How to create a curriculum map for one subject area

If you are a teacher or you home school, then you know one of the first things you need to do is decide what to teach first. As simple as that may sound, the best way to organize your lesson plans is by first creating a curriculum map. A curriculum map not only helps you stay on track, it also ensures that the students will be taught what they need before they continue on to the next grade level.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• State and National Standards
• Materials used in subject area(such as textbooks, interactives, worksheets, materials for stations...)
• A school calendar for the upcoming year
• Class schedule
• Paper and pen

1. The first thing you need to do is lay out your state and national standards for the subject area and grade level, your school calendar for the year (or any blank calendar if you home school), and your materials. It's easiest to have a clean large surface area to work with, but I understand (being a teacher) those spaces can be hard to come by. Any space will do.
2. Once you have what you need laid out, take out both your school calendar and class schedule. Now count the number of instructional days you will have in the subject area you're working with. It's easiest if you write the number of days at the bottom of each month in the calendar.
3. Now put aside the calendar and look over your state and national standards. Write down the major standards/topics that need to be covered. As you write them down be sure to list them in the order you would like to teach them. Remember to leave plenty of space between each standard/topic because you will be adding to it as you go.
4. Look back over and decide what overall skill or skills the student will need to use for each standard/topic area. You'll need to write one sentence that sums up your goals for that topic. For example if I was teaching about Mesopotamia to 6th graders I could write, "The student will analyze the geographic, religious, economic and social structures of early ancient societies."
5. After you've written out a goal sentence for each standard/topic you need to go back and write in how they are going to meet that goal. For example, "The students will locate the Tigris and Euphrates rivers on a map and evaluate how the rivers impacted trade, culture, and the growth of early civilizations." You will most likely end up with 2-3 essential ways the students can meet each of the standards.
6. At this point you need to go back and write in how you will assess whether or not the student has accomplished the goal you set out for them in each of the standards/topics. For example under each standard you would write, "Assessment through teacher observation, written and oral summaries, posters..." However you choose to assess that particular piece.
7. Once you've finished that, it's time to take out the calendar again. Look over your calendar and find the instructional days that you have in each month. At this point you will need to write in the month(or months) that you will be covering the standard/topic, next to that standard or topic.
8. The final step is to go back, take a breath, and readjust. The curriculum map is not set in stone. It gives you a general outline and allows you to better organize topics as you teach. Feel free to move things around and add/take away as necessary.
   
   Congratulations, you've created a curriculum map!

Tips & Warnings

• When deciding which order to teach a topic or them, think of the idea or ideas that will be used over and over again. Start with that and then build up. However, any order you choose will work as long as it makes sense to you!
• It is easiest to write each standard/topic on a separate piece of paper, or to leave plenty of space between each standard/topic - you will need room to write!
• Start small and then go back and add. If you try to get everything in at once you will drive yourself crazy!