Curriculum Project: Curriculum Essentials Project Assignment Instructions
The Curriculum Essentials Project template has four sectioned parts (Mission Statement, Character Education, Standards Comparison, and Standards Integration).
PART I: MISSION STATEMENT
A mission statement clarifies priorities and gives direction to everyone in the organization. Curriculum learning experiences must support the mission statement. For example:
Thomas C. Miller Elementary School for Innovation
is a partnership for children, parents, teachers, and the community that recognizes the special gifts of each child. We promote the intellectual, creative, social, and physical well-being of each student with a commitment to academic excellence. Our distinctive interdisciplinary curriculum provides for thematic units, innovative teaching and evaluation practices, and inclusive education with an emphasis on science, math, technology and the performing arts.
Found at: http://www.lynchburg.org/Schools/Tcm/Default.htm
In viewing curriculum written for this school, a curriculum evaluator will look for learning experiences that are integrative in nature and meet the needs of the whole child (intellectual, creative, social, and physical).
For the Part I Mission Statement section of the assignment template you should create a school mission statement that clarifies priorities and gives direction to the school organization. Situate your creativity and original mission statement from a local school’s mission statement. Reference that school’s mission statement in the mission statement reference section.
PART II: CHARACTER EDUCATION
Character education highlights character principles throughout the curriculum. Learning experiences should be engaging, active, and morally purposeful. For example:
Character Principle 1: Integrity: The teacher will use the literature story, The Empty Pot by Demi, to demonstrate the importance of integrity. Students will read the story and then create a sequence flip-book of the main events of the story. On the last page of the flip book, the students will write a summary sentence on “the moral of the story”; they will then write a few sentences on how they can show integrity in their own life experiences and actions.
Character Principle 2: Work Ethic: The teacher will introduce a unit the rise of industrialism in the United States. Students will study concepts in efficiency, division of labor, free enterprise, etc. For a home/school connection activity, students will complete a service learning project of their choice that demonstrates work ethic. Results of this project will be made into a “Social Studies Fair.”
For the Part II Character Education section of the assignment template you should create an abbreviated plan for implementing character education by listing 8 character principles that should be taught throughout the curriculum. Then create a corresponding learning experience that could be used to teach and practice each of the 8 character principles.
PART III: STANDARDS COMPARISON
National and state standards are the basis for planning, implementing, and assessing differentiated instruction. To complete the Part III Standards Comparison section of the assignment template you should:
First, consult the national standards at Education World – Curriculum: National and State Standards (located under Curriculum Project: Curriculum Essentials Project Resources); study those areas which pertain to the degree you are seeking (MAT for Elementary and SPED candidates review all four core areas (eg. Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, Social Science) since you will be endorsed and/or required to teach all core subject areas; MAT candidates in Secondary read through their specific content standards).
Second, read your state standards at your state department of education website (Ed Standards, located under Curriculum Project: Curriculum Essentials Project Resources may be a help to you if you are not familiar with your state standards; MAT for Elementary and SPED candidates review all four core areas since you will be endorsed and/or required to teach all core subject areas; MAT candidates in Secondary read through their specific content standards).
Third, compare your state’s standards to the VDOE Standards of Learning (SOL) and Testing, located under Curriculum Project: Curriculum Essentials Project Resources. (If you live in VA use the Virginia SOLs and compare them to another state of your choice.)
Fourth, write a standards comparison for one content area in the Part III Standards Comparison section of the assignment template. Compare and contrast within a content area from general comparison to specific comparisons. Provide thorough detail and note the specific state standards you are comparing. Summarize what you have learned through this comparison. This section should be one to two pages, single-spaced.
PART IV: STANDARDS INTEGRATION
Developing curriculum involves integrating standards across content areas. An interdisciplinary approach allows students to make connections among concepts, procedures, and applications to understand complex issues.
For the Part IV Standards Integration section of the assignment template you should provide five interdisciplinary learning activities that are hands-on and creative. Paste in the state standard you are addressing. Note the content area and the interdisciplinary nature of the activity. For example:
| Activity One | |
| State
Standard |
VUS.10 The student will demonstrate knowledge of World War II by
a) identifying the causes and events that led to American involvement in the war, including military assistance to Britain and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. |
| Integrative
Activity |
ART – During US History class, students can work in groups to create murals that showcase the events that led to American involvement in WWII. |
