Guide to Using the Scaffolded Plan Book
Welcome to the PreK Year 1 Core Scaffolded Plan Book! The plan book is organized into a 40-week
school year and offers weekly guidance for implementing activities across all time blocks in your day.
In Tools of the Mind, we often use the term “scaffolding.” Scaffolding refers to a method of supporting
learning and development where we aim to meet each child in their Zone of Proximal Development, the
area between what the child can do independently and what they can do with maximum support. Over
time, scaffolding is gradually withdrawn (“descaffolded”) to allow children to perform tasks
independently. We’ve applied the concept of scaffolding and descaffolding to this Plan Book. For the first
11 weeks of the school year, all areas of the Plan Book are filled in for you with suggestions for activity
roll-out, reminders about activity flow, and external mediation. During these weeks, as you use this Plan
Book to lead the children in your classroom, you will internalize activity steps and routines across the
Tools school day.
After week 11, the Plan Book begins to be descaffolded. You’ll see more open space in which to do your
own planning and reflection. However, the Plan Book continues to offer guidance in many areas. Each
time a new activity is introduced, or when it might be appropriate to adjust the challenge level for an
existing activity, that is noted. In the Make-Believe Play block, we guide your implementation of each new
play theme and offer tips on supporting children’s ongoing development.
Please always keep in mind that decisions about pacing and adjusting the challenge level are yours to
make. Tools activities are intentionally designed to include developmental breadth. You will consider the
developmental trajectories of your children and, with guidance from your Tools partners, make decisions
about when to implement new activities and increase the challenge.
Here are the areas for which full guidance continues throughout the year:
Mystery Game:
Mystery Games for every day of the year are suggested.
Share the News:
Daily inspiration for topics which grow increasingly complex as the year goes on.
Message of the Day:
Messages systematically introduce sound-to-symbol correspondences across the school year for
consonants and vowels, spiraling to review content as the year progresses. Suggested
instructional focuses for literacy include the purpose of writing, voice-to-line match, use of end
punctuation, etc., with encouragement to always connect your focus to children’s development.
Graphics Practice:
A systematic introduction to the marks and shapes children will need for drawing and for writing
letters and numbers. For classrooms in which children are ready to learn letters and numbers, a
suggested roll-out is offered starting in Week 31.
Story Lab:
Story Lab is recommended to take place in two small groups (A&B). If Group
A reads a book one day, Group B will read that book the following day. After the first 11 weeks
when book titles are suggested for each day, specific books are no longer listed but suggested
Story Lab strategies remain. Use the Tools Recommended Book List for ideas, and draw from
your own collection of children’s literature.
Math & Science:
Activities are organized each day into two small groups (A&B). If Group A does an activity one
day, Group B does that activity the following day. Math and Science activities are rolled out
sequentially to support growing skills. Suggestions for adjusting the challenge are offered.
We are here to support you as you embark on your journey with Tools of the Mind. Here’s to a year of
learning and growing!
