So, Simple Solutions is finally underway in your classroom. You’ve completed your Simple Solutions training webinar, read all the support blogs, and followed the program letter for letter. But, your students are still having difficulty completing their Simple Solutions lessons independently. You are not alone! Because of years of learning loss, lessons may be difficult for students at first which is even more of a reason to implement the Simple Solutions program in your classroom. It’s time to stop learning loss and improve retention!
Troubleshooting Tips for Students Who Experience Learning Loss
Here are some tips on how to help your students adapt to the Simple Solutions program.
Split the Lesson
Summer learning loss takes time to resolve. In the beginning, lessons can be split in half. So, instead of the typical 1–week lesson cycle, students complete the first 4-5 lessons and quiz over two weeks. For example, Lesson 1; Numbers 1-10 would be completed on Monday, and Lesson 1; Numbers 11-20 would be completed on Tuesday. In this way, teachers only have to review 4-5 problems each day without sacrificing the entire class period. Once students become proficient at completing the lessons independently, they can return to the 1-week cycle and complete one lesson each day.
Remember, most lesson review worksheets are not like a Simple Solutions lesson! Typical worksheets contain one or two types of questions. It takes time to get used to each question in the lesson being different.
A & B Quizzes
The two quizzes in the Simple Solutions Math & English series can also be used to help students become more proficient in completing their lessons.
Reviewing questions that will be on the quiz and then administering the “A” quiz which contains questions directly pulled from the lessons will help struggling students see that the weekly work they are doing directly impacts their quiz performance. Once students become familiar with the routine, they can be given the “B” quiz that contains similar answers.
Using the “A” quiz as a review sheet will also help students focus on what to study for each quiz. Students can find problems from the review sheet in previous lessons to see if they understood the skill or whether they need more practice before the quiz.
Simple Solutions Is Reviewing Skills I Have Not Taught!
While completing Simple Solutions lessons, students will occasionally encounter skills that have not been introduced or taught yet. If this happens, here are some helpful strategies:
- Have students skip those problems. Eventually, the skill will be taught, and students can stop skipping those problems.
- “Preview” the problems. If class time permits, solve the problem in front of the class. By demonstrating how to solve the problem, students will be acquiring background knowledge for when the skill is actually taught. By the time the skill is taught, the students will have seen how to solve it several times which will help the teaching of the new skill go more smoothly.
- Conduct a mini-lesson and teach the skill. This option takes the most time, but if you have the time, it is worth it! Students will see the new skill daily, so they will be able to master the skill quickly.
Stick With It!
Your students can do this! By establishing a strong routine, Simple Solutions will take very little time by the end of the year. The daily work, review, and quizzes are all designed to take just minutes a day and prevent learning loss from happening again!
The first year is the most challenging because of the learning loss that naturally occurs (especially after summer vacation), and because it also takes a little time for students to get used to the daily and weekly routine. However, if the entire school (or the prior grade levels) uses Simple Solutions in their classrooms (or students complete Summer Solutions over the break), then you will not experience as many of these challenges next year!
Interested in trying it in your classroom?! Try it for free!
Without a doubt, you should see for yourself how the Simple Solutions Approach increases student understanding, boosts confidence, and leads to better grades and higher test scores. Teachers in grades 2–4 may sign up to use our materials for free. Submit your request and our staff will contact you to verify the grade and subject.
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