Teaching in Shorter Timeframes

If you’ve ever had your carefully crafted lesson plan disrupted by a fire drill, an assembly, or even just the need to pause and check in with students, you’re not alone. Teaching is as much about flexibility as it is about planning. And sometimes, you need to make a lesson fit into 30 minutes—even when it was designed for 45 or more. That’s where Kiddom’s Lesson Clipper comes in.

Built with teacher realities in mind, this tool helps you shorten HQIM lesson plans without losing sight of the learning goals. But before diving in, it’s important to understand when and how to use this tool—and just as importantly, when not to.

Why HQIM Lessons Are Designed the Way They Are

At Kiddom, we believe that the full HQIM lesson experience is the gold standard. These lessons are intentionally designed to foster discourse, build conceptual understanding, and develop fluency over time. They aren’t just about content—they’re about community building, rich conversations, and the joy of discovery.

Abbreviating these experiences just to “get through more” misses the point. Students need time to grapple with ideas, share strategies, and build confidence in their reasoning. Rushing through this process reduces meaningful learning and can even lead to gaps in understanding that are hard to patch later on.

When a Shortened Lesson Does Make Sense

While trimming a lesson shouldn’t be routine, there are moments when shortening is not only useful—it’s necessary.

Here are a few examples:

• Unexpected Schedule Changes: Assemblies, fire drills, or special events can squeeze your instructional minutes.
• Review Days: You might want to reserve time to revisit a previous concept or preview tomorrow’s assessment.
• Reteaching Moments: When students need another look at a topic, a compressed version of the original lesson can make space for targeted instruction.
• Summer or After-School Programs: These learning spaces often operate on different timelines and need flexible pacing.
• Substitute Plans: When you're out, the Lesson Clipper is a great tool for creating a streamlined version of your lesson that a substitute can confidently teach. Substitutes may not be familiar with your classroom routines or the pacing and structure of IM, so using the Lesson Clipper ensures they focus on the most essential content. Be sure to include clear instructions and expectations to maintain the purpose and integrity of the lesson.

How the Lesson Clipper Works

The Lesson Clipper uses AI to compress HQIM lessons into approximately 30-minute versions, while keeping the core learning goals in focus. Once clipped, teachers can:

• Review the changes made by the AI
• Edit and personalize the shortened lesson using Kiddom’s built-in tools
• Decide whether to use the clipped version or return to the original
• Important Note: The Lesson Clipper modifies only the lesson plan content within Kiddom. It does not (yet) update the slide presentations associated with the lesson; this functionality is in development.

This thoughtful workflow ensures that you stay in control of instruction—and that students still get a lesson grounded in rigor and purpose.