Scenario Response 8

If I were asked to turnkey training for my colleagues on adopting and adapting curriculum, I would focus on keeping it clear, practical, and relevant to all content areas. The biggest takeaway I'd want them to walk away with is that curriculum isn't one-size-fits-all—and we have to be intentional about making sure it's accessible for all learners, especially our ELLs and students from diverse backgrounds.

Here are some of the key guidelines I'd share:

• Cultural relevance matters. We need to choose materials that reflect the students in our classrooms. That means looking at texts and asking: Do our students see themselves in this content? Is this respectful and inclusive of different backgrounds?

• Scaffolding is essential. Whether it's using visuals, sentence starters, graphic organizers, or chunking texts, we need to make sure students at different language levels can access the content—not just memorize vocabulary.

• Language development should be built in. Even in math or science, there are ways to include speaking, listening, reading, and writing. We should be pairing content objectives with language objectives when possible.

• Be critical of the materials we use. I’d walk through some criteria for evaluating non-textbook materials (like trade books, websites, videos, etc.)—not just for quality and engagement, but for how well they support learners along the language continuum.

As for the training layout, I’d probably do a short overview of what to look for, then have teachers bring a resource they already use and walk through evaluating and adapting it. That way, it's hands-on and directly applies to their work.

I think the more we can make this process collaborative and grounded in real examples, the more helpful it’ll be. It's not about adding more to teachers' plates—it's about making what we already do work better for all students.