Back to School!

Welcome back, Superkids teachers! We hope you had a restful and rejuvenating summer. As you prepare for another SUPER year with a new group of students, we’re excited to support you every step of the way.

In this issue of The Superkids Bulletin, you’ll find classroom tips, planning ideas, and helpful resources designed to help you start the 2025–26 school year strong. Whether you’re returning to the program or just getting started, we’re here to help make this your best year yet with Superkids!

Advice for New Superkids Teachers

Over the years, Superkids teachers and coaches have shared helpful tips for getting started with the program. If you’re preparing to teach Superkids for the first time, here are five top suggestions to help you begin the year with confidence.

1. Read the Implementation Materials Thoroughly
Review the implementation training materials and the Program Guide before planning instruction. Refer to these resources throughout the year whenever questions arise.

2. Familiarize Yourself With Early Units
Spend time reading through the first few units of instruction to understand the flow and structure of the lessons. This preview will help you feel more comfortable and prepared as you begin teaching.

3. Get to Know the Superkids Characters
The Superkids are the heart of the program. Reading their stories is a great way to connect with them and understand their role in instruction. If you’re using the © 2017 edition, refer to the Meet the Superkids booklet to get acquainted with your students’ new friends. If you’re teaching with the new © 2026 edition, explore this interactive scrapbook to meet the characters.

4. Use the Early Units to Assess Students
The initial units are intentionally paced more slowly. Use this time to observe your students and assess their strengths and needs as they adjust to the routines of the program.

5. Explore MyZBPortal.com
Log in to MyZBPortal.com to explore a wide range of teaching resources. Unsure where to begin? Visit the Zaner-Bloser Technical Support page for tutorials, quick start guides, rostering information, and answers to frequently asked questions. Be sure to keep reading to learn about some updates to the portal, too!

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Advice for New Superkids Teachers

Over the years, Superkids teachers and coaches have shared helpful tips for getting started with the program. If you’re preparing to teach Superkids for the first time, here are five top suggestions to help you begin the year with confidence.

1. Storing Unit Materials
Store all resources for each instructional unit in a clearly labeled bin or box. On the exterior, include a label indicating:

This simplifies preparation and ensures that all necessary materials are immediately accessible.

Use our fillable PDF to create labels when storing unit materials. You will find two label sizes. One is ideal for a flat craft box, and the other would work well if you use larger boxes or baggies for unit material storage.

2. Activity Organization
Laminate and store differentiated instruction games and independent activity sets in photo-storage boxes. Label each game piece with its corresponding unit number. This system ensures both classroom and support staff can quickly locate the correct materials. In addition, when a misplaced game piece is discovered in the classroom, students can quickly return the piece to the correct box.

3. Ten‑Minute Tuck‑In Tip
Place “Ten‑Minute Tuck‑In” activities—bagged materials and printed instructions—in unit-labeled file folders, stored in a readily accessible bin. When support staff or volunteers arrive, direct them to the appropriate box and folder. They can immediately access the materials needed to support individual students or groups.

Superkids © 2026 teachers will find similar small-group activity options in the Differentiating Instruction section of the Teacher’s Guide.

Designing Independent Work Time That Works!

Whether you are new to Superkids, or rethinking how to improve management strategies, it can be beneficial to envision how you want independent work time to look in your classroom and consider what procedures will need to be in place to make that happen. Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you plan for effective and meaningful independent work time while you work with small groups.

1. Where will students work?
Will they stay seated at desks or rotate through stations? Decide and teach this routine.

2. What mode should they use—solo, partner, or group?
Label each station clearly to show how tasks should be done. Use our printable station labels to help children know if an independent work time task is to be completed on their own, with a partner, or with a group of classroom friends.

3. How will instructions be communicated?
Post daily tasks on the board, in pocket charts, on rotation wheels, or on a checklist—whatever your class can refer to and follow easily.

4. Where are supplies located?
Keep all needed materials (papers, pencils, art tools) at each station to avoid disruptions.

5. What if they need help?
Use a visual cue (like a sign, hat, or light) to show you’re occupied. Train students on the “Ask Three, Then Me” method before approaching you with questions while you work with small groups.

6. What about other procedures?
Clarify routines for bathroom breaks, turning in work, handling early finishers, and tidying up.

By establishing and practicing these routines at the start of the year, you’ll create a smooth and supportive independent work environment

What’s New on the Portal?

You may have noticed some exciting updates to MyZBPortal.com when you first logged in this school year. These enhancements are the result of valuable feedback from teachers like you. In addition to visual improvements that make using all areas of the portal more intuitive, we’ve added several frequently requested features and redesigned others. Here are just a few highlights:

Student Groups
Teachers can now assign students to custom groups within their class. This allows for more targeted instruction and easier tracking of progress through group-specific reports. Learn how to set up groups on page 30 of the MyZBPortal.com Superkids Teacher Quick Start Guide.

Quests by Group or Student
You now have the flexibility to view and assign quests by individual student or by group. This new feature makes it easier to manage and differentiate for all students in various groups.

Updated Progress Reports
The previous Quests and Progress Report pages have been reimagined as one page with a more streamlined interface in mind—plus access to more reports. On the Progress Reports page, you can now view score benchmarks and add scores for manually administered tests across these three reports: Class Over Time (see below), Individual Student Over Time, and Class Spread.

Class Over Time Report
This new report lets you view class performance trends over time. For all assessments, you’ll see how many students scored below, on, or above benchmark.

Note: Features and functionality for the © 2026 edition differ for the 2025–2026 school year. The full slate of features and student experience will be available next school year.