Friday, August 20, 2010

Common Core curriculum maps (a draft worth checking out)

Here come more tools to support implementation of the English language arts portion of our new standards (known locally as Kentucky Core Academic standards and nationally as Common Core State Standards):
Common Core’s Curriculum Maps in English Language Arts were written by public school teachers for public school teachers. The maps translate the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Kindergarten through 12th grade into unit maps that teachers can use to plan their year, craft their own more detailed curriculum, and create lesson plans. The maps are flexible and adaptable, yet they address every standard in the CCSS. Any teacher, school, or district that chooses to follow the Common Core maps can be confident that they are adhering to the standards. Even the topics the maps introduce grow out of and expand upon the "exemplar" texts recommended in the CCSS. And because they are free, the maps will save school districts millions in curriculum development costs. The draft maps are available for public comment until September 17.
Update: Robyn Oatley tells me the link to the maps isn 't easy to see in the text above, so you can also click here to find the maps.  (I think the problem is in the blogger template, but I'll see if there are ways to make the links easier to spot.)

5 comments:

  1. Rigid, rigid, rigid, rigidity.

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  2. Anon,

    I don't see how a non-profit offering a suggestion counts as rigid. If a state adopts the maps and threatens people who don't use them, that will be rigid. But the tool as designed is something an individual teacher could use, alter, or ignore--and that looks to me like a flexible and helpful approach.

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  3. Anonymous,

    I would assert that there is a difference between being "rigid" and "focused." My cursory review of the maps provide encouragement that they are both focused and "appropriate" if we are serious about the business of providing "all" students, regardless of locale, access to curricula that will allow them to function independently and successfully in life.

    I, for one, would hope that the state would adopt the maps, or something very similar, to provide teachers guidance and to further ensure uniformity of curricula across Kentucky.

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  4. I have put all of the CCSS on Facebook through the use of "fan pages". Just type "CCSS 2nd Grade Math" to see a sample of one of my pages! Not only do I post the standards, I also give links to videos, lesson plans, and websites that will help you teach each standard! Enjoy this free resource!

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  5. Are there curriculum maps for math?

    ReplyDelete

Updates and data on Kentucky education!