The Step-by-Step Process to Build Your Own Integrated Curriculum

Leah Mermelstein returns to Schoolutions for S2E35 to make the case for bending curriculum instead of buying a new one for literacy instruction every few years. She walks me through the exact process she uses with school districts to build integrated units of study, work that pulls reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar together around real content like a kindergarten animal unit or a fourth-grade historical fiction study tied to local history.The conversation covers:💫What teaching with fidelity actually means (hint: it's not "follow the script")💫How to form a teacher cadre that drives instructional coaching and professional development💫Why starting with a school's mission statement changes the whole planning process. Leah even lays out six concrete steps: form a cadre, root the work in the mission statement, set priority goals, connect grammar and vocabulary to what's already being taught, build in cumulative and spaced practice, and plan for real independence.Episode Mentions:Leah Mermelstein's Schoolutions Interview, "We-Do" Writing Book, "We-Do" Model Graphic & Self-Directed Writers BookP. David PearsonCornelius Minor's Schoolutions Interview & We Got This. Book Dr. Tanya Wright's Schoolutions Interview & A Teacher's Guide to Vocabulary Development Across the Day BookPatterns of Power Series Nell K. Duke & Kelly B. Cartwright's The Science of Reading Progresses: Communicating Advances Beyond the Simple View of Reading (graphic on page 9)First Education Writing Summit  (June 14, 2023) - Reboot, Revamp, and Refresh Your School's or Classroom's Writing InstructionAlign the Design: A Blueprint for School Improvement by Nancy J. Mooney & Ann T. Mausbach Schooling by Design: Mission, Action, and Achievement by Grant Wiggins & Jay McTigheCHAPTERS:0:00 Leah Mermelstein returns1:10 Cornelius Minor: being in time, bending curriculum, pro-kid 4:30 The NAEP scores and why they matter here 7:15 What integrated curriculum looks like: the animal unit 11:00 Teaching with fidelity vs. bending curriculum 15:20 Step 1: Forming a curriculum cadre 17:40 Step 2: Starting with the mission statement 19:30 Step 3: Priority goals and enduring understandings 22:00 Step 4: Connecting grammar and vocabulary 23:18 Step 5: Cumulative and spaced-out practice 27:00 Step 6: Planning for purposeful independence 31:00 Reading student writing to guide instruction 33:45 Nell Duke's Active View of Reading and the "We-Do" model 36:30 Reboot, Revamp, Refresh Writing Summit, June 14th 38:00 How to reach Leah Mermelstein 39:00 Dialogue, not debate 40:00 Closing thoughtsSchoolutions is the podcast for educators and school leaders, families and homeschoolers, and the coaches, counselors, and mentors who believe every student deserves to thrive. Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child.🌿Ready to grow alongside your children? Book a coaching session with me here. We'll unlock the expert who is already within you and surround you with a community of educators committed to forever getting better through collective expertise.🎵 Music: Benjamin WahlDon't forget to🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators! #schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #5practicesofexpertteachers #curiositydriven #evidencebasedclassroomreadystrategies #IntegratedCurriculum #EffectiveTeaching #InstructionalCoaching #ProfessionalDevelopment #WholeChildEducation #EquityInEducation #TeacherSupport #SchoolLeadership #StudentEngagement #InclusiveTeaching #LessonPlanning #NewTeachers #MentorTeachers #EducationPodcast #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #RadicallyProKid #LiteracyInstruction #TeacherImpact #schoolculture When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.