Curriculum Development

Overview

Essential Questions What is curriculum? What is the purpose of curriculum

mapping? What does a curriculum document look

like? What are the key components of a

curriculum document?

. What is curriculum mapping? Curriculum mapping is a calendar-based (monthly)

process for collecting and maintaining an ongoing database of the operational and planned curriculum throughout a learning organization.

Curriculum mapping asks teachers to design the curriculum via authentic examination, collaborative conversation, and student-centered decision making

What is it?

Curriculum

What is it like?A path or course to run in small steps.

What is the Purpose?To focus and connect the work of classroom teachers in school to the standards, assessments and classroom practices in order to raise student achievement.

What isn’t it?Curriculum is NOTNOT the textbook or program you purchased from a publisher.

Curriculum can no longer be what you’ve been doing for the past 15 years unless it is demonstrated to be in line with the standards and assessments!

Any document or plan that defines: •the work of teachers•the content to be learned by the students •the methods to be used in the process.

• Curriculum is no longer an individual choice or action – individual curriculum maps are• Made public• Shared• Changed• Modified

• Curriculum is never “finished” – rather it is the beginning of a dynamic process

Curriculum as a product as well as process

Exemplary Practices in High Achievement,High Accountability

Districts andSchools

Curriculum-- Prioritized Curriculum-- K-12 Benchmarks/Maps-- Curriculum Maps With Language/Vocabulary Focus

Planning-- Priority, Time Allocated-- Data & Results Driven-- Team-Based & Individual Planning-- Linked to Staff Development

Instruction-- K- 12 Reading Comprehension -- K- 12 Writing in Content-- Advance Organizers, Scaffolding, Preview-- Differentiated Cognitive Strategies-- Schools With Instructional Coaches

Assessment-- Focus = Assessment for Learning-- Continuous Formative Assessment-- Benchmark Assessments That Direct Instruction-- Continuous Use of Rubrics

Organization-- Multiple Options for Acceleration-- Vertical AND Grade Level Teams-- Large Blocks of Time-- Literacy & Math Blocks

What are the benefits?

• Curriculum is available at a glance.• Enables analysis of outcomes• Facilitates faculty discussion and

understanding of the curriculum.• Allows alignment of the curriculum.

What does it look like?

Four Types of Curriculum Maps• Essential Map

• Consensus Map

• Projected Map

• Diary Map

Essential Map

A map created via a team of educators (such as a district level task force) that is representative of district learning expectations. The Essential Map serves as the base-instruction map wherein all who teach the course use the map to plan learning and create collaborative, consensus maps and/or personal projected Maps

Consensus Map

A map designed by two or more educators at the school level who have come to agreement on the course learning. Serves as the planned-learning map; all who teach the course use the Consensus Map as a foundation for his or the course instruction. There is flexibility in additional topics, length of units, assessments, resources, and activities so that each teacher teaching the course can use their professional judgment.

Projected Map

A map that has been created by an individual person for a discipline or course before the actual yearly testing out of its “planned itinerary”

Diary Map

A personalized map recorded by an individual person that contains data reflecting what really took place during a month of learning and instruction. Not done as a team.

Remember Curriculum Mapping is

NOT…• STATIC …Curriculum maps serve as the

living, breathing, ever-changing, archived history of student learning. Mapping is formal work and takes time. The improvement in student—and teacher—learning makes both the work and time worthwhile!

What are the core components of a curriculum map?

• Essential Questions• Content• Standards• Skills/Performance Objectives• Assessment• Activities • Language

Content

• Content is the essential concepts and topics covered during a month.  

• Content is written beginning with a noun.

Content can be designed in different formats:

• Discipline Field: focus on the knowledge and specific problem solving tools.

• Interdisciplinary: combination of two or more disciplines to examine a common focus.

• Student Centered: content is focused on investigation of student generated interests derived from their personal interests and needs.

ContentExamples

• Cultural diversity • Water cycle• Bridge to Terabithia (?)• Local Government Systems• Fire Safety

Skills

• Skills are key abilities and processes students will develop related to specific content.

•  Skills are written beginning with a verb.

Skills and Thinking Processes are displayed on the map:

• Note the difference between broad based thinking processes: analysis, synthesis, decision making, creative, critical, etc… and

• Specific techniques: comparing, contrasting, using sentence variety, etc.

Skills Examples

• Reading a map• Writing a play• Analyzing non-fiction text• Writing persuasive essays• Matching words and pictures

Assessment

• Assessments are the products or performances that demonstrate student learning.

• Assessments are what the student does (the actual product or performance), not the evaluation tool used to assess the product.

Assessments are the Major Products and Performances:• Assessment is a

demonstration of learning

• Assessment is observable evidence

• They must be nouns• Tangible products• Observable

performances

Assessment Examples

• Group presentation• Brochure• Research Paper• Essay exam• Puppet show• Debate

Activities

• Key activities that lead to acquisition of knowledge and skills.

• Describe the "how" for the knowledge and skills.

Activities Examples

• Writing persuasive letters to local government

• Water analysis of local river • Critique a work of art• Create a 50 states quilt

Essential Questions• Focus on a broad topic of study (think

“concept-based big ideas”).• Set direction for curriculum mapping

and unit planning.• Have multiple answers and

perspectives. They address “why” or “how”.

• Are the “enduring understandings” or “mental Velcro” that helps ideas stick in students’ minds.

• Create depth rather than breadth.

Essential QuestionsExamples

• Which is more important – water or air?

• What is change?

• What if Shakespeare were a woman?

Curricular Investigation

• Those key components represent “data” you can use for developing a curriculum map. What would you be able to do if you had these data?

• How would your school be different if you had these data available now?

Sample Curriculum Map template

Essential Question

Content Language Skills Standards Activities Assessment

September

October

November

Reference Taba, H., & Spalding, W. B. (1962). Curriculum

development: Theory and practice (pp. 1962-1962). New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.

Jacobs, H. H. (1997). Mapping the Big Picture. Integrating Curriculum & Assessment K-12. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1250 N. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-1453.

Wiggins, G. P., McTighe, J., Kiernan, L. J., & Frost, F. (1998). Understanding by design (pp. 0-87120). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.