Common Program
Structures and Features

Universal Design for
Learning Principles

Teacher Supports

You can expect teachers to save time on lesson planning because a daily plan—crafted with the latest research on how students learn and retain what they’re taught—was created for them. And teachers can expect to have teacher notes, including differentiation and extension guidance, embedded in each lesson right where they need it.

You can expect to lighten the cognitive load for students because they know what to expect with a lesson’s arc and can instead focus on what they’re learning. And most importantly, you can expect that they’ll learn about similar topics across subjects, ensuring that they are building enduring knowledge that will extend well beyond a single lesson.

You’ll see teachers at every grade level connecting with one another because they have curriculum for each subject that follows the same approach with every classroom steering in the same direction. The most exciting thing you’ll see is students who are engaged with what they’re learning and excited to build more knowledge.

Launch, Learn, Land Lesson Structure

Each of our curricula follow a Launch, Learn, Land structure. Every lesson includes the Launch portion, which introduces the topic and activates prior knowledge. Then the Learn portion engages students in accessing new knowledge, building on previous knowledge, and sharing what they have learned. In the Land portion, students reflect on their learning and how their new knowledge fits into the larger context of the topic or module and real-life application.

Learn more about the lesson design of Great Minds curricula.

A Focus on Student Discourse

Lessons also include Socratic seminars, peer-to-peer discussion activities, discussion-based assessments, and other opportunities for students to share their thoughts and what they are learning.

When students lead these discussions, they are more engaged in the content and they can solidify their own understanding and clear up misconceptions. That is why all our opportunities for discourse are student-centered, meaning students lead discussions with educator prompting instead of teachers directing the conversation. Each of our curricula also features Instructional Routines to encourage students to lead and participate in discourse, including Think-Pair-Share, Quick Write, and more.

Engagement

Our curricula motivate and engage learners by connecting content to the real world, enhancing student learning and outcomes. Whether it’s student-chosen models in Eureka Math², applicable real-world phenomena in PhD Science, or robust knowledge-building opportunities for writing, dialogue, and discussion in Wit & Wisdom, we offer multiple methods of engagement to help students build enduring knowledge and a love of learning.

See Engagement in action. In Eureka Math², students are given a voice and a choice in deciding which approach to solving a real-world problem fits the best in a given mathematical situation. Students interact with manipulatives, context videos, digital interactives, and more to access their own background knowledge and engage deeper with the content.

Representation

We craft all our curricula to offer multiple access points to materials. This includes various representations of content, including texts, fine art, video, graphic organizers, audio, and hands-on learning.

See Representation in action. In all Great Minds curricula, students engage with significant works of art, including paintings, illustrations, prints, sculpture, architecture, and photographs, that provide diverse access points to a topic so learners at all levels can build strong literary skills.

Action and Expression

Each lesson in a Great Minds curriculum includes multiple ways for students to interact with lesson content and demonstrate their learning. These include Thinking Tools and Talking Tools in Eureka Math², hands-on activities in PhD Science, and opportunities for reading, writing, speaking, and listening in Wit & Wisdom.

See Action and Expression in action. In PhD Science, teachers are encouraged to take on the role of facilitator as students drive the learning forward. During hands-on investigations, students often design and plan activities, as well as collaborate with each other, engage in scientific discourse, and express what they have learned.

Differentiation Supports

Our curricula also include differentiation supports for diverse learners, including multilingual learners, students with dyslexia, and students who need a challenge. Not only is the content itself designed specifically for readability and accessibility, but Teacher Editions also include embedded notes, checkpoints, enrichment, and supplementary texts and other media for educators to apply and tailor to their students to address additional language and comprehension needs.

Eureka Math²

Teacher Note on consistency in instruction when using an area model for multiplying, length as horizontal dimension and width as vertical dimension

Eureka Math² materials were designed to maintain the rigor you expect from Great Minds while supporting students who need help with reading, especially students with dyslexia. We increased the use of visuals, eliminated unnecessary words, and considered the language and sentence length at every level. In addition, the program includes point-of-use Teacher Notes and tips for Language Support and Differentiation for students needing additional support and those needing additional challenge or enrichment.

PhD Science

Differentiation from a PhD Science Teacher Edition that addresses the misconception that light bends

The PhD Science Teacher Edition offers embedded and sidebar notes to support teachers, including for Differentiation and English Language Development.

Wit & Wisdom

Prologue to Lesson 1: At A Glance includes summary, learning goal, and vocabulary. Glossary for concluding and elaboration in English and Spanish.

Wit & Wisdom supports students reading below grade level and multilingual learners to help all students achieve grade-level success. Prologue™ supplements Wit & Wisdom instruction for Grades 6–8 multilingual learners and ensures that multilingual learners have the same access to high-quality grade-level materials that their peers have by allowing them to preview upcoming content in a Wit & Wisdom lesson.

Standards Alignment

We ensure that the rigor of our curricula aligns with state standards across different subjects and grade levels. View our detailed Curriculum Reviewer Guides and state standard alignment guides to learn more about the standards across subjects and grade levels, as well as to see examples of the rigor and effectiveness of our suite of products.

Implementation Support

We know that you know your students and classroom better than anyone. We’re here to be your partners, supporting you every step of the way so that you can do what you do best: teach. That is why we provide teacher supports, family supports, and professional learning opportunities led by the team of teacher–writers behind our curricula.