Unit plans were developed over the course of the cohort year by teacher leaders. Teacher leaders spent a semester creating a draft of the unit plan and then used reviews from other educators and student work to make revisions after teaching the unit. The template and requirements changed over the years, so unit plans may look different, depending on which year it was created.

Unit plans are organized by grade level. Units are named with the grade level, subject area, and title of the unit.

As educators, we know it's important to use texts of appropriate complexity in classrooms. There are three areas which help determine the complexity of a text: qualitative measures, quantitative measures, and reader & task considerations. While educators should carefully determine which texts will be the best fit for their students, these examples could spark ideas for a variety of texts to be used at each grade level.

Text Complexity Analyses are organized by grade level and title.

Performance tasks reflect the belief that students learn best by doing. Active and authentic, they honor the integrated nature and higher cognitive level of the standards by asking students to confront and analyze multiple sources, create an original critical lens through which to view the subject, and design and create a culminating product, whether a presentation, composition or audio/visual production.

More than simply a part of the summative assessment, these performance tasks and their related rubrics marry instruction and assessment, creating a common language of expectation between student and teacher with an emphasis on formative uses.

Performance Tasks are organized by grade level and title.

A Document Based Inquiry (DBI) requires students to apply literacy skills to activate schema and build knowledge on a topic. Furthermore, DBIs adapt easily to content in many disciplines, ensuring that all students read, think, and contribute to discussions and solutions to problems. DBIs use a multi-phase approach, revealing new information in small mystery-like puzzle pieces, through the integration of a variety of text types (visuals, videos, informational texts, primary source documents, etc.), which builds curiosity and engages students. A DBI process supports the principles of scaffolding, moving students from simple to more complex texts. As students move through these phases, they gain new knowledge (puzzle pieces) and assemble a grander picture; all of the phases work together to tell the whole story. Ideally, each phase will answer questions from previous phases as well as lead students to a deeper understanding of the topic. Finally, students will synthesize the knowledge they have learned through each of the phases and demonstrate their understanding through written or oral language.

Students might be working on the following standards during a typical DBI:

• Students will read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences.

• Students will determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development. Students will summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

• Students will also participate effectively in collaborative discussion by building on others' ideas while integrating and evaluating information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

• Students will cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

DBIs are organized by grade level and title.

Returning Teacher Leaders in the Idaho Coaching Network participated in year-long inquiry projects in which they selected a problem of practice to investigate. In many ways, the SIP is similar to an action research project with the goal being that teachers research a topic they feel might better inform their instructional practices or role as a teacher leader.