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    Wit & Wisdom® Prologue™

    Discover our collection of supplementary lessons designed to support multilingual learners and students with language-based disabilities in grades 6-8. 

    Prologue lessons focus on vocabulary, syntax, and oral language development. These lessons front-load specific Wit & Wisdom lessons, previewing key content and language and ensuring that all learners have access to high-quality, grade-level materials. Prologue is unique because it provides intensive language development in the content of our core ELA curriculum, Wit & Wisdom. This explicit connection gives diverse learners the opportunity to build their language skills while also reinforcing the key knowledge and skills taught in Wit & Wisdom. 
    Prologue meets three urgent needs in middle school classrooms:
    • Effective scaffolding for students who are having trouble accessing grade level curriculum due to language challenges.
    • High-quality lessons that can be used for Designated English Language Development (ELD) or intervention time aligned to the ELA content.
    • Guidance for how TESOL teachers, special education teachers, and other specialists can support the ELA content.
    Inside Prologue

    Look Inside Prologue

    GRADE 6 | MODULE 1 | LESSON 20

    In this Prologue sample lesson, students deconstruct important sentences from the core text, Out of the Dust, into words, phrases, and clauses. By focusing on word choice, symbolism, and figurative language, students deepen their understanding of complex language. This work prepares students to analyze the text in advance of Lesson 20.

    Below, we have provided a sample lesson plan for you to see Prologue in action, as well as annotated lessons that highlight effective supports for multilingual learners and students with language-based disabilities.

    WW Prologue Lesson Plan 20

    Prologue Lesson Plan for Grade 6 Students (PDF)

    WW Prologue Annotated Lesson Multilingual Learners

    Annotated Supports for Multilingual Learners (PDF)

    WW Prologue Annotated Lesson Students with Language Disabilities

    Annotated Supports for Students with Language-Based Disabilities (PDF)

    Components of Prologue
    Prologue is a collection of 30-minute lessons designed to help a variety of students meet the learning goals of Wit & Wisdom. Every Prologue user will receive:

    • 12 lesson plans spread out through each module
    • One Teacher Guide per grade
    • Downloadable handouts and answer keys
    • A glossary available in English or English/Spanish

    Free Prologue Professional Development

    To support successful implementation of Prologue, we've included free on-demand professional learning for all Prologue users. These videos are designed to guide implementation best practices for both teachers and specialists. 

    Scaffolding for Wit & Wisdom Instruction

    There are four types of Prologue lessons: reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. The Launch-Learn-Land format of lessons will be familiar to both teachers and students from Wit & Wisdom core lessons and Deep Dives. The main body of the lesson, the Learn section, will always include

    • explicit modeling to support student progress toward meeting language expectations,
    • opportunities for peer interaction and oral language practice, and
    • attention to disciplinary language.

    Instructional Design Backed by Research

    A recent UnboundEd (2020) concept paper emphasized that “the equitable way to ensure the efficiency and rigor of supplemental instruction is by providing it in service of the current or upcoming work of the grade.” Prologue provides Wit & Wisdom educators and their partner teachers with coherent lessons that preview content and directly support the learning goals of Wit & Wisdom. When we were writing Prologue, we worked to answer these three questions:

    What key knowledge and skills do students develop in this module? What background knowledge and language skills are necessary for students to have success in this module? How can Prologue strategically build these skills to scaffold students to grade-level expectations?

    prologue webinar video image

    Introducing Prologue
    Watch this FREE webinar to learn more about using Prologue to support multilingual learners. 

    Both multilingual learners and students with language-based disabilities benefit from engagement with grade-level content, access to complex texts, and time to build the language skills necessary for successful reading comprehension. This webinar, moderated by Sarah Woodard, National Director for Educational Partnerships on the Great Minds Humanities team, will introduce educators to Prologue, a collection of lessons for Grades 6–8 that build the foundation students need to access high-quality, grade-level materials and develop the confidence to meaningfully participate in Wit & Wisdom.

    Panelists include:

    • Sarah Webb, Senior Curriculum Designer for Multilingual Learners, Great Minds
    • Tsianina Tovar, EL Coach, K–12, Buncombe County Schools
    • Robin Hegner, Owner/Instructor/Consultant, Pathways to Reading Success
    QUESTIONS?

    Click here to connect with your Great Minds partner to learn more about Prologue or to schedule time to discuss how you can implement these lessons in your classroom.

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