Teaching New Curriculum with Integrity vs. Fidelity

 

   INTEGRITY                        vs                             FIDELITY

Doing the right thing.                                                                Doing the thing right.

It's been a while since I even looked at any of my blogs.  Since my last post I have become a second grade teacher who 4 years ago had essentially no curriculum, and today am on my 3rd year of implementing HMH Into Reading v3 for second grade with integrity.  It has and still is a process.  So, today I am headed in a slightly different direction.  

Our school has been doing lots of work, not just using new curriculum, but thinking about how to leverage our new curriculum.  I can honestly say it is a lot of work, AND at the same time, I am very relieved to be working in a district where we are being told to teach the curriculum with fidelity not integrity.  The change may seem subtle, but when working with a curriculum as overwhelming as HMH's Into Reading, the difference between those two concepts is crucial, especially if you are trying to teach through a Culturally Responsive lens.  

So, with this all in mind, I know the overwhelm that many teachers are facing when we are 'given' a new curriculum.  And though I haven't experience with many curriculums out there now, I do know that HMH Into Reading, can feel pretty overwhelming.  A lot of what I hope to focus on in my blog here is reducing the overwhelm.  By sharing tricks, tips, and teaching that works, I hope to lighten the load for other second grade teachers out there.   

I will also be trying my hand at sharing created materials through TPT, we will see how that goes!  lol.  You can find it here at Mrs. B's Teacher Tools.  Fair warning, it is pretty sparse at the moment.  More to come!