1. Curriculum mapping Strategies for Developing a Quality Map
Jan Lashbrook
Calvary Christian Academy

5. What is curriculum mapping?
A plan for teaching and learning, but it is one that constantly changing.
Never finished—it’s on-going from year to year.
Similar to Scope & Sequence, but with Non-negotiables.
Identify basic principles or concepts you want your students to master in a year.

6. What is curriculum mapping?
Curriculum is like a vacation journey. You have an ultimate destination but as you go along, you may make changes to increase the value and enjoyment of the trip.
(Van Brummelen, 2009)

7. Why Plan? because God plans
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7 | NIV
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22 | NIV
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3 | NIV
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? Luke 14:28 | NIV

8. Good Planning takes thought

9. Why map? Make instructional decisions & establish direction
Discover any gaps between grade levels
Identify overlaps & avoid repetitions
Common language among teachers/administration
Address areas of deficit in learning
Valuable tool for collaboration
Eliminates confusion
Effective tool for providing parents information
Enhance student achievement

11. Getting started SMART goals
“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” George S. Patton
SMART goals
S-specific
M-measurable
A-attainable
R-realistic
T-time-based

12. Mapping is a work in progress
Start with the current year
Start slowly; be realistic
Build on each year by revising or fine-tuning units as you go.
Ask essential questions: What is working? Not working?
Go back and make additions/deletions
Constant communication needed among grade level teams
Inspect what you expect
If a man knows not what harbor he seeks, any wind is the right wind Seneca

13. Curriculum Mapping is a verb
This constantly evolving, working document will guide your teaching and student learning.
Start with a consensus (or core) map
Themes (monthly or units)
Topics (concepts covered)
Skills Standards to be met
Assessments used
Resources/activities used
Essential Questions

14. Unit or Theme: Should give an indication of what is to come that month: What is the goal of the unit?
Subject Areas: Unique to your school-add what you want to add (Specials classes? Special Events? Community Helpers?)
Essential Questions: What are the overarching questions that frame your unit? These are not “yes or no” questions, but rather questions that require higher order thinking, (i.e., “What do good readers do?” What is most important for your students to understand or remember about this unit? What questions will they be able to answer after mastery of unit?
Assessments: What skills did the child learn? What is the evidence of learning, i.e., How will you know that your students “caught” the concept taught? List the variety of ways assessment happened that month. Change anything that didn’t work.
Resources/texts/Activities used: Every resource you used to teach the concepts that month. What worked? What didn’t? This may change the most from year to year as you tweak and update how you teach the units.
Standards Met: Listing the standards met by your students will be beneficial for you, your parents, the grade levels below and above you, and administration. We are accountable to the state of Florida, our administration, and our parents and students for the content we teach. Listing the standards in each unit will ensure we met them, show the progress made for the next grade level teacher, and show satisfaction of the requirements of the state and your school overseer.

16. Concepts/objectives
Dates of Unit
Assessments of Unit
Texts and Resources
Comments
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov

18. Tips for Successful Mapping
Collaborate
Develop a consensus map (Do not start with everyone creating their own maps)
Understand this is long-term, ongoing, stay-with-it, go-back-and-revise-it work for all your teachers
Create
Start with a consensus map: an Essential core map of non-negotiables (less is more for teacher flexibility)
Decide what you will call your maps (Essential Map? Core Curriculum map? Teacher Year Plan?)
Review
Review team should include teachers and administrators (lots of collaboration and accountability). Team should feel equipped, invested, and in the loop with understanding of your goal before starting
Use the maps
Developing goals for our students will help us create the vision for our maps

19. Tips con’t….
Team Review
Revise and improve as you go
Map Intentionally
Add curriculum mapping planning on your school professional development calendar-make time for collaboration with your team and the teams above and below
Continue the cycle each year
Keep on keepin’ on! It takes 5-10 years to develop a good quality map that works!
Embrace Trial and Error
Don’t be discouraged if you have to start over in areas of your map—that’s what makes a good map better

21. Resources used
Johnson, Ann (2010, June). Developing Quality Maps 1103T/1203T. Session presented at the 2010 ACSD Professional Development Conference.
Tribuzzi, Jeanne (2010, June). Where to Start: Creating a Vision and Goals for Curricuum Mapping 3209T/3309T. Session presented at the 2010 ACSD Professional Development Conference.

22. Resources (con’t)