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Curriculum Map Foundations

Beverly Mangum

Created on July 17, 2024

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Transcript

Teacher's Practices

About

Features

Features

Pacing Guides

Student Achievement

Curriculum Maps

Teacher Practices

Curriculum Map Foundations

About

Student Achievement

Student Achievement

About

Lesson Plans

Features

TeacherPractices

What is a Lesson Plan
  • Lesson plans are created by teachers using both curriculum maps and pacing guides.
  • The lesson plan is the most detailed of the three but it remains standards-based. Lesson plans outline the how of learning, the activities used to teach the content, what assessments are used to evaluate the learning process, and what objectives are met throughout learning.
  • Lesson plans can cover several days at a time but are tailored to meet individual unique classroom needs (Nolan, 2019).

(School of Education, 2018)

Features of Curriculum Maps
  • The curriculum map is focused on all things learning.
  • Curriculum maps feature standards, objectives, learning activities, lists of needed lesson materials, and evaluation measures (Archambault & Masunaga, 2015).
What is a Curriculum Map?

Curriculum maps are created through a systematic analysis of the content taught in various courses. When creating a curriculum map the structure of a program becomes visible (Archambault & Masunaga, 2015). Curriculum maps allow educators to interpret data, identify the level of instruction for learning objectives, identify what materials best aid in the learning process, organize instruction, and determine the best assessment procedures to determine learning has occured (Archambault & Masunaga, 2015).

(Chalk, 2021)

Lesson Plans and Student Achievement

Teachers should ensure that students are at the forefront of lesson plan creation. As teachers create lesson plans focused on student needs, students will find greater success in the classroom. Success in lesson planning depends on choosing appropriate activities, focusing the appropriate amount of time on given subjects, and adhering to the time frame given in the pacing guide to ensure subjects are taught prior to assessments (Nolan, 2019).

What are Pacing Guides?
  • A pacing guide outlines the material to be covered in various subjects.
  • The best pacing guides are chronologically ordered and prepare teachers to address specific material preparatory to administering benchmarks or state tests (David, 2008).
  • Some pacing guides provide teachers with links to lesson resources (Lynch, 2022).
Curriculum Mapping and Student Achievement

The use of the curriculum map helps educators identify gaps in student learning and the expected learning outcomes within a curriculum. Curriculum mapping helps in aligning standards, identifying gaps in student learning and repetitions, and create a consistent curriculum for student success (Archambault & Masunaga, 2015).

Features of Pacing Guides
  • Effective pacing guides provide teachers with central ideas, curriculum materials, and state standard alignments that are to be taught in a practical order.
  • Most pacing guides are ordered in chronological order (Lynch, 2022).
  • They divide the central ideas, curriculum requirements, and activities into sections that can be accomplished prior to testing.
  • Pacing guides help teachers determine how long different components of instruction should take.
Pacing Guides and Student Achievement

As teachers use the pacing guides faithfully, they are preparing students with pertinent instruction to be successful on state assessments or benchmarks. Because pacing guides are organized in a practical order, students can also use this to find links between previously learned content and their current lessons (Lynch, 2022).

Lesson Plans and Teacher Practices

Teachers being the lesson planning process by considering their student population and the learning context (Nolan, 2019). By taking a look at their student population, teachers ensure that the lesson will be engaging and differentiated to meet student needs. Teachers also align their lesson plans to the standards-based curriculum map to ensure continuity between educators within the district. Finally, the teacher will create assessment opportunities within the lesson plan that are aligned with the pacing guide and curriculum map. Unlike the curriculum map and pacing guide, the lesson plan will have more specific assessment strategies including differentiation needed for specific students. The lesson plan may include both summative and formative assessments to measure learning outcomes (Nolan, 2019).

Features of Lesson Plans

Because lesson plans are created by teachers, they may all feature different components. The most common features are standards, objectives, lesson activities, and lesson assessments (Nolan, 2019).

Curriculum Mapping and Teacher Practices

Teachers often use a curriculum map to determine where in a lesson learning outcomes should be taught and assessed (University of Northern Colorado, n.d.). Curriculum maps can also be used to identify gaps in student outcomes versus the expected outcomes. Certain gaps in curriculum expectations and student achievement can lead to curricular changes. It is always best to include all teachers in the curriculum mapping process (University of Northern Colorado, n.d.). This will help ensure a school-wide interdisciplinary curriculum that is based on standards and effective learning procedures (Archambault & Masunaga, 2015).

Pacing Guides and Teacher Practices

Pacing guides help teachers prepare for upcoming lessons. They also ensure fidelity to programs being taught across school districts (Lynch, 2022). As teachers use their pacing guides they can identify where activities can meet cross-curricular needs in lesson planning.