Eureka Math: A Year at a Glance

​At first, you may feel overwhelmed looking at all the Eureka Math program as to offer at once.  It may seem that you will never get it all in and that you can’t possibly have the time to plan for all of these units and lessons. 

Creating a year at a glance will give you the structure you need to know how to pace your units and lessons to fit your specific needs of the year.  This is a great topic to work on during a grade level meeting or planning time at the beginning of the school year. 

​As a team, you can set goals to be met by certain mile stones in the year.  This will also keep the curriculum tight between each grade level. 

What Resources Assist with Creating A Year at a Glance?
 
Using the resource, A Story of Units Curriculum Overview, you can plot ahead how the pacing of the year will go.  This is a great idea to do if you and your grade level team have some planning days to prepare for the new school year.  Some factors to consider while planning would be, your school calendar, your state testing schedule, and looking on to most important skills needed for the students’ next grade level.
 

Plan around Your School Calendar
 
When you work around your school calendar, you want to think of vacations and days off.  Think of ways you can complete a module before a break and start a new one when you return.  This will help you and your students remain focused on the current material and not spend too much time re-teaching what concepts you were working on before the school break.
 
Testing Schedules
 
Use your state’s testing schedule as a guide as well.  Some states cover certain specific topics.  It is good to plan your curriculum to make sure you are teaching in a way that will expose your students to all of the concepts they will need to be successful on their testing.  This is to help your timing be as efficient as possible.  Your school may also want you to build in some review time before the testing as well, therefore you can leave some time for that in your year-long planning.
 
Team Up
 
After your team as a grade level has created a year at a glance plan, team up again with the next grade level team.  Compare your schedules and be sure there will be no gaps in learning according to your plans.  It is a good idea to meet with the grade level below you also.  This will ensure planning is tight in both directions.  They can see what they need to prepare the students for the previous year.  Every year will be different with different groups of students, therefor this is not a one size fits all plan.  It is important that these plans are fluid and continuously modified based on the student and school needs.       

What Does the Curriculum Overview Provide?
 
A Story of Units Curriculum Overview provides great structure for long-term planning. 
 
Throughout this resource you will find:

• Module and Approximate Number of Instructional Days
• Common Core Standards that are Taught in Each Module
• Curriculum Alignment with Standards

 
Alongside the big picture information, you will also find foot notes that are hard to notice but EXTREMLY useful!
 
If you look at the bottom of the pages in small print, you will find the specific information of when this concept is first addressed and how much of it is balanced in the current unit.  It will also mention if from this point forward it will only be addressed in fluency practice as part of the students’ on-going experience.
 
This information can also help you to differentiate for your students knowing when they will be exposed again to these concepts.
 
Year at a glance planning is very beneficial for teachers and schools.  This is a great resource to help you and your team get started and remain on track. When there is movement in the staff, it will also help new teachers feel confident in being aligned with the rest of the team. These plans will keep your curriculum and students’ learning tightly knit for optimal student success!