InnerOrbit’s Targeted Intervention is a set of scaffolded, teacher-guided activities that help teachers respond to assessment data with a whole-class or small-group instructional response targeting a specific dimension-level gap.
InnerOrbit’s Targeted Intervention helps answer “what now?” after assessment data reveals a learning gap.
These collaborative activities connect Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) or Crosscutting Concepts (CCC) with content knowledge to address learning gaps in 4 simple steps:
💡 Learn how InnerOrbit’s Targeted Intervention helps educators:
Skip ahead to FAQs 🤓
1. Respond to Assessment Data & Set Focus
Use Targeted Intervention with your whole class (Tier 1) when most students need the same support, or with a small group (Tier 2) when only some students need targeted reteaching
If you see a pink intervention pop-up on your Assignment Reports, InnerOrbit has identified questions where students may benefit from additional support.
🧑🏫 Whole Group (Tier 1)
Less than 50% question accuracy
When most students (more than 50%) miss a 2D question, you'll see "View Recommended Activity" in a pink pop-up:
➡️ What to do:
Click "View Recommended Activity" to see the intervention activity for the standard of the 2D question.
Review the activity details, then save and assign the intervention activity to your students.
👥 Small Group (Tier 2)
50–69% question accuracy
When fewer than half of the students missed a 2D question, you'll see "Find out Which Students" on the pink pop-up:
➡️ What to do:
Click "Find out which students" to jump to the question matrix.
Look for the brain icon on specific questions.
Students with incorrect answers to those questions (red squares) may benefit from an intervention activity:
Click "View recommended activity."
Review the activity details, then save and assign it to your students.
2. Select a Pathway and Assign
Each targeted intervention PE includes four activity pathways, each with a different instructional focus and level of teacher facilitation. (See the list of available PEs here.)
Click "Choose Your Activity Pathway"
Hover over your preferred pathway, then click “Create Activity”.
*InnerOrbit Intervention: Whole-class (Tier 1) instruction when you want a clear, teacher-led flow.
*Cosmic Conversation: Tier 1 or Tier 2 when your goal is student discourse and collaborative reasoning.
Rocket Refuel: Tier 1 or Tier 2 when students need more independent work time with targeted teacher support.
Quick Reteach: Tier 1 or Tier 2 when you need a fast reset on a key idea (about 10–15 minutes)
Your pick: If you would like to build your own pathway
*Student note catcher is only available for InnerOrbit Intervention, Cosmic Conversation pathway & Your Pick.
When exploring an Intervention Activity, you’ll see:
Teacher Facilitation Guide (PDF): A facilitation guide with NGSS standards, rationale, and a time breakdown to help you plan. Some guides also include a Short Pathway for limited class time.
Student Note Catcher (PDF): An optional note-taking template for students to record their thinking during class. *Select Full Intervention, Cosmic Conversation pathways, or Your Pick to access the note catcher
Feedback: Provide quick feedback on the intervention activity to help us improve.
Phenomenon & Activity Questions: The complete intervention activity, including the phenomenon and guided questions:
Check the circles to assign to your classes.
You can also:
Set a due date
Lock or unlock the activity for different classes or individual students.
Rename the activity
3. Facilitate Activity
💻 Student Access
Direct students to log in to their InnerOrbit account or click on the assignment link you shared with them.
Students follow along on their devices and answer questions throughout the activity.
NEW: Multiple prompts are now grouped together
Optional: Students may use the printable note catcher to record their thinking before answering on their devices.
🎥 RECOMMENDED: Project Activity
Click "Present Activity to Students" to facilitate the activity with your students.
This is also how the activity will appear on student devices.
Note: Responses from the teacher preview are not saved upon exiting.
👀 Review Students' Work
You can view students' responses to the activity in your Assignment Report:
4. Reassess For Growth
📈 The purpose of intervention is for students to grow on targeted skills! Our team connected a ready-to-use post-assessment to every intervention activity so you can check for understanding and measure student growth.
➡️ What to do:
Go to your Assignment Report > click on activity.
In the pink pop up, click the “Create a Post-Assessment” button.
The post-assessment for the targeted PE will appear.
Click "Use All Questions".
Name, Save, and Assign Assessment:
Our content team is currently developing a “scaffolded extension” post-assessment with the same stimulus. Launching Sept 15.
FAQs
What are Targeted Intervention?
What are Targeted Intervention?
InnerOrbit’s Targeted Intervention is a set of scaffolded, teacher-guided activities that help teachers respond to assessment data with a whole-class or small-group instructional response targeting a specific dimension-level gap.
These collaborative activities help students connect a Science and Engineering Practice (SEP) or Crosscutting Concept (CCC) with content knowledge (DCI) to solve real scientific problems.
They're perfect for responding to student data.
What are the differences between the 4 pathways?
What are the differences between the 4 pathways?
*InnerOrbit Intervention: Whole-class (Tier 1) instruction when you want a clear, teacher-led flow.
Teacher role: High—direct facilitation and guided sensemaking.
Student experience: Structured collaboration with frequent teacher check-ins.
5E framework
*Cosmic Conversation: Tier 1 or Tier 2 when your goal is student discourse and collaborative reasoning.
Teacher role: Moderate—set norms, prompt, and circulate to support discussion.
Student experience: Partner/group talk moves the thinking forward; students build on each other’s ideas.
5E framework: “Activate & Review” removed
Rocket Refuel: Tier 1 or Tier 2 when students need more independent work time with targeted teacher support.
Teacher role: Moderate—monitor, pull a small group as needed, and use targeted questions to diagnose misconceptions.
Student experience: Students work more independently and receive support as needed.
Minor 5E framework shift: Engage - Do Now removed
Quick Reteach: Tier 1 or Tier 2 when you need a fast reset on a key idea (about 10–15 minutes)
Teacher role: High but brief—direct instruction and quick checks for understanding.
Student experience: Short, focused practice to close an immediate gap.
Shift from 5E framework: Only contain “Activate & Review” and “Explain”
*Student note catcher is only available for Full Intervention, Cosmic Conversation Pathways.
Which PEs does the targeted intervention have?
Which PEs does the targeted intervention have?
We've created intervention activities for the most-searched PEs this time of year.
Additional PEs will be added on Aug 26th & Sept 15th.
Middle School | Life | High School | Life |
Structure and Function | DNA Coding for Traits | ||
Growth and Development of Organisms | Genetic Variations | ||
Factors Affecting Plant Growth | Ancestry and Evolution | ||
Ecosystem Resource Availability |
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Mutation and Variation |
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Reproduction: Sexual vs Asexual |
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Common Ancestry and Diversity |
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Evidence of Evolution |
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Middle School | Physical | High School | Earth and Space |
Newton's Third Law | Geologic Processes | ||
Newton's First Law | Water and Earth's Surface | ||
Electrics and Magnetic Forces |
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Middle School | Earth and Space | High School | Physical |
Earth's Materials and Systems | Temperature and Chemical Reactions | ||
Plate Tectonics | Conservation of Mass | ||
Weather Patterns | Newton's 2nd Law |
➡️ What to do:
Click the link above or use the search bar to find the intervention activity for the specific PE.
Scroll to find the pink “Intervention Activities” section.
Click on the SEP or CCC Intervention Activity.
Which additional PEs will be added?
Which additional PEs will be added?
Yes—we’re rolling out more PEs at the end of August and in mid-September. Reach out to our team if you’d like a more specific date. If the PE you’re looking for isn’t on the list, please reach out to us.
| PEs | Rollout Time |
| Elementary |
|
Structure and Properties of Matter | 5-PS1-1 | Mid-Sept |
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems | 5-LS2-1 | Mid-Sept |
The Universe and Its Stars | 5-ESS1-1 | Mid-Sept |
| Middle School |
|
Natural Selection | MS-LS4-4 | End-of-Aug |
Structure and Properties of Matter | MS-PS1-1 | End-of-Aug |
Wave Properties | MS-PS4-1 | End-of-Aug |
Wave Properties + Electromagnetic Radiation | MS-PS4-2 | Mid-Sept |
The Universe and Its Stars + Earth and the Solar System | MS-ESS1-1 | Mid-Sept |
| High School |
|
Structure and Function | HS-LS1-1 | Mid-Sept |
Structure and Function | HS-LS1-2 | Mid-Sept |
Structure and Function | HS-LS1-3 | Mid-Sept |
Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms | HS-LS1-6 | Mid-Sept |
Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms | HS-LS1-7 | Mid-Sept |
The Universe and Its Stars + Electromagnetic Radiation (secondary) | HS-ESS1-1 | Mid-Sept |
Structure and Properties of Matter | HS-PS1-1 | Mid-Sept |
Why use them?
Why use them?
These activities bridge the gap between basic content recall and true three-dimensional thinking.
Whether you're working with your entire class (Tier 1) or supporting specific students who need extra help (Tier 2), these evidence-based MTSS strategies provide meaningful remediation without impacting assessment data.
How long do these activities take?
How long do these activities take?
It depends on the pathway you select. Every Intervention Activity includes a teacher guide with a detailed time breakdown to help you plan and structure your class session. Most pathways fit into one class period, but you can also break the activity up across multiple class periods.
What does the assignment report recommendation mean?
What does the assignment report recommendation mean?
When 2D or 3D questions have lower than 50% accuracy, we recommend an intervention activity focused on either SEP or CCC.
If 50% or more of students missed these questions (less than 50% accuracy), we recommend the activity for the whole group (Tier 1).
If fewer than 50% of students missed them (50–69% accuracy), we recommend the activity for a small group (Tier 2).
Who are these activities for?
Who are these activities for?
These activities are designed for whole-class (Tier 1) intervention based on class-level data trends in InnerOrbit, though they can be adapted for small-group (Tier 2) use.
Currently available for Middle and High School.
Do Intervention Activities affect student scores?
Do Intervention Activities affect student scores?
No. Intervention Activities are formative learning experiences and do not affect grades.
Teachers can view student responses in assignment reports, but the data will not appear in the gradebook, dimension reports, or PE reports.
Can I print Intervention Activities?
Can I print Intervention Activities?
The Intervention Activity phenomenon cannot be printed directly. However, there are two printable options available:
Student Note Catcher (PDF) — An optional note-taking template students can use to jot down their responses to the intervention activity questions before entering them on their devices. (Note: You must assign the activity to access the Student Note Catcher & it is only available for InnerOrbit Intervention & Cosmic Conversation Pathways)
Post-Assessment — The post-assessment connected to each intervention activity is also available to print.
How can I provide feedback on an Intervention Activity?
How can I provide feedback on an Intervention Activity?
For each Targeted Intervention, you will see emojis 😍. Click on it to share your thoughts directly with our team.
