Addressing Unfinished Instruction in Mathematics

“Much unfinished learning from earlier grades can be managed best inside grade-level work when the progressions are used to understand student thinking.”

– Daro, McCallum, & Zimba, 2012, The Structure is the Standards

Addressing unfinished instruction inside grade-level work involves providing just-in-time support to students. These supports allow access to grade-level content by strategically inserting necessary prerequisite standards (coherent content) connected to grade-level standards (context). This instructional strategy, which UnboundEd calls Coherent Content in Context, creates on-ramps to grade-level learning. To address unfinished instruction, follow our four-step process during instructional planning.

Step 1: Do the Work

Where do I start?

1. Summarize the grade-level expectation by analyzing the standard(s), learning target(s), and any formative assessments included within the lesson. 
2. Do the work of the lesson by completing all associated tasks, activities, and exercises. 
3. Annotate how each activity in the lesson supports what students need to know and do by the end of the lesson.

Questions to consider: 

• What aspect of rigor is indicated by the language of the standard?
• What do students need to know by the end of the lesson?
• How do the activities in the lesson support what students need to know and do by the end of the lesson?

Step 2: Prioritize Prerequisites

How do I prioritize prerequisite standards? 

1. Identify prerequisite standards that are essential to accessing the grade-level standard(s) within the lesson. 
2. Select one or two prerequisite standards that will likely be the most useful on-ramps to grade-level learning in this lesson.
3. Note the prioritized prerequisite standards connection to the grade-level learning in the lesson.

Questions to consider:

• What is the critical connection between the selected prerequisite standards and the grade-level learning in the lesson?

Step 3: Assess

How do I formatively assess for unfinished instruction? 

1. Identify tasks outside the lesson that align with the prioritized prerequisites.
2. Select a task that best reveals what students know about the prerequisite skills and knowledge.
3. Determine when students will complete this assessment task in the learning process before the lesson delivery day so there is time to consider and complete assessment-informed supports (step 4).
4. Use the task to determine if students need instruction in the identified prerequisites.

Questions to consider:

• Is the task you selected strategic and efficient?
• How will students work on this task to reveal what they know and can do?
• When should students complete this task so that there is ample time to analyze the work and design curricular supports?

Step 4: Support Students

How do I make informed decisions about the support my students need to access the grade-level content?

1. Select an additional task or activity that targets the assessed prerequisite skill(s) and knowledge.
2. Determine where to integrate the support task:
   • Unit level if most students need support with the prerequisite skill or if the depth of the missing prerequisite requires an entire lesson.
   • Lesson level if a smaller group of students needs support or if the skill can be addressed quickly (e.g., with a mini-lesson or warm-up).
   • Task level if the prerequisite skill can be a step inserted into the grade-level task.

Questions to consider:

• How will you integrate the support in a task or a lesson?
• What aspect of rigor does this curricular support attend to, and does this match the aspect of rigor of the grade-level and prerequisite standards?

Download the Tool