Curriculum Content Maps
During the week of November 1st, content maps for the new CRSD curriculum will be distributed to teachers at site meetings. Because this is a new process for all of us, there are bound to be questions. Please review the following list of FAQs, which has been compiled in anticipation of the queries you might have. Should you have have ANY questions, concerns, or comments while diving into the content mapping process, please contact
Tammy Van Wyhe for assistance (via email @ tvanwyhe@crsd.k12.ak.us or phone @ 822.3234 ext. 233).
Frequently Asked Questions
Curriculum Content Mapping Documents
How frequently should I map the content I’m teaching?
It depends on your style of planning: Some teachers may choose to map content when they write their weekly lesson plans; others may prefer to fill in the maps after-the-fact, by going back over lesson plans and matching content that was taught to the standards on the maps. Regardless of the routine you develop, note that grade band meetings will occur every three weeks via VTC, so you will need to have the content mapped by the time of the meeting.
How detailed should I make my maps?
The map is for YOUR use. As long as you can remember what the content is (text title/lesson/chapter/etc.), you’ll be fine. At our VTC mapping meetings, you will be sharing the content you have taught during that three-week period with your grade-band colleagues, so you will need to be able to read the “shorthand” or coding that you use. In addition, you will use your completed Quarter Two map during our January 21st in-service, so it is critical that you are able to recall what you meant by whatever system you use to record content.
Must I record EVERY piece of content I use in the course of a week?
No. Rather, you are mapping content that TARGETS a specific standard. Think about the standards and objectives on which you are focusing (your “flood” content) during the three-week span, and map content used to teach those standards.
Am I only mapping lessons/assignments/activities from district-adopted curricular materials (like Open Court, Prentice Hall, Saxon, etc.), or should I map content from supplementary materials—either teacher-created or from other publishers (like a Promethean flipchart lesson, Weekly Reader activity, Scholastic teacher publication, worksheet I’ve created related to a video, etc.)?
Whatever you are using as the primary content for teaching a specific standard should be noted on your map—regardless of if it’s from a district-adopted series or supplemental source. ALWAYS note the source (even if you are the source!). For example, if you are using a Scholastic publication that focuses on figures of speech to teach similes and metaphors, note the title of the publication, the publisher, and the lesson(s) within the publication you are using.
Will every box be filled in for each three-week mapping period?
No. Remember – you are only mapping content that targets instruction of a certain standard. Take Writing Standard 3, for example (having to do with writing narratives): At grade 3, one of the sub-standards is to “Provide a sense of closure” in narrative writing. This skill is not specifically taught on a weekly basis. Map the content/materials you are using to teach this discrete skill. As you progress through the quarter and notice there are groups of standards you haven’t targeted at all (this quarter or last…or that you have no plan to teach during the next quarter), it should raise a red flag for you as a teacher!
How do I know what comes before and/or after my grade level(s)?
To see where your standards fall in the K-12 continuum, refer to the white Common Core Standards book you received at the August in-service. In addition, your principal has a binder with the complete K-12 curriculum.
The curriculum for my grade level(s) isn’t appropriate for my students!
Remember that the curriculum at your grade level(s) is one piece of the puzzle! If students are going to arrive at their academic destination in the 12th grade (the College & Career Ready Standard), content at each grade level must be sequenced to get them there! You might not think it’s appropriate for your 8th grader to “use ellipses to indicate a pause of break,” for example, but that’s where the K-12 standards indicate a student must have mastered the skill. If they are to be ready for the next grade…and the next grade…and the next grade, it is critical that you teach the standards at your grade level to mastery!
WHY are we doing this?
The CRSD’s Essential Question #1 is “What do our students need to know?” It is critical that all of us are intimately familiar with exactly what the curriculum includes at our grade level(s), as these documents tell us exactly what our students need to know. By mapping the content we are using to teach the curriculum, we are accomplishing a couple of things: 1) We are frequently interacting with the documents and familiarizing ourselves with the standards at our grade level(s). 2) We are consciously and intentionally selecting materials, lessons, activities, etc., to target our instruction for each standard.
WHY are we sharing our content maps during VTC meetings and during in-services?
Again, we are accomplishing a couple of things through conversations about our maps: 1) We are looking for commonalities in materials being used and making sense of which materials are being used at the various sites in the district. 2) Teachers have different strengths and passions: One teacher might have a powerful repertoire for teaching a certain aspect of math that another teacher may struggle with. By sharing this information, we are helping each other to become more effective teachers.
And what about the VTC meetings and in-service workshops?
Grade bands will meet via VTC every three weeks to review content they have mapped. These meetings will be held before or after school, and the agenda/meeting times will be strictly followed. If you are unable to attend, you should give your map to a colleague who is also in your grade band so that content may be shared with the group. In addition to sharing content information, these brief meetings will provide teachers with opportunities to make sense of standards that are ambiguous or difficult to target in terms of instruction.
In-services in January, February, and April will allow teachers district-wide to refine content map information in a face-to-face setting and engage in conversations about required content components at each grade level/grade band. Do NOT throw away your content maps, as you will use them at these in-services!
What if I’m a SpEd teacher and have students at several grade levels?
SpEd teachers will record intervention materials and differentiated content/lessons/activities that target the various standards. SpEd teachers are welcome to attend as many grade band meetings as they would like, but are only required to attend one meeting every three weeks. They may choose the meetings that are most applicable to the students on their rosters.
What if I find an error in the Content Maps?
Note it, PLEASE! This project has involved hundreds of collective hours of document preparation, and there are sure to be errors (though we have done our best to catch them all!). If you find a spelling or punctuation error, formatting faux pas, or anything else that just doesn’t look right, mark it on your map so it can be corrected on the master document!
What if I have questions about…well…anything related to the content mapping process?
Call or email Tammy Van Wyhe, Director of Teaching and Learning Support, with ANY and ALL questions! (822-8533 or tvanwyhe@crsd.k12.ak.us) Your principal will participate in curriculum training on November 17th and will also be a good source of information and guidance. Tammy will be happy to meet with you individually to review lesson plans and map content, explain the sequencing of standards, help to clarify exactly what a standard means…or assist with whatever else you need!
Tammy Van Wyhe for assistance (via email @ tvanwyhe@crsd.k12.ak.us or phone @ 822.3234 ext. 233).
Frequently Asked Questions
Curriculum Content Mapping Documents
How frequently should I map the content I’m teaching?
It depends on your style of planning: Some teachers may choose to map content when they write their weekly lesson plans; others may prefer to fill in the maps after-the-fact, by going back over lesson plans and matching content that was taught to the standards on the maps. Regardless of the routine you develop, note that grade band meetings will occur every three weeks via VTC, so you will need to have the content mapped by the time of the meeting.
How detailed should I make my maps?
The map is for YOUR use. As long as you can remember what the content is (text title/lesson/chapter/etc.), you’ll be fine. At our VTC mapping meetings, you will be sharing the content you have taught during that three-week period with your grade-band colleagues, so you will need to be able to read the “shorthand” or coding that you use. In addition, you will use your completed Quarter Two map during our January 21st in-service, so it is critical that you are able to recall what you meant by whatever system you use to record content.
Must I record EVERY piece of content I use in the course of a week?
No. Rather, you are mapping content that TARGETS a specific standard. Think about the standards and objectives on which you are focusing (your “flood” content) during the three-week span, and map content used to teach those standards.
Am I only mapping lessons/assignments/activities from district-adopted curricular materials (like Open Court, Prentice Hall, Saxon, etc.), or should I map content from supplementary materials—either teacher-created or from other publishers (like a Promethean flipchart lesson, Weekly Reader activity, Scholastic teacher publication, worksheet I’ve created related to a video, etc.)?
Whatever you are using as the primary content for teaching a specific standard should be noted on your map—regardless of if it’s from a district-adopted series or supplemental source. ALWAYS note the source (even if you are the source!). For example, if you are using a Scholastic publication that focuses on figures of speech to teach similes and metaphors, note the title of the publication, the publisher, and the lesson(s) within the publication you are using.
Will every box be filled in for each three-week mapping period?
No. Remember – you are only mapping content that targets instruction of a certain standard. Take Writing Standard 3, for example (having to do with writing narratives): At grade 3, one of the sub-standards is to “Provide a sense of closure” in narrative writing. This skill is not specifically taught on a weekly basis. Map the content/materials you are using to teach this discrete skill. As you progress through the quarter and notice there are groups of standards you haven’t targeted at all (this quarter or last…or that you have no plan to teach during the next quarter), it should raise a red flag for you as a teacher!
How do I know what comes before and/or after my grade level(s)?
To see where your standards fall in the K-12 continuum, refer to the white Common Core Standards book you received at the August in-service. In addition, your principal has a binder with the complete K-12 curriculum.
The curriculum for my grade level(s) isn’t appropriate for my students!
Remember that the curriculum at your grade level(s) is one piece of the puzzle! If students are going to arrive at their academic destination in the 12th grade (the College & Career Ready Standard), content at each grade level must be sequenced to get them there! You might not think it’s appropriate for your 8th grader to “use ellipses to indicate a pause of break,” for example, but that’s where the K-12 standards indicate a student must have mastered the skill. If they are to be ready for the next grade…and the next grade…and the next grade, it is critical that you teach the standards at your grade level to mastery!
WHY are we doing this?
The CRSD’s Essential Question #1 is “What do our students need to know?” It is critical that all of us are intimately familiar with exactly what the curriculum includes at our grade level(s), as these documents tell us exactly what our students need to know. By mapping the content we are using to teach the curriculum, we are accomplishing a couple of things: 1) We are frequently interacting with the documents and familiarizing ourselves with the standards at our grade level(s). 2) We are consciously and intentionally selecting materials, lessons, activities, etc., to target our instruction for each standard.
WHY are we sharing our content maps during VTC meetings and during in-services?
Again, we are accomplishing a couple of things through conversations about our maps: 1) We are looking for commonalities in materials being used and making sense of which materials are being used at the various sites in the district. 2) Teachers have different strengths and passions: One teacher might have a powerful repertoire for teaching a certain aspect of math that another teacher may struggle with. By sharing this information, we are helping each other to become more effective teachers.
And what about the VTC meetings and in-service workshops?
Grade bands will meet via VTC every three weeks to review content they have mapped. These meetings will be held before or after school, and the agenda/meeting times will be strictly followed. If you are unable to attend, you should give your map to a colleague who is also in your grade band so that content may be shared with the group. In addition to sharing content information, these brief meetings will provide teachers with opportunities to make sense of standards that are ambiguous or difficult to target in terms of instruction.
In-services in January, February, and April will allow teachers district-wide to refine content map information in a face-to-face setting and engage in conversations about required content components at each grade level/grade band. Do NOT throw away your content maps, as you will use them at these in-services!
What if I’m a SpEd teacher and have students at several grade levels?
SpEd teachers will record intervention materials and differentiated content/lessons/activities that target the various standards. SpEd teachers are welcome to attend as many grade band meetings as they would like, but are only required to attend one meeting every three weeks. They may choose the meetings that are most applicable to the students on their rosters.
What if I find an error in the Content Maps?
Note it, PLEASE! This project has involved hundreds of collective hours of document preparation, and there are sure to be errors (though we have done our best to catch them all!). If you find a spelling or punctuation error, formatting faux pas, or anything else that just doesn’t look right, mark it on your map so it can be corrected on the master document!
What if I have questions about…well…anything related to the content mapping process?
Call or email Tammy Van Wyhe, Director of Teaching and Learning Support, with ANY and ALL questions! (822-8533 or tvanwyhe@crsd.k12.ak.us) Your principal will participate in curriculum training on November 17th and will also be a good source of information and guidance. Tammy will be happy to meet with you individually to review lesson plans and map content, explain the sequencing of standards, help to clarify exactly what a standard means…or assist with whatever else you need!
questions_re_content_maps.pdf |