Prioritizing and Mapping the Curriculum with the LearningFocused Toolbox

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Prioritizing and Mappingthe Curriculum with
theLearning-Focused Toolbox

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• A Process for Developing Guaranteed and Viable
  Curriculum

LEARNING-FOCUSED SOLUTIONS
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What is it?
What is it like? A path or course to run in
small steps.

• 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.

• 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.

Curriculum
What isnt it?
Curriculum is NOT the textbook or program you
purchased from a publisher.
Curriculum can no longer be what youve been
doing for the past 15 years unless it is
demonstrated to be in line with the standards and
assessments!
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Why Prioritize the Curriculum?

• Every states curriculum has far too many
  standards to be learned in the time available
• In the past, teachers have had to independently
  prioritize their curriculum - which has provided
  an uneven taught curriculum that results in
  inconsistent achievement.

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Why Prioritize the Curriculum?

• The prioritizing curriculum process provides the
  means to deal with this abundance of standards
  and limited time.
• Prioritizing the curriculum does not eliminate
  curriculum, but rather codes the curriculum.
• All teachers that teach a common grade or course,
  now will emphasize the same learning
  understanding rather than emphasizing coverage!

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Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
The single most important initiative a school or
district can engage in to raise student
achievement.

• As referenced by Bob Marzano in his book
• What Works In Schools

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Guaranteed Curriculum

• EVERY STUDENT is provided the opportunity to
  learn a core curriculum which provides them with
  the probability of success in school.

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Viable Curriculum

• Schools make sure that the necessary time is
  available and protected so students will be able
  to learn the guaranteed curriculum.

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Quality Curriculum

• Provides teachers with a guide for what students
  need to learn in order to be successful.
• Prevents redundancies in instruction.
• Guards against gaps in student learning.

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Quality Curriculum

• Provides a sequence of what needs to be learned
  across individual grade levels or courses as well
  as a vertical sequence from grade level to grade
  level or from course to course.
• Provides teachers with a correlation to the
  standards and assessments in an attempt to assure
  students are as well prepared as possible.

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Exemplary Practices in High Achievement,High
AccountabilityDistricts andSchools
Organization -- Multiple Options
for Acceleration -- Vertical AND Grade Level
Teams -- Large Blocks of Time -- Literacy Math
Blocks
Assessment -- Focus
Assessment for Learning -- Continuous Formative
Assessment -- Benchmark Assessments That Direct
Instruction -- Continuous Use of Rubrics
Instruction -- K- 12
Reading Comprehension -- K- 12 Writing in
Content -- Advance Organizers, Scaffolding,
Preview -- Differentiated Cognitive Strategies --
Schools With Instructional Coaches
Planning -- Priority, Time
Allocated -- Data Results Driven -- Team-Based
Planning Individual -- Linked to Staff
Development
Curriculum -- Prioritized
Curriculum -- K-12 Benchmarks/Maps -- Unit
Content Maps With Vocabulary Focus
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Best Curriculum

• The highest quality curriculum is developed by
  utilizing a wide range of resources during the
  development and subsequent monitoring of the
  curriculum.
• Standards
• Benchmarks
• Performance objectives / GLEs
• Assessments
• Teacher experience

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Prioritizing

• Not all content is equal!
• Standards contain a range of performance
  objectives (benchmarks GLEs).
• Some performance objectives are more important
  than others in helping students succeed!

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How did we do it? STEP 1

• Teachers prioritized the benchmarks GLEs into
  Essential, Important and Compact categories
• Essential vs Important vs. Compact
• Essential 50 of the Content requires 70
  of the Instructional Time
• Important 30 of the Content requires 25
  of the Instructional Time
• Compact 20 of the Content requires 5 of
  the Instructional Time

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Differences

• Essential refers to the Big Ideas or concepts
  that you want your students to understand at a
  greater depth.
• Important refers to the key knowledge and skills
  that lead to student understanding of the
  essential knowledge.
• Compact refers to the less important stuff that
  students can usually get by without or will be
  acquired as a result of other instruction.

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Prioritizing in Toolbox
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Vertical Teaming

• After grade level teams and course teams
  prioritized their GLEs or benchmarks, they met in
  vertical teams
• Here they reviewed discussed their rationale
  for how they prioritized each GLE or benchmark
• They looked for redundancies and gaps before
  returning to their teams to make revisions

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STEP 2

• Teachers clustered those benchmarks GLEs in the
  three categories into topics that will be used to
  guide your instruction.
• Then they identified the concepts that are
  contained in each topic
• For every topic, they created a Content Map
  including all the necessary elements

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Mapping in Toolbox
Creating Content Map in Toolbox
Printed or published version of the Content Map
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Topic Course
Key Learning (Enduring Understanding)
Instructional Tools
Assessment(s)
Unit Essential Question(s)
Concept
Concept
Concept
Lesson Essential Questions (LEQs)
Lesson Essential Questions (LEQs)
Lesson Essential Questions (LEQs)
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
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Content Map Components
KEY LEARNING A full statement of what is
essential for students to know and do,
representing significant concepts key to
understanding the content.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S) Written as a thought
provoking and engaging question about the content
that provides a view of the Big Picture and
acts as the Mental Velcro for students to make
connections.
Concepts Nouns in the Performance Objectives
of each states standards.
Concepts The heart of the units content.
Concepts Big Ideas that connect the skills or
knowledge to the overarching topic.
Lesson Essential Questions Concept specific but
link to support unit EQ(s).
Lesson Essential Questions Frame the study of
the topic guide the learning. HOTS
Lesson Essential Questions Used to activate
summarize key ideas.
Vocabulary Words that are critical and essential
to understanding the content being taught.
Vocabulary Multiple meaning words words that
are easily misunderstood.
Vocabulary Words related to Big Idea concepts
and skills being taught.
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English Literature 11th Grade
Instructional Tools Plays Hamlet,
Julius Caesar, Macbeth Concepts of
Shakespearean characterization, drama,
tragedies Compare / Contrast Essay
Persuasive Essay
Key Learnings To define and understand the
elements and characteristics of Shakespearean
tragedy. Explore the tragic heroes in the
Shakespearean tragedies and identify the flaws,
events, and influences that led to the tragedy
of each hero.
Unit Essential Questions Why a tragedy? What are
the characteristics of a Shakespearean tragedy?
Concept Drama Characteristics
Concept Literary Analysis
Concept Character Analysis
LEQ(s) 1. How do Shakespearean drama
characteristics enhance the portrayal of
the tragic hero?
LEQ(s) 1. What are the literary elements of
a Shakespearean play? 2. How do these elements
work together to develop a tragedy?
LEQ(s) 1. Why do we call them tragic
heroes? 2. What are the common
characteristics of William Shakespeares
tragic heroes?
Vocabulary Monologue Soliloquy Aside Foil Catastr
ophe Staging
Vocabulary Setting Characterization Theme Plot/Co
nflict Imagery Dramatic Irony
Vocabulary Protagonist Intellectual Virtuous Av
enging Flawed Antagonist
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8th Grade Social Studies The Lewis and Clark
Expedition
Instructional Tools
Key Learning(s) Exploration is motivated by
political, economic, scientific, social
factors. Individuals and their values impact
history. Patterns in one historical event can be
found in other historical events.

• Students will be able to
• Primary Sources
• Time Line
• Persuasive Writing Graphic
• Persuasive Writing Rubric
• Word Splash

Unit Essential Question(s) The Lewis and Clark
Expedition Whats the big deal?
The Corps ofDiscovery
Significance
Motivation
Processes
Lesson Essential Questions
Lesson Essential Questions
Lesson Essential Questions
ConstructingSupport Abstracting
Why did you send them, Thomas Jefferson? How
can you support Jeffersonsdecision?
What were the contributions of the
expedition? How can we find patternsin
historical events? How is the Lewis and
ClarkExpedition like other events in history?
Who were they andwhy were they chosen?
Vocabulary
Vocabulary

• Expedition
• Louisiana Purchase
• Northwest Passage
• economic
• political

• corps
• adventurous
• leadership
• teamwork
• perseverance

Vocabulary

• accomplishment
• impact
• significance

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Sample Content Map 3rd Grade Math Multiplication
Instructional Tools Graph Paper Multiplication
Charts Calculator Real Life Problems (finding
area) Sequence Chart of Steps
Key Learning Multiplication is a more efficient
way of adding.
Essential Question How do we use multiplication?
Real-Life Application
Meaning
Process
LEQ(s) 1. How can arrays help you
understand multiplication? 2. How is
multiplication repeated addition? 3. How can
you use skip counting to find a product?
LEQ(s) 1. How do you multiply factors to
get a product? 2. What patterns can help you
remember the multiplication facts? 3. How
can we find errors in multiplying?
LEQ(s) 1. Where is multiplication used
in real-life?
Vocabulary large lots budgeting finding
area shopping Industry
Vocabulary arrays repeated product digit value
Vocabulary factors product reversing lattice
method patterns errors
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Writing Process (1st. Grade)
Instructional Tools Story Element
Graphic Organizer
Daily Journal Entries Word Maps
Categorized Word Walls
Writing Samples Writing Process
Check List Sequence Maps/Story Boards
Key Learning Good writing enables us to talk
to people.
Essential Question How can I become a good
writer?
Writing Process
Simple Story
Writing Genres
LEQ(s) (1) Where do
ideas for writing come from? (2) How can
a writing map help me plan before I write?
(3) How do I make sure
what I write says what I mean/?

• LEQ(s)
• What would a good story look like?
• (2) What would happen if my story didnt have a
  beginning or was missing an ending?

LEQ(s) (1) How
does the purpose affect the way I write?
Vocabulary editing writing process
fix-up sloppy copy story map publishing
CUPS
Vocabulary poems journal writing
lists information rhyming entertain
story question/answer
Vocabulary sentences characters
illustration captions ending first
beginning middle end finally
setting story elements problem

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CONTENT MAPS Why are they so important?
Communication device
Conceptualize a unit
Enable consistent curriculum pacing and planning
Highlight important vocabulary
Enable students to "see" the knowledge gained
over time and their learning
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Step 3 Course Map

• Teachers estimated how much time should be spent
  on each topic and arranged them sequentially on a
  course map
• The goal of the course map is to assure that all
  the content is taught
• Revisions are expected to be made to the content
  maps and to the course maps as teachers
  experience them.

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Pacing and Prioritizing Time
Clicking on the Topic in the timeline opens the
Content Map for the unit.
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Step 4 A Work In Progress

• Revise the priorities and edit the Content Maps
  as needed based on current assessment data and
  experience.

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Benefits for Teachers

• The instructional WHAT has been shared, making
  it quick and easy to develop plans
• Many instructional factors have been decided and
  developed for teachers, making their planning
  time much more efficient
• Lessons are directly connected to the
  school/district prioritized curriculum
• Planning and sharing with peers is easier and
  more efficient

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Benefits for Students

• Mobility has much less impact on achievement
• Instruction is directly connected to what is
  tested
• Consistency of strategies and formats raises
  their performance

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How do you use your Content Maps?

• The Content Maps are not meant to create more
  work for teachers but to act as guides as they
  plan instruction!
• In grade level/course teams, preview the maps and
  discuss what content you are already addressing
  in your instructional program
• At this point, you can assess what needs to be
  add or delete from your current program to assure
  student success