If you are interested in having the EngageNY Modules and adapting them in your school’s Atlas system, we have some thoughts for you!
There are several reasons why schools may seek to adapt the EngageNY modules. Schools adapt the modules to mold them to best support their students and school’s processes. Changes to unit pacing, additions of curriculum categories, or shifts in essential questions can make the modules more relevant to your school. Whatever the reason may be for adapting the EngageNY modules, it is helpful to have a process in place to do so.
Adopting and Adapting the Modules in Atlas
With Atlas, you can receive the EngageNY modules in your school’s system. From there, you are able to adapt and modify the modules to best support your school’s process. Kathleen Skellie, a school administrator in New York, writes: “Curriculum mapping in the Rubicon Atlas system has and will continue to streamline and simplify our journey. Having a dynamic place to record, revise and analyze our curriculum conversations increases the depth and quality of our curriculum work. Whether you are an adopter, adapter or an informer, curriculum mapping in a mapping system is an essential key to success.” To see her webinar, click here!
Join the growing numbers of New York schools who are using Atlas to design their curriculum.
Questions to Consider when Adapting the Modules
Who will edit the modules? We suggest you (school, teachers, administrators) decide up front who is responsible for adaptation. Does every teacher want to adapt the Modules? Should each department/grade level adapt Modules together as a team? If you create a plan for this ahead of time, it will alleviate confusion over ownership later on and allow the adaptation process to succeed!
Should teachers capture their individual modifications in a diary map? Diary maps allow everyone to capture authentic adaptations of what happened in the classroom throughout the year. While the accuracy is high, the time resources are great considering that theoretically, your entire curriculum should be documented with adaptations for every classroom. This method ONLY works if administration provides the resource of TIME to document adaptations in the face of competing demands AND teachers are comfortable and knowledgeable with regard to curriculum development.
Would it make sense for teacher teams to meet and collect our changes every few weeks into one shared, collaborative map? The collaborative approach simplifies the process and lightens the work load for individual teachers but it may not capture everything occurring in individual classrooms. This collaborative approach works well if you decide ahead of time to focus on departmental level modifications instead of individual classes. The trade-off may be worth it if time is not available for you to make the edits you need throughout every classroom or if some teachers are less familiar developing and modifying curriculum.
