Hi Eric, The key to teaching a standardized curriculum is to understand how much modification to the delivery that you can make and still cover the required material. You are on the right track with making a note of how the lessons are going and then making changes the next time. Experience has shown that if you keep a notebook of your experiences it is easier to make modifications the next time around since you don't have to rely totally on memory. Also, by keeping the notebook of teaching strategies, you build for yourself a professional library of methods that can be used over a period of time. Student learning characteristics help you in planning how you are going to make instructional delivery. You have a better picture of how your students are going to do, if you understand their characteristics and learning patterns. This understanding will also help you in creating a learning community for your class. Gary