Wit & Wisdom slides
• Visual Art Lessons and Glossary
• English Language Arts/Literacy Standards Connections

• Wit & Wisdom Pilot Overview and Checklist

How to Access the Resources

We encourage you to explore these these and other helpful supports by visiting our Wit & Wisdom Resources page.