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Deeper Learning is the ability to understand and address the complex elements of a subject or topic and to draw connections within and across contexts—whether that means the same class, another discipline, students' community, or the broader world.
The following videos aim to showcase the effective use of high-quality instructional materials and culturally and linguistically sustaining practices aligned with DESE's Educational Vision . Each video highlights targeted and foundational elements of instruction and pedagogy as outlined in the Deeper Learning Guidance Tool . While the components of Deeper Learning are interconnected, not every video is expected to cover all aspects of deeper learning. Instead, these examples focus on strong daily instructional practices and strategies that foster the learning conditions necessary for deeper learning.
Literacy: Pre-K — Animal AdaptationsWatch as this class uses pre-taught vocabulary and previous learning about animals to discuss how different species take care of their babies.
Literacy/SLA: K–2 — Literacy CentersWatch as students in a bilingual classroom engage in literacy centers to expand their knowledge and share their thinking about grade appropriate topics.
Literacy/ELA: Grade 1 — Procedural WritingWatch as students write procedures to plan a birthday party.
ELA: Grade 3 — Collaborative Discussions (Fables)Watch as students engage in student-led book groups in a dual language classroom.
ELA: Grade 3 — Themes in FolktalesWatch as multilingual students use key vocabulary and their knowledge of folktales to determine the central lesson in the folktale, Why the Sky Is Far Away.
ESL: Grade 3 — Evaluative LanguageWatch as multilingual students (levels 2–4) engage in multiple forms of discourse to determine how an author uses evaluative language to communicate positively or negatively.
ELA: Grade 5 — Themes in PoetryWatch as students discuss a poem about culture and ways to adapt to new experiences.
ELA: Grade 5 — Relationships in Informational TextsWatch as students analyze an informational text about the impact of plastic on the Environment.
ESL/SLIFE: Grade 6 — Climate ChangeWatch as multilingual students use sequence signal words to explain new rules they made to a game.
Math: Grade 1 — Solving Story ProblemsWatch as students identify and use different strategies to solve equations. Through multiple opportunities for discourse, students explain their thinking and choice of strategy to their peers.
Math: Grade 5 — Rounding DecimalsWatch as students create a budget for dinner with a friend at a local restaurant.
Math: Grade 6 — Area CompositesWatch as students use their knowledge on solving expressions and geometric shapes to design a golf course.
Math: Grade 6 — Solving Rate and Ratio ProblemsWatch as students use their knowledge on rates and ratios to determine which store has the better deal on household products during Black Friday shopping.
Math: Grade 7 — Equivalent ExpressionsWatch as students work collaboratively to write equivalent expressions with fewer terms by expanding and adding terms in a co-taught classroom.
History: Grades 10–12 — Resolving Issues in the CommunityWatch as students plan for outreach out to local elected officials as they combat the drinking water crisis at their school.
Science: Grade 6 — Chemical ReactionsWatch as student chemists work in groups and whole class to explain how atoms rearrange in chemical reactions.
Science: Grade 7 — Floods and Droughts (Part 1)Watch as students build background knowledge about the "new normal" of increased floods and droughts across the United States.
Science: Grade 7 — Floods and Droughts (Part 2)Watch as students use their background knowledge of floods and droughts to build an individual model and collaborate on a classroom model through a Scientist Circle to explain the causes of floods and droughts.
Science: High School — Energy, Forces, and Earth's CrustWatch as students work in stations to learn about energy transfers and create models to demonstrate the relationship of p and s waves on matter.
Last Updated: August 27, 2025
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