Fishtank Learning

Back in school? Your next unit plan is already written. Fishtank offers free access to thousands of K-12 ELA and Math lesson plans—built around grade-level rigor, complex texts, and tasks that challenge every student. Create a free account and see what's waiting for your classroom.→ https://lnkd.in/gb2z9i5E

Why start the second-grade school year with fairy tales? 🏰 Because knowing these “traditional” stories is about building background knowledge. When students analyze how an author borrows from, transforms, or challenges a familiar plot, they move from simple recall to complex comparative analysis. That’s where true reading rigor lives. In our latest Fishtank Learning blog post, K–5 ELA Curriculum Writer Marnita Coenraad and Senior Curriculum Director Maggie Roth share a behind-the-scenes look at designing our newest Grade 2 Unit 1 option. They dive into: 🏰 Why fairy tales are essential for K–12 reading comprehension. 🏰 How we pair core texts with authentic cultural variants and fractured retellings. 🏰 The behind-the-scenes realities of text selection (including why Rumpelstiltskin ultimately didn't make the final cut!). Read the full tale behind the unit design on the blog → https://lnkd.in/ghq8HKYY

Every reader deserves direct access to complex, knowledge-building literature. Through Fishtank Student (Grades 3–12 ELA), students with dyslexia and processing differences have built-in, discreet accommodations right inside their daily reading to foster independent comprehension and critical thinking: Text-to-Speech: Bridges decoding gaps while preserving high-level vocabulary and complex story arcs. Highlighting & Scratchpads: Supports working memory, active annotation, and organization during close reads. Strikethrough Tools: Helps students isolate text syntax and eliminate visual clutter when answering analytical text-dependent questions. This Dyslexia Awareness Month, explore how the Fishtank Student’s digital tools support just-in-time scaffolding across our 3–12 ELA curriculum → https://buff.ly/DEqadLU

When students struggle with complex reading, the default instinct for many educators is to simplify: shorten the passage, lower the Lexile, or strip the text down to its basic parts. Teachers do this with the best of intentions, wanting to make challenging material accessible. But pre-emptive simplification often creates a different barrier altogether. When we strip away a text's complexity to “make it easier," the story loses its spark. We take out all the good stuff—the rich motives, the world-building, the thematic depth—and the text becomes boring. When a text is boring, students disengage. And a text a student refuses to engage with isn't accessible at all. Protecting student engagement requires a shift in how we support readers: moving away from pre-emptive simplification and toward just-in-time support. By keeping texts at grade level and providing targeted vocabulary, sentence unpacking, and close-reading routines precisely when students stumble, we preserve the very elements that make the text interesting. Read Pillar 2 of our new guide to see how just-in-time supports build true comprehension and a love of reading→ https://buff.ly/AP1HRdm

If PLC meetings are spent finding, creating, or formatting worksheets for tomorrow's lesson, your teachers aren’t getting genuine collaborative time. When every teacher in a grade level works from a shared, high-quality foundation, PLC time shifts from logistical prep to deep instructional planning: ❌ Before: "Where are we finding materials for next week?" ✅ After: “This part of the text is really complex; what scaffolds will you use to support XYZ students?" HQIM removes the sourcing guesswork so teachers can focus on more important things, like honing their craft, analyzing student work, and delivering targeted instruction. See how HQIM shifts PLC focus in our latest post→ https://lnkd.in/em3Vjqwc

The best way to know if a curriculum works for your district? Let teachers and students try it out. Fishtank's pilot program gives your team a chance to experience the curriculum firsthand—before committing to full implementation. Participants get access to our digital platform, a dedicated Partnership Manager, and the tools your team needs to evaluate whether Fishtank is the right fit for your school or district. No pressure. Just real experience with real materials. Talk to us today to get your pilot started → https://buff.ly/CC0FOF4