lOMoAR cPSD| 67691079
Description of Curriculum:
The curriculum being used for this task is The Utah Journey, published by Gibbs Smith
Education, for Social Studies – Utah Studies, at the 7th grade level. An example of an explicit
objective in this curriculum is to meet “UT Standard 2.1: Students will explain the causes and
lasting effects of the Mormon migration to Utah,” (USBE, 2016, p. 3). There is also the
nonacademic goal of reinforcing ELA needs in informational reading among 7th graders who are
below grade-level reading.
Context: Need or Problem:
A specific need addressed by the curriculum is that of low reading scores in the category
of informational reading and comprehension. “…declines were driven by a growing gap between
high- and low-performing students. About a third of eighth graders nationwide failed to hit the
basic benchmark in reading, which the board said is the largest percentage ever. That means they
likely can’t determine the meanings of words using context or identify basic literary elements,
like main ideas…” (Harris, 2025, para. 11). While this is in the realm of academics, it is not the
express purpose of the social studies curriculum. Social studies as a discipline relies on this
literacy skillset and can also have impact by strengthening it.
Input: Curriculum Component:
The curriculum components that directly address this need are the combined secondary
and supplementary primary sources and the comprehension questions following each section.
The secondary sources fit the state standard mentioned as well as the majority of Utah state
standards as they are currently written and accepted in my state, addressing each standard with
adequate descriptions and definitions to understand concepts across the curriculum for the
, lOMoAR cPSD| 67691079
course. Per the example mentioned above, the curriculum uses one Unit to introduce and explain
the migration of the Mormon Pioneers followed by a Unit discussing the interactions with Native
American cultures and then settlement patterns. The supplementary material helps look at
informational text with accompanying questions to consider the concepts, paradigms, and
influences of the different people who came into Utah. The questions in each unit include basic
reading comprehension but also include questions focused on inferencing and cause and effect
requiring students to combine information from the current unit with knowledge of previous
units. These are fundamental to strengthening informational reading.
Input: Information or Resources:
The teacher resource package, a companion text, and reading skill guides are both useful
resources for using the curriculum to accomplish the needed tasks. They will be evaluated to that
end. The resource package companion text will be evaluated specifically for explicit standards
and correlative materials. Reading skill guides will be evaluated for effective transitions to the
nonacademic skillset for reading informational text. This will primarily focus on the amount of
available material which can be used specifically for informational reading.
Process: Curriculum Implementation:
The curriculum includes a suggested daily pacing guide for consistent progress
throughout a single semester and detailed lesson plans with which to use the curriculum to meet
that pacing guide. Using the pacing guide and lesson plans in their specified order will require
some flexibility regarding the timeframe for below-grade-level readers. To meet this challenge
implementation will require choosing the lessons with the least impact on both explicit and
Description of Curriculum:
The curriculum being used for this task is The Utah Journey, published by Gibbs Smith
Education, for Social Studies – Utah Studies, at the 7th grade level. An example of an explicit
objective in this curriculum is to meet “UT Standard 2.1: Students will explain the causes and
lasting effects of the Mormon migration to Utah,” (USBE, 2016, p. 3). There is also the
nonacademic goal of reinforcing ELA needs in informational reading among 7th graders who are
below grade-level reading.
Context: Need or Problem:
A specific need addressed by the curriculum is that of low reading scores in the category
of informational reading and comprehension. “…declines were driven by a growing gap between
high- and low-performing students. About a third of eighth graders nationwide failed to hit the
basic benchmark in reading, which the board said is the largest percentage ever. That means they
likely can’t determine the meanings of words using context or identify basic literary elements,
like main ideas…” (Harris, 2025, para. 11). While this is in the realm of academics, it is not the
express purpose of the social studies curriculum. Social studies as a discipline relies on this
literacy skillset and can also have impact by strengthening it.
Input: Curriculum Component:
The curriculum components that directly address this need are the combined secondary
and supplementary primary sources and the comprehension questions following each section.
The secondary sources fit the state standard mentioned as well as the majority of Utah state
standards as they are currently written and accepted in my state, addressing each standard with
adequate descriptions and definitions to understand concepts across the curriculum for the
, lOMoAR cPSD| 67691079
course. Per the example mentioned above, the curriculum uses one Unit to introduce and explain
the migration of the Mormon Pioneers followed by a Unit discussing the interactions with Native
American cultures and then settlement patterns. The supplementary material helps look at
informational text with accompanying questions to consider the concepts, paradigms, and
influences of the different people who came into Utah. The questions in each unit include basic
reading comprehension but also include questions focused on inferencing and cause and effect
requiring students to combine information from the current unit with knowledge of previous
units. These are fundamental to strengthening informational reading.
Input: Information or Resources:
The teacher resource package, a companion text, and reading skill guides are both useful
resources for using the curriculum to accomplish the needed tasks. They will be evaluated to that
end. The resource package companion text will be evaluated specifically for explicit standards
and correlative materials. Reading skill guides will be evaluated for effective transitions to the
nonacademic skillset for reading informational text. This will primarily focus on the amount of
available material which can be used specifically for informational reading.
Process: Curriculum Implementation:
The curriculum includes a suggested daily pacing guide for consistent progress
throughout a single semester and detailed lesson plans with which to use the curriculum to meet
that pacing guide. Using the pacing guide and lesson plans in their specified order will require
some flexibility regarding the timeframe for below-grade-level readers. To meet this challenge
implementation will require choosing the lessons with the least impact on both explicit and
