waterford teacher guide

TEACHER GUIDE

WATERFORD EARLY LEARNING

Together, let’s inspire a great start.Technology can never replace a teacher. But with so many different learning needs in your classroom, the right tools can help you give each student the personalized attention they require.

That’s where Waterford Early Learning comes in. A screen, headphones, and a few minutes a day are all it takes to give students a personalized path of instruction designed to meet them right where they are.

Just as important, you get data, tools, and supplemental materials to carry your students’ learning through to the classroom.

Waterford Early Learning is just one part of a well-rounded classroom experience—an experience you make extraordinary every day.

Welcome to Waterford Early LearningYour students come to you with unique abilities and individual challenges. Some know a lot, and others have more to learn. Some learn quickly, and others learn slowly. All students need a foundation of specific reading, math, and science skills to be successful lifetime learners.

Learn more about our mission, company history, and approach to learning at www.waterford.org.

What Is Waterford Early Learning?Designed by leading experts in early learning and utilizing the latest proven research in technology-delivered instruction, Waterford Early Learning delivers personalized learning experiences to students in more than 50,000 classrooms around the world.

IntroductionWaterford Early Learning’s adaptive online curriculum provides K–2 students a solid foundation in reading, math, and science.

“[Technology gives] all students, no matter their economic status or location, . . . access to the finest education imaginable.”

–DR. DUSTIN HEUSTON WATERFORD INSTITUTE FOUNDER

I Want to Be a Scientist Like Alexander von Humboldt Waterford Math and Science Level Three

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Like a Personal TutorThe personalized learning sequencing automatically individualizes the path of instruction for each child.

For All Types of LearnersStudents of all learning levels benefit from an individualized learning path, including

• English language learners

• Struggling learners

• Advanced students

Individualized LearningWhen your students are working on Waterford Early Learning, you can be confident they are getting valuable instruction at an appropriate skill level.

“When reading achievement by kindergartners using Waterford Reading was tested, the expected usage was 15 minutes a day, 4 times a week. The results from the highest performing students indicated that the more a student experiences Waterford Reading content, the greater the reading gains.”

–STEPHEN POWERS, PH.D. AND CONNIE PRICE-JOHNSON, M.A. SEE MORE AT WATERFORD.ORG/PROVEN.

With Waterford Early Learning, students spend a few minutes a day, a few times a week, engaged in individualized, interactive learning with state-of-the-art, dynamically sequenced software. Waterford Early Learning works equally well in a computer lab or on back-of-classroom computers because the adaptive sequence and intuitive interaction empower independent learning.

This means

• No software to install

• No updates to manage

• No special hardware to maintain

Just add a bookmark in Google ChromeTM, and you and your students can access everything Waterford Early Learning has to offer with a click.

In the CloudAn internet connection is all you need to access Waterford Early Learning’s entire curriculum. Updates are delivered automatically through the cloud, so you always have the most up-to-date software.

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For step-by-step guides on getting started, go to www.waterford.org/help.

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Each curriculum is divided into five learning strands:

Waterford ReadingThe complete language arts curriculum covers crucial skills for early learners:

• Phonological awareness

• Phonics

• Comprehension and vocabulary

• Language concepts

• Fluency

Waterford Math and ScienceYoung learners receive foundational instruction in five major areas:

• Numbers and operations

• Operations and algebraic thinking

• Measurement and data

• Geometry

• Science concepts

Aligned with the Highest StandardsThe curriculum is based on standards set by the following:

American Association for the Advancement of Science

• National Reading Panel

• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

• National Research Council

See how each set of standards aligns with the curriculum at www.waterford.org/standards.

Comprehensive CurriculumExperienced educators designed Waterford Early Learning’s curriculum based on the highest standards for early reading, math, and science.

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Students become engrossed in award-winning, artistically rich multimedia experiences that include

• Captivating animation

• Beautiful art

• Lively characters

• Memorable stories

• Catchy songs

• Interactive games

• Digital books

Multimodal LearningActivities in Waterford Early Learning encourage students to use visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning modalities in nearly every activity.

For example, Power Word activities illustrate how Waterford Early Learning engages different learning styles for multimodal learning.

Interactive ExperienceNearly 8,000 interactive activities assess students’ knowledge, introduce and review concepts, and allow students to practice and apply what they’ve learned.

• Visual—The activity displays the word on the screen in large letters, using colorful graphics and characters.

• Auditory—The activity reads and spells the word aloud and instructs the students to also say and spell the word aloud. If using a microphone, the activity will also replay what the students say.

• Kinesthetic—The activity includes an interactive game where the students identify the power word.

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Instant Kick OffGet up and running for the day in less than five minutes. Log in, select your class, mark students absent, and click Start.

On Their Own, Right From the StartStudents learn how to use a mouse or trackpad, press the on-screen buttons, and get help if they get stuck. Easy navigation, scaffolded instruction, and multimedia prompts guide learners at every level through each activity.

To start playing, students simply click their picture in the Student App. The software starts right where they left off in the last session.

Monitor Progress at a GlanceEasy-to-read reports give you an instant snapshot of your class or an in-depth look at a student’s progress. Use this data to plan individual, group, and classroom instruction.

Classroom AdvantageDeliver superior lessons every day with Waterford Early Learning’s entire activity library and a Teacher App designed for whole-class or small-group instruction.

Professional DevelopmentInvite Waterford’s world-class educational consultants into your classroom to coach you on getting the most out of Waterford Early Learning.

Dynamic Teacher ToolsTeacher-friendly features support you in the classroom.

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Research BasedFor nearly 40 years, Waterford has been an integral part of the dialogue and research around integrating technology and early learning. Waterford and its partners have invested over $135 million in researching and developing methodologies that reach early learners everywhere.

InnovativeCutting-edge, cloud-based delivery; world class content; and unmatched breadth and depth of curriculum bring students a curriculum as individualized as they are.

NonprofitAs a nonprofit organization, Waterford invests more time and resources into creating quality curriculum and providing excellent services for all children.

ProvenTime and again, studies show that Waterford Early Learning works. Read more at www.waterford.org/proven.

Recognized by• Florida Center for

Reading Research

• Oregon Reading First Center

Why Waterford Early Learning Works Waterford Early Learning is one of the largest and most comprehensive programs ever developed in reading, math, and science for early learners. With a research-based curriculum that dynamically sequences a vast library of award-winning content, Waterford’s proven effectiveness comes from its ability to empower every child’s learning potential.

INTRODUCTION

Inspired by a desire to help as many children as possible, Dr. Dustin “Dusty” Heuston founded Waterford Institute in 1976. Recognized as one of the most innovative minds in the field of early childhood education and technology, Dusty has dedicated his career to bringing personalized education to all students.

Awards

Waterford ReadingStudents begin with the alphabet and learn everything they need to become fluent readers—including phonics, vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension. Traditional songs and stories from around the world, nursery rhythms, biographies, and

hundreds of digital books and songs go beyond learning skills and give students a foundation of literacy that will serve them throughout their lifetimes.

Waterford Math and ScienceWhile students learn basic math and science skills through step-by-step instruction and practice, Waterford Math and Science is not just drills and repetition. Interactive, hands-on activities nurture students’ curiosity as they learn about their world.

The Curriculum

THE CURRICULUM

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Mela’s Water Pot Waterford Math and Science Level One

“Technology-based education is scalable and with the help of the computer can provide interactivity which allows totally individualized instruction for all children at any time or place.”

–DR. DUSTIN HEUSTON WATERFORD INSTITUTE FOUNDER

Take an in-depth look at Waterford Early Learning software. Waterford Early Learning combines research-based curriculum with a powerful sequencer to offer each student an individualized learning path.

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Deep Library of Activities

A rich multimedia environment of award-winning songs, stories, biographies, artwork, and games from around the world provide students with hundreds of hours of instruction using thousands of activities.Our educators use Waterford’s vast activity library to craft engaging lessons. We carefully select activities to help the student master the lessons’ learning objectives. Lessons are divided into strands—instructional categories focused on an area of knowledge. Waterford Early Learning has ten learning strands, all expertly designed to adapt to every student’s needs.

INTRODUCTION

Perfectly Paced LessonsA student who shows early mastery of a skill skips explicit instruction and moves ahead. When students struggle, the sequencer gently guides them to the correct response and sends them on for extra instruction and support.

Power of Personalized LearningThe power of personalized learning is magnified when you see this lesson as part of a complete system.

Thousands of lessons—all carefully designed to deliver a personalized learning path for every student—have the same depth of curriculum as the lessons illustrated here.

MATH LESSON

READING LESSON

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THE CHALLENGE

LETTER SOUNDS WORD PATTERNS SIGHT WORDS

Anna and Adam will read a simple book called Sam. To read Sam, they need some prerequisite skills:

MORE PREREQUISITE SKILLSAdam and Anna repeat the process to learn the fiveother prerequisite skills required to read Sam. All sixlessons include activities to support and challengeeach child according to their needs.ASSESSMENT

An initial assessmenttests if Adam and Annacan read the word my.

INTRODUCTIONAdam is introduced to the word my .

“I”/a/ /s/ /m/

/a/ /s/ /m/

-am

-am

“my” Let’s focus on just one of these skills:recognizing the sight word my.

Anna shows she can read the word my, so she skips explicit instruction and moves immediately ahead.

Adam demonstrated he can’t read the word my. Activities are aligned to his needs.

Now Adam is ready for morechallenging prerequisite skills.

ANNAADAM

IN-DEPTH INSTRUCTIONNext, Adam gets explicit instruction.

PRACTICEFinally, Adam practices reading the word my.

“I”

Personalized Learning

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If Adam continues to struggle on this assessment, he’ll get more support.

With individualized support, Adam soon follows Anna

to new challenges.

If Anna does well on the assessment, she’ll move on to more challenges.

ADAM

CHALLENGE: READ SAMSam applies the skill of readingthe word my plus the other skillsAdam and Anna have learned.

BUILT-IN REPETITION AND REVIEWThe sequence automatically reviews skills later based on each child’s progress, reinforcing students’ knowledge in a variety of ways while spending proportionally more time in areas of weakness.

APPLICATION AND PRACTICEAdditional activities help Adam and Anna practice the skills they learned to read Sam.

ASSESSMENTFinally, Waterford assesses all the skills.

MORE IN-DEPTH INSTRUCTION AND PRACTICE

ANNA

Our educators carefully construct lessons designed to help every student master core skills. Our deep well of activities means students are continually engaged with new interactive experiences, each preparing them with the skills they need to conquer the next challenge. Students get an experience that goes beyond differentiated learning and that is uniquely personalized to their age and learning style.

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Recommended Daily UsageDozens of studies show that with consistent use, Waterford Reading dramatically increases performance for students of all backgrounds.

Kindergarten

• 15 minutes per day, 5 times a week

First and second grade


Five Learning Strands• Phonological awareness

Levels One and Two only

• Phonics

• Comprehension and vocabulary

• Language concepts

• Fluency Levels Two and Three only

Waterford Reading OverviewProven to teach more than just the ABCs, Waterford Reading builds strong, confident readers and writers.

Waterford Reading contains hundreds of hours of instruction in three levels, designed for students in kindergarten through second grade.

Students begin with a placement test that ensures every student starts at exactly the right place.

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Traditional TalesLa Tortuga tells a traditional story from Mexico. Waterford Reading Level Two introduces students to 16 Traditional Tales from all over the world.

Sing Around the WorldStudents sing along with Mountain Rabbit in English and in Korean. Waterford Reading Level One has 26 Sing Around the World songs—one for every letter of the alphabet.

Energize Confident ReadersAs students progress through lessons, they gain the skills to read Readable Books on their own.

Interactive features encourage students to actively engage with the text:

• Clickable audio for each word

• Vocabulary words defined on-click

• Difficult words sounded out phonetically

• Toggable rebus words

• Key-word guides

These tools empower students to read increasingly difficult books on their own. Students can even record Readable Books and play back their own recordings while the pages automatically turn to follow along.

Through the Screen and into the World

Waterford Reading sends students on wide-ranging journeys through different countries, peoples, cultures, and periods of history.

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Recommended Daily UsageDozens of studies show that with consistent use, Waterford Math and Science dramatically increases performance for students of all backgrounds.

Kindergarten


First and second grade


MathStudents begin with a foundation in number sense and then learn more complicated skills like multiplying, dividing, creating fractions, and solving problems. They also learn concepts like telling time, graphing, measuring, and more in four learning strands:

• Numbers and operations

• Geometry

• Operations and algebraic thinking

• Measurement and data analysis

ScienceLessons about earth, life, and physical science take students from the bottom of the ocean to the outer reaches of space, teaching them the fundamental principles of asking questions, finding answers, and interpreting data.

Science lessons cover many areas:

• Life science

• Physical science

• Earth and space science

• Science as inquiry

• Science in personal and social perspectives

Waterford Math and Science OverviewAn emphasis on exploration and the scientific method encourages a student’s natural sense of wonder.

Waterford Math and Science contains hundreds of hours of instruction in three levels, designed for students in kindergarten through second grade.

Students begin with a placement test that ensures every student starts at exactly the right place.

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Virtual ExperimentsObserve a Simple System activities are a student favorite. They get to track and chart a chicken’s development from egg to adult.

Students collaborate with other young scientists to form a hypothesis, apply research, observe data, and track findings in exciting Team Science activities.

In activities like Team Science, students learn to use virtual tools to aid in their experiments:

• Thermometer

• Microscope

• Scale

• Ruler

• Lenses

• Graphs

Game-like LearningGame menus and progress maps in activities like Speed Games and Kingdom of Counting build a student’s math automaticity in a way that feels like play.

Make ConnectionsBooks help students put their math and science skills into context, enabling them to apply their knowledge beyond the classroom. Students step into the shoes of influential mathematicians and scientists to better appreciate what they learn.

• Archimedes

• George Washington Carver

• Sophie Germain

• Jane Goodall

• Orville and Wilbur Wright

Online Doesn’t Mean Hands Off

Waterford Math and Science encourages curiosity and exploration while opening a world of discovery for your students.

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Waterford Training HubLearn anywhere, anytime, and at your own pace with in-depth courses, quick-tip videos, and guided practice.

Virtual SessionsGet live, hands-on training guided by a remote consultant.

On-site SessionsWelcome Waterford Early Learning experts into your classroom for personalized coaching.

Classroom Advantage gives you an extensive repository of thousands of activities that tie directly into the Waterford Early Learning curriculum.

Prepare Lessons EffortlesslyUse Classroom Advantage’s powerful search to pull up and preview animations, songs, books, and interactive games. Search by keyword, Common Core State standard, and more.

Reach all students

Find learning modalities that appeal to

• English language learners

• Response-to-intervention students

• Special education students

Deliver SeamlesslyPlaylistsCreate your own lessons with custom playlists. You can create as many playlists as you like and share them, too.

Teacher AppUse the Teacher App to launch playlists in front of your class or a small group. The Teacher App lets you pause for discussion, restart activities, and skip to different activities as you teach. It’s ideal for interactive whiteboards and projectors.

Expand Your ReachGet the most out of Waterford Early Learning with additional software and services.

Contact Waterford’s professional development experts today!

[email protected]

For more information, go to www.classroomadvantage.org.

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Help SiteLearn how to use features, troubleshoot common problems.

Click Help at manager.waterford.org for• Easy-to-navigate topics

• Step-by-step, illustrated instructions

• Quick reference guides

• Friendly tips about best practices

• Quick-tip videos

• Details on product updates

Live SupportReport problems and get answers right away from our friendly support staff. Visit www.waterford.org, click Contact Us, and then click Customer Support.

Call toll-free 877.499.7997

Hours—Pacific time (PT)• Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–7

p.m.

• Saturday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Help and SupportHelp your students make the most of their experience with Waterford Early Learning.

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