James Testo

October 17, 2011

Int. 502 Curriculum and Instruction Curriculum Mapping Assignment

In this report you will find information about Curriculum Mapping. Included in the report is an introduction to Curriculum and Concept Mapping. Additional information is included about the various components of Curriculum Mapping. During the research conducted I found some strengths and weaknesses in my own Curriculum Mapping and design. My direction for improvements will also be discussed, as well a summary of various Curriculum Maps. Curriculum mapping is a system that thematically aligns assessment, curriculum, and instruction. (www.k-12.state.tn.us/tpdcurrmap.htm) www.leasttern.com) Curriculum Mapping is a technique for exploring the primary elements of curriculum: What is taught /How instruction occurs/ When instruction is delivered. (www.RubiconAtlas.com) Curriculum Mapping is a process for collecting data that identifies the core, content, processes, and assessment used in curriculum for each subject area in order to improve communication and instruction in all areas of the curriculum. (www.artsedge.kennedycenter.org/professional resources/howto/curriculum map.html) www.leasttern.com) Curriculum Maps will: Identify seams and gaps Identify repetition within scope and sequence Allow vertical alignment of assessment, content and methods across years or grade levels Support horizontal alignment of assessments, content and methods between subjects Improve both curriculum delivery and assessment over time (www.leasttern.com)

Curriculum Mapping Obstacles: It is a time arduous task Lack of clearly defined goals Lack of agreement about the mapping form itself Lack of consistent vocabulary Is it as valuable to users as it was to creators? (www.leasttern.com) Positive Outcomes: Reduce meeting time focused on details- provide idea time and time for lesson sharing Provide real information for the analysis of topics like assessment and skills Assist new teachers with planning and understanding curriculum Reinforce the value of what you are doing Provide a tool for communication with the larger community (parents, other schools, decision-makers, grant providers). (www.leasttern.com) In order to map out the curriculum, you need to make a list of important standards that you want to teach. This list is based on the standards provided to you, you should firstly include the standards. Secondly, it should include and specific books and activities you think of as you go through the curriculum that you would like to remember to use for teaching the standard. (Wagaman, p.1) Think about those standards that lend themselves to teaching students problem solving skills and critical thinking skills. Teaching those lessons that extend beyond the classroom is just as important as those that apply to the state tests. (Wagaman, p. 1) (www.jenniferwagaman.suite101.com/making-a-curriculum-map-a85408) Questions regarding what is taught in the classroom are in intrinsic and useful part of formal education. Curriculum maps lead to educators and their community to ask and answer the provoking questions that improve instruction and promote achievement. (West- Christy, p.2)

A Curriculum Map is a work in progress and schools that view it as such create and recreated review teams for it, always looking for ways to build bridges among curricula. (West-Christy, p.3) (www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/35) Curriculum Map Is a Tool for: Communication (between all stakeholders) Planning (curriculum, assessments, reforms) Pacing instruction over time Differentiating instruction to meet specific needs (by content, by process, by product, by learning environment) Staying focused (whats good for student) Resource Allocation (space, time, materials, staff development) (Jacobs, Ulelhofen, p.9) Essential Questions are an intricate component to Curriculum Mapping. Essential Questions: Answers are more than just facts Brings content to life and makes it relevant Helps students and teachers go deep into the content Avoids activity with little meaning-a way of organizing content Answers the why for learning (Jacobs, Ulelhofen, p.19) (www.sdesa.org) When designing a Curriculum Map additional components may be helpful for the formation of this design. Concept Mapping is one of the tools that may help in the construction of the Curriculum Map. Concept mapping is typically used as a classroom tool for students to construct their own learning by illustrating the relationships and linkages among complicated concepts and their component parts. (McDaniel, Miller, Roth p.505)

Learning outcomes must be aligned at three points: 1. When a curriculum is first developed, its designers must articulate intended learning outcomes that align with competencies.
2. Once the curriculum is developed and delivered, it must be integrated within an

academic program to maintain curricular coherence, and effective use of time and academic resources. Once the curriculum has been developed and delivered, faculty must ensure it remains current with the intended learning outcomes and competencies articulated by the institution, the specialized accrediting agencies, and professional agencies. (McDaniel, Miller, Roth p.507)

Given the excellent too that concept mapping presents as visually organizing complex material, it is a natural fit of faculty to make good use of curriculum maps to plan, develop, and implement their courses, By using curriculum mapping as a way to organize overall themes of course and lessons, especially during the development of new courses, faculty can more comprehensively articulate the intended learning outcomes, and they can readily see what material needs to be emphasized to scaffold learning. Curriculum mapping promotes quality in the design of new courses because major and minor ideas can be easily displayed and connections among elements can be described and organized so as to lead the development of lesson materials. In addition mapping serves as a device to tie assessment plans to the overall structure of the course, ensuring that student learning is effectively assessed. Finally, as faculty revise courses and lessons, curriculum mapping can reveal which concepts need pruning from the map and which need additional emphasis, Curriculum mapping facilities re-conceptualizing of course content and increases the facultys ability to provide meaningful learning experiences for students. (McDaniel, Miller, Roth p.510) An additional factor I feel is extremely important when developing a Curriculum Map is the concept of creating Enduring Understandings. Knowledge and understanding are both central to learning. However, knowledge and understanding is not the same thing. To know the characteristics in a novel is very different from understanding how the characteristics change in the face of conflict to obstacles.

In their book, Understanding by Design, Grant Wiggins and Jay Mc Tighe assert that there are six facets of understanding. According to Wiggins and McTighe, we truly understand when we: Can explain /interpret; apply /relate to personal perspective / empathize and have self knowledge (p.1) www.greece.k12.ny.us/district.cfm?subpage+1276) CURRICULUM MAP REVIEWS Nanuet Union Free School District Grade 8 Social Studies [A. MacArthur Barr Middle School] The template they use for the Curriculum Map is set up in columns. The first column lists the topic or unit of material and the estimated time to be spent on the unit or topic. The next column describes the desired Enduring Understanding and (big idea). The enduring understandings seem to be a little to narrow in perspective and limited in higher level thinking. The next column of the Curriculum Map gives information regarding Essential Questions. The next column in the Curriculum Map gives information about what the student should know (content). The next column in the Curriculum Map gives information about what the students should be able to do. The last column in the Curriculum Map gives information as to what assessment will be used and the evidence that content has been covered and learning takes place. I like that consideration was given to Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions. However what is missing is any reference to state standards or core subject matter. As well the assessment seems to very repetitive and does not reflect individual learning styles, especially students who do not perform well with standardized testing. www.nufsd-public.rubiconatlas.org/c/pi/v.php/Atlas/Browse/View/Map?SourceSiteID+&....) Kennett Consolidated School District Grade 7 Social Studies The template this school uses for the Curriculum Map is also in a column format. The first column is a timeframe, allocating a set number of weeks for each unit. The next column is titled Content/Theme; in this column information is given not only for the content to be covered but the theme of focus during this unit. The next column is Core Goals/Skills; this

column breaks up the curriculum into sub-topics such as Geography, Culture and History. The next column focuses on assessment and breaks up assessment into categories. The last column is used for suggested resources. I find the assessment column very interesting. The assessment column is the most thorough and broken up into three categories (F= factual C=Conceptual P=Philosophical).

Identifying this type of assessment might be confusing or difficult especially for new teachers however I believe change and new ways of assessment is refreshing. The content column is very vague and there is no reference made to any type of state standards in this Curriculum Map as well. The suggested resources column is completely blank so I am not sure why this is used in the template. (www.kcsd.org/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=134&Item) Kennett Consolidated School District Grade 10 World Studies The Curriculum Map template that is used is in a column format. The first column is labeled time frame and gives a guide to how much time will be sent on each unit. The next column is titled Unit and is broken up into very large themes with smaller subgroups. The next column is Core Learning Goals/standards, which correlates the topics covered to related standards. The next column in the Curriculum Map relates to assessment. The last column on the Curriculum Map is Suggested Resources. This Curriculum is the most detailed of the maps I have reviewed so far. This map uses reference to curriculum standards and uses several different types of assessment pieces to check for understanding. What is lacking is the pre-curser before you get to assessment. The map lacks Enduring Understanding and Essential Questions. (www.kcsd.org/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=134&Item) Kentucky School System - Grade Seven Family and Consumer Sciences The Curriculum Map template is set up in a column format. The first column is for the unit to be covered. The next column is designated for the time to be spent on each unit. The next column on the curriculum map is allocated for content to be covered. The next

column identifies the acquired skills that will be obtained during the instruction. The map also includes information regarding methods of assessment and standards related to the curriculum. The content and standards are very descriptive and detailed. It is very easy to understand these areas of the curriculum map. What are missing are the big ideas and the essential questions. Additionally I feel the assessments need to be elaborated upon. This curriculum should be 75% hands on and from the maps assessment pieces this does not appear to be happening. (www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Insturctional+Resources/Curricul...)

Peru Central School Grade 8 Social Studies The curriculum map starts with a main essential question for the whole school year to focus on. The map also includes a key to the New York State Standards. The Curriculum Map is broken up into the following categories: Unit Name, Unit Focus Questions, Standards, Strategies and Skills, and Assessment. Unit Name are clearly understandable as well as the Unit focus questions. The Strategies and Skills are named, however they are very vague. The map lacks Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions. Unit Focus Questions could be considered Essential Questions. Additionally the assessments seem repetitive and lack the importance of learning. The essential question at the beginning of the map allows class to revisit the topic often throughout the school year. (www.perucsd.org) Peru Central School Grade 7 Social Studies The Curriculum Map is set up in a chart format. Included in the map is, Unit Name and Theme, Essential Questions, Standards and Performance Indicators, Assessment, Instructional Strategies and Content, and Skills. This curriculum map is highly complex, and each component is very detailed. Topic units are clearly defined as well as state standards. The map leaves very little question as to what information will be covered during the curse and why. This is one of the only Curriculum Maps I reviewed that also

included performance indicators with the state standards. The one thing this map is lacking is Enduring Understandings. (www.perucsd.org) Peru Central School Grade 6 and 7 Family and Consumer Sciences The Curriculum Map is written out in outline form. Included in the Curriculum Map are the Content Subjects, State Standards, Essential Questions, and the Performance Indicators for the state standards. Additionally all necessary printed materials for each unit are included in the Curriculum guide. The Curriculum Map does not include any timeframe or guideline as to how much time to spend on each subject. The Curriculum Map also does not include information about Enduring Understandings and Assessment pieces are limited. In conclusion my research has refreshed my memory and thoughts about the importance of a strong curriculum as a starting point for instruction. Creating Enduring Understandings, Essential Questions, and starting with the end result in mind and working backwards helps to create a much more successful learning environment. I have completely changed my curriculum over the last three years and updated a program that

was stuck in an era from 30 years ago. Several times my program has been the talk of the school, being full of excitement and new ideas. Although I have made a lot of positive strides for the program, I have come to the realization that I still have a long way to go with my Curriculum Map. My curriculum is constantly changing and being updated, especially in the areas of health and nutrition. Making timelines for units and topic material is a challenge, however after doing research for this assignment this will be a focus for further updates to my Curriculum Map. Working on this assignment has validation that Curriculum maps are never finished and need to be continually revised.

REFERENCES (www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/professional resources/howto/curriculum map.html) (www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Insturctional+Resources/Curricul...) Roadmap to Success: A Curriculum Mapping Primer. October 3, 2011 (www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/35) Greece School web site - October 12, 2001 www.greece.k12.ny.us/district.cfm?subpage+1276) Making a Curriculum Map: How Mapping out the Curriculum Can Help New Teachers. September 24, 2011 (www.jenniferwagaman.suite101.com/making-a-curriculum-map-a85408 Sample Curriculum Maps. September 10, 2011

(www.k-12.state.tn.us/tpdcurrmap.htm) Kennett Consolidated School District Home Page October 1, 2011 (www.kcsd.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=134&Item) Curriculum Mapping. Power point October 2, 2011 (www.leasttern.com) Nanuet Union Free School District Home Page October 12, 2011 (www.nufsd-public.rubiconatlas.org/c/pi/v.php/Atlas/Browse/View/Map?SourceSiteID+&....) Peru Central School Home Page October 4, 2011 (www.perucsd.org) Curriculum Mapping Overview. Power Point September 9, 2011 (www.sdesa.org)

Obtained thru JSTOR SUNY Plattsburgh data base: McDaniel Elizabeth, Roth Brenda, Miller, Micheal. Concept Mapping as a Tool for Curriculum Design. Archives from Nation Defense University, Washington , DC, USA : 505-518. JSTOR Plattsburgh State University Library. 5 October, 2011