Curriculum Project for EDU 555

Rebecca Shepherd

SUNY Oswego

June 24, 2015

Section 1. Original Curriculum

Below is the URL to the PDF that will take you directly to the file for the original curriculum.

Core Knowledge Language Arts® Scope and Sequence • Listening & Learning Strand • Grade 1

ELA/Social Studies

https://www.engageny.org/file/106391/download/ckla_g1_ll_scope_and_sequence.pdf

I also attached the PDF itself to my final submission, in the drop box.

Section 2. Project Selection and Design

Problem Identification

What is the problem? The problem is with the curriculum and the sequence of the curriculum.

Also, there are not enough materials to support specific domains for the curriculum.

List a variety of possible instructional solutions and include non-instructional ideas such as

changes in staff, rooms, books, equipment. There is a possibility of instructional and non-

instructional solutions that I hope to include. I want to instruct social studies in a more

sequential manner. This would take reorganizing the layout of the domains within the

curriculum and teaching them in a sequence based on events and relevance.

Another solution would be to add material to the curriculum. I have a selection of Maestro

books that pertain to ELA for domains 5 and 10 and I want to add them to the lessons to better

prepare the students for future lessons within ELA. These books would supplement the social

studies text books, not replace the text books.

What would be an ideal solution? An ideal solution would be to dive deeper into domains 5 and

10 that relate to U.S. History and America and find a balance of material to better teach our

students. Bringing in more pertinent materials for the lessons would be important and

spending more time making transitions from one lesson to another would help students obtain

important and useful information regarding social studies, for future classwork.

Why is solving this problem important to us or to you? Solving this problem would be important

to us because students are entering higher grade levels lacking knowledge on particular events

and important people. There is a lack of materials used for social studies that would allow for

students to learn more about history. If our students are learning in a more sequential manner,

they are more able to recall the important information. This would be important to future

teachers because students will be better informed and able to remember more of what they

previously learned, making future knowledge easier to gain.

Why is curriculum changing? Discuss: It is important to keep the curriculum relevant in our

schools. Curriculum needs to be changed every so often to make sure goals and requirements

are being met. As the staff and students are ever-changing, the material and curriculum should

be changing along with them.

The goal for my curriculum changing would be to better equip the students in Social Studies for

present classes and future classes. There is so much information missing from the domains as it

pertains to history lessons and the students are lacking knowledge that would be useful for

future studies.

Changes in goals, people, field of study. There are changes in the goals will be long term. I

want to see the students connect and use the information for other domains and lessons in the

curriculum. The students will be able to recall information that they learned about in the

beginning of the year and implement it to lessons they learn about toward the end of the year

and even the following year. The field of study changes due to the fact that social studies is

expanded in students’ learning and connections are made to the student’s lives and made

relevant in other subjects and lessons within ELA.

Changes in your interests or learners' interests. The changes in my interests would be long

term. I want the students to be able to draw from their studies and recall past events and

information, in order to reconnect it to their current situations. I want the learners, or

students, to be interested in knowing the past and look forward to drawing from relevant

information when they continue to future grades and learn about details in American History.

Changes in requirements for learners next step [school or work]. The changes in requirements

for learners will be through school. The students will be expected to know more details about

events in early civilization and be able to recall particular events, times, and people.

Requirements for school work will be held to the same standard and the workload will stay the

same. Class work will be integrated, but requirements as far as student performance will be as

expected.

Context

Describe the schools background and setting. Camden Elementary is near the heart of Camden,

right down the road from Camden’s high school. It is situated on a corner lot. Camden is a

small town, therefore their schools are close in proximity to one another and each one is in

support of the others.

What is the current situation [prior to any change]? The current situation is there is little focus

on history, and the historical topics that are covered are not sequential. In other words, the

curriculum jumps around chronologically, and does not make connections between the

historical topics covered—which are several modules apart.

School's features and location. Camden school district consists of a high school, a middle school

and three elementary schools. The locations are spread across the town of Camden and just on

the outskirts of the town. Usually, people who live in the district commute to whichever school

is closest, then they are meeting at the high school, once they reach that age.

Camden is a smaller town, but there are a number of people who live in and near the town.

There are a few features that have been applied to the high school, which support the athletes.

The new football stadium and turf were recently added, along with the new auditorium and

cafeteria. Camden elementary had an upgrade to their playground recently. Unfortunately,

one of the elementary schools closed down, so the volume of that school was consolidated to

another. The elementary schools are lacking special features and a lot of the budget is being

given to the high school for renovations and additions.

People [students, teachers, administrators, staff, parents, community] Stakeholders. The people

involved in the school are dedicated and hard working. The school is a smaller school size, only

consisting of grades kindergarten through fourth-grade. The staff and administration are

personable with one another and they are all willing to work together to accomplish any goals.

The students and parents are local and are involved in school functions, as much as possible.

These families work hard for their education, but unfortunately, this is a low income school, so

parents are volunteering their time instead of money.

The community is always supportive of school functions, fundraisers, and activities. There is a

sense of camaraderie and when it is possible, the community is there to support the education

system in their town.

The teachers or stakeholders are dedicated educators. They are supportive of their students

and they go above and beyond to help them in any way they can. The support extends to after

school activities and extracurricular activities. The students are important to the teachers and

they want to see the students succeed.

Priorities and goals. The priorities for Camden are student safety and wellness. These are the

first priorities for a lot of schools, and Camden is always putting their students first. Like most

districts, Camden wants to see its children succeed—from pre-kindergarten through high

school. Camden places emphasis on the balance between academics and activities, as it

realizes the importance of the extracurricular.

Support [time, resources (people, materials, facilities, fiscal). Camden is a small town, with little

integration, but socioeconomics is a huge factor as far as support of the school and community,

state, and nation. Students are served reduced and free lunches, depending on the household

income. Donations are made by the community for students who need school supplies.

Teachers are oftentimes supporting their own classroom with materials and supplies they buy,

out-of-pocket, and the school holds fundraisers and solicits donations for the school and

students. The funding is supplemented by the state, but it is oftentimes supported by the

people of Camden. The schools are old and a bit outdated, as far as the rooms and facilities.

The elementary schools are lacking, but the high school has been granted funding for

renovations and updates.

Subculture/Support system in the classroom/school/community/state/nation. There is plenty of

moral support when it comes to the education system in Camden. There is a sense of support

among staff and teachers, which works for the students as well. The camaraderie in the school

extends beyond the walls of the schools and reaches out to the community. The town is small,

so everybody works together to support one another. During extracurricular activities, the

community gathers together and stands up for one another. I seek support of the state and

nation because I am in support of the students obtaining more valuable information within the

curriculum. I want the support under, “No Child Left Behind Act” in regards to our school being

held to the same standards as other schools. Supporting my cause would ensure that students

are receiving appropriate information for success.

How might these factors impact change? These factors may impact change in a way that may

support my curriculum. In that case, I would have the support of the schools, teachers,

community, and nation, which would back my need for change within my classroom. This

would allow me to teach the curriculum in the way I propose and the students would benefit

from the decision.

How might these factors facilitate/constrain change? These factors may facilitate/constrain

change because the curriculum includes factors that would be based upon socioeconomics.

The district is low-income based, so I would be hesitant to request more supplies and materials

for the curriculum, but in order to better serve the students, history books would need to be

updated. If I don’t get appropriate funding for my new books, the curriculum change would not

be able to take place.

Need

Is the gap between what is and what should be? Yes, there is a gap between what is and what

should be. The original curriculum is lacking sequence and the new curriculum will be more

sequential between the domains and introduce new material for the updated lessons.

How do you know you have a problem? I know there is a problem because when I look at the

lessons, I am left to fill in the blanks on my own, instead of learn the material as it should be.

The students are unaware of the details, even after the lessons are taught.

What evidence supports this? What kind of data? The evidence that supports this is from the

second grade teacher and the indication that the students are unable to recall particular

information from first grade social studies. The data that supports this are questionnaires from

when the students begin early lessons of social studies, pertaining to prior knowledge learned.

Where is that evidence? How do you gather that data? The evidence and data I have gained is

from the interaction I have with colleagues and teachers from other grades. Teachers are able

to take evaluations to determine knowledge retention. This data is usually gathered at the

beginning of the unit or start of the school year.

sGoal Setting

How would you define a good outcome to your new curriculum? Ideally, students will retain

some fundamental knowledge of American history and will be positioned to build upon this

foundational knowledge in subsequent years.

Describe your vision for your final product. My vision for my final project would be to create a

curriculum that flows more steadily for the students. As I reviewed the original curriculum,

there were domains that jumped around and seemed out of place. The sequence of the

curriculum was not easy to follow and may seem confusing to students who are trying to learn

about history. The materials for U.S. history are lacking and the content that is required will not

allow for students to obtain the appropriate information for further study. I want to create a

curriculum that includes more material to support the domains in ELA and teach in a more

sequential manner.

In what ways do you want your school to improve? I want my school to improve by supporting

the appropriate funding for more materials needed for the curriculum. Instead of placing so

much emphasis on the high school athletics, I would encourage the schools to pay attention to

the funding that is needed in the elementary schools. One of the primary schools shut down,

due to lack of funding and community support. Although the community is supportive of their

school districts, the economics are unsupported because of the low socioeconomics in the area.

Dissemination

Who are these people and what are their roles in the school and this process?

Stakeholders- Teachers, Students, and Parents. These are the main people involved in the

process of introducing and using a new curriculum.

Blockers- School Board, Financial Administration. These are the people who will essentially

prevent me from obtaining the new curriculum.

Gatekeepers- School Board, Administration, and Accounting. These are the people who are in

charge of allowing me to take the necessary steps in creating the new curriculum.

Power Players- State, Nation. The state and nation are my dominant groups. If I don’t have the

necessary backing of the state, I don’t have support to change the curriculum.

Early Adapters- School Districts, Teachers. These are the people who will be involved first. I

need to run my ideas by my school and colleagues to get a feel for the change and attitudes of

others, first.

How will you promote your plan? I would first start talking to my peers and colleagues about

my ideas. I would ask for their opinions and any ideas they may have, pertaining to the new

curriculum. I would be working with other teachers to create the new curriculum, so I would

ask for their input. Next, I would speak to my administration and ask or any support. The

district has a big hand in making these types of decisions, so it would be important and

mandatory to have their backing. I would want to get the school and district talking about the

new curriculum ideas and take the outline from there. If the teachers and administration of my

district are on board with the new curriculum, I would be ready to promote my plan to the

school board and receive the appropriate backing I would need to carry out the plan.

Implementation

How do the 3 R’s of change: relevance, readiness, resources tie into implementation?

Relevance is the main point of the curriculum change. I wanted to bring more relevance to

social studies when the students are learning about U.S. history. After reviewing the

curriculum, as is, it was clear to me that the sequence of events was misleading and too far

apart. There is too much important information that is left out, so I want to prepare the

students and get them ready for lasting information. If the material is connected in a

sequential manner, the content may be more easily remembered.

Readiness of student knowledge will be important to the curriculum change. In an effort to

help students obtain more information, they will be ready to move on to second grade with

more preparation and knowledge on American history in social studies.

Resources play an important role in implementing the new curriculum because I am proposing

the use of new material. Books from the Maestro book series, on American History are

available for purchase and they are geared toward the new content in which I am including in

the new curriculum. These resources will allow for students to read and gather important and

relevant information on new and old topics as they pertain to American history.

How do you know you solved the problem you identified? I will know I have solved the problem

because students will be able to make connections between important events, time, and

people as they pertain to American history. I want to make a smooth transition for first graders

into second grade social studies and if I can tweak the sequence of the lessons and add more

relevant and pertinent materials, the connections may come easier to the first graders when

they reach second grade.

What evidence supports this? What kind of data? The evidence that supports this would be

how well the first graders are able to retain the information they have learned. There would be

appropriate assessments for the first grade students to take. Also, when the students reach

second grade, the information they learned when they were in first grade should help them

connect with the new information they are learning.

The data that would support this would be assessments, such as group discussions, class

participation, and review assignments. If students can recall the information they learned from

first grade, the assessments will gather that information and the data can be analyzed and

reviewed. Teachers will be able to assess where the students are, as far as how much they

remember. This would also allow teachers to know what material needs to be reviewed and

where they are able to begin the lessons.

Where is that evidence? How do you gather that data? First, I would want to take final

assessments of my first grade students at the end of the year. I would be interested in how

much information they have retained from American history. The evidence would be following

the students from first grade to second grade, so at the beginning of the year, I would ask

teachers to talk to their students as a group. I would ask the teachers to do a review, which

would benefit them as well. This way, the teacher knows where their students stand. Then,

the students can be given a review sheet. This wouldn’t be graded, but just to collect data on

how much information was retained and what they are looking forward to learning about in

ELA in second grade. The data can be reviewed by the second grade teachers and shared with

the first grade teachers, so the plans can be revised for the incoming first grade students.

How will you revise your plan when needed? New curriculums are revised all of the time and I

am a firm believer is change. I am trying to meet the needs of my students, so if the plan needs

to be changed, I would do so. I plan to revise my plan at the beginning of the year, after a

review assessment was taken. I want my first graders to come to my class with some

knowledge about history, but many are not familiar. After the assessment is taken from the

second graders, I would be able to alter my plan in any way I needed.

Section 3. Revised Curriculum

What is the focus/topic and rationale of your curriculum? The focus and rationale of my

curriculum is to introduce sequential elements of social studies and for connections to be made

throughout the stages of history. In order for my students to be able to recall events, they are

going to need to learn a broader range in events. Teaching my students, using the cause-and-

affect approach will allow them to go back and recall said events. They will be learning the

‘why’ as well as the ‘who,’ ‘what,’ and ‘when.’

Prepare a one page letter to your students about why it is important for them to study/learn

about your subject area:

Letter to Students:

Dear Students,

I am writing you to inform you of a curriculum change for ELA. At the beginning of the

year, we are learning about American civilization and by mid-year, I am usually teaching

Colonial America. I am interested in teaching these domains in a more sequential order, so you

are all able to retain the appropriate information.

First, we would learn about the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs in American civilization. We

would learn about the importance of the civilization and how these civilizations came to be. I

would also like to incorporate more books on these topics and learn the cause and effect, in

order to better prepare you for future knowledge. It is my personal goal to teach these lessons

in an order that makes sense to the actual time periods.

Next, we would learn about colonial America and I would introduce more books that

make America their priority. It is important to be able to learn these topics in a sequential

manner because you will be able to remember the events, dates, and people involved in each

lesson. This will allow you to recall the information by the end of the year and you will be able

to remember the information by the time you reach second grade.

The books that I would like to incorporate will be the Maestro book series. I propose to

supplement the Maestro books for history to fill in some of the blanks that my curriculum is

currently lacking. These books are for younger grade levels and even though you, as first-grade

students, wouldn’t be able to necessarily read the books independently, being able to listen

and learn from the stories will be helpful. I would read to you and encourage you to listen and

focus on the stories within the series that are not touched on in my current curriculum.

Eventually, you would be able to use the Maestro books for your own use and would be used as

a reference in future grades.

Along with reading from new books for the subject matter, you will be asked to write in

your journals and create a life-size timeline for the classroom. Each student will participate in

the creation of the timeline and by the end of the units, the timeline will be completed and

span around the room. Art projects and drawings will also be a part of the units. Art is an

important part of the social studies units and will benefit your skills as a student. Your art

projects will be an important way for me to check your understanding and will assist you in

visualizing life as it was for American civilization and colonial America. As we read along in the

books, we will be placing illustrations with the words and creating life for the stories.

I believe it is important that you are all learning the new curriculum in a sequence that

would benefit you now and in the future. The material is exciting to learn and it is beneficial for

everyone to be on the same page, when it comes to learning our history. This is a curriculum I

wish I had when I was learning about much of the same material. I would have liked to been

engaged more in the lessons and learned about the history of American civilization in a way

that would have allowed me to remember the important events.

I hope you are all interested in the new curriculum as it pertains to social studies lessons

on American civilization and colonial America. I know we will have a lot of fun this year and I

am ready to start reading from the new books and materials that go along with the extended

material. Happy Learning!

What are the characteristics of your target audience(s)? The characteristics of my target

audience are good listeners, interested readers, and children interested in social studies and

history.

Who are they? My audience are first-grade students who are interested in ELA and social

studies.

What are their strengths and weaknesses as learners? The students’ strengths are as strong

listeners, and they are able to retain information. The students enjoy artistic projects and have

always enjoyed being creative.

The students’ weaknesses are spelling and independent reading. The class includes help from a

resource teacher and some students are a grade level behind for reading comprehension. With

assisted reading and small groups, these students will excel and learn how to retain the

information they are reading.

The spelling doesn’t seem to be a major concern with the writing assignments. At this time,

students are learning new words every week and are working with a resource teacher to learn

how to spell properly. This is a skill that takes time and practice, so the writing assignments will

assist the students in their writing and spelling.

How do they respond to your subject area? The students are responsive to social studies and

ELA. Overall, the students enjoy learning about the history of America and how it came to be.

They seem especially interested in the early setters, such as the Aztecs and Mayans and are

interested in learning more about their lifestyles and how they compare to civilization today.

What is the time frame in terms of which part of the school year? The time frame for the

curriculum is in the middle of the school year because the first domain in in the beginning, in

domain 5, and the second domain is toward the end, in domain 10. Essentially, I would like to

have the sequence shifted and the domains would be placed closer together. The new time

frame would be in the beginning of the year, around domain 5.

How many days/weeks, units? The curriculum would cover two (2) units, spanning over the

course of 31 days. Domain 5 would cover 15 days or about 3 school weeks and domain 10

would cover 16 days or just over 3 school weeks. Although the domains are listed as 5 and 10, I

would be changing the sequence of domains with my new curriculum, but the amount of time

per lesson will stay the same.

List unit objectives as outcomes aligned to appropriate NYS Learning Standards.

Students will be able to:

Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or

lesson; ask and answer questions about key details in a text; use illustrations and details in a

story to describe its characters, setting, or events; with prompting and support, students will

make cultural connections to text and self; distinguish between information provided by

pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text; and

demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print (CCLS, 2011. pp. 17,

20, 22).

What will students be able to know and do [content and skills] as a result of completing your

course? Students will be able to establish the fundamentals of early civilization, as it pertains to

the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas. They will be able to compare and contrast the lifestyles of early

settlers and Colonial America (Core Knowledge Foundation, 2014, p. 21). Students will also be

able to make connections throughout the course of history to the information they learn about

early civilization and later civilizations.

Students will be introduced to America and how it came to be. Students will learn about

important figures in history, as well as dates, times, and events (Core Knowledge Foundation,

2014, p. 44). Students will also be able connect with early civilization through cause and effect

by drawing from previous studies.

How will you engage the students in learning, including interdisciplinary connections and

teaching for all learners? The students will be engaged in a number of ways, including

interdisciplinary connections for all students. The students will be asked to read from

textbooks and write throughout the lessons. The students will be participating in whole group

and small group discussions and activities. The students will also be completing writing

activities, such as journal entries, timelines, and short stories.

Along with the reading and writing, the students will be asked to draw and illustrate certain

depictions of civilizations and people from history. Drawings and art projects will help the

students illustrate and visualize the things they are reading about, which will help them relate

and draw connections from one to another.

Describe interdisciplinary connections to at least three other subjects. The interdisciplinary

connections to three subjects are reading, writing, and art. The students will be asked to read

and write throughout the lessons. Reading and writing are all a part of ELA, but each aspect is

its own in an important way. Students will be asked to create art projects and create drawings

to help illustrate their knowledge and what they are visualizing. Art, in my opinion, is one of

the most important subjects in school because it is all-encompassing. There are so many

different ways to include art within a subject, and students tend to learn better and more

thoroughly within that subject.

Discuss considerations for children with special needs. Some considerations for students with

special needs would be to engage the student in the activities as much as possible. Having the

student participate in the discussions or work with the students in a small group session would

enable them to get the appropriate understanding of the content. Also, this would allow for

me to check their understanding and work more closely with the students.

I believe students with special needs would benefit from whole group participation and writing.

The student should be able to write or type their work, with assistance if needed, and allow

them to have extra time. Processing new information can be challenging for anyone, so it is

important that the students don’t feel overwhelmed.

Describe the assessment strategies for student learning. The assessment strategies for student

learning would be student feedback and discussions. I believe the whole group discussions

would be a great way to check for student learning and understanding. I do not believe formal

assessments would be an acceptable for this learning because many students struggle with

exams and they may know the information. Also, my students are first graders, so I believe

tests or quizzes would not be appropriate for this grade level. If the students are being asked

about the information they learned in an informal setting and situation, such as whole group

discussion, they would be able to describe, at length, the material they remember and retained.

I would also be interested to in reading about the experience the students had, while learning

the new information. I would ask the students to keep a weekly journal through social studies,

and it would be turned in at the end of the week. This would be a great way to check for

understanding on certain subject matters. This is another informal way to assess the students,

but I believe they would be able to express themselves. This is also a way to keep the students

thinking about what they already learned and apply it to any new information they learn along

the way. This keeps the curriculum relevant and fresh.

I like the idea of creating a large timeline for the room and having students place important

dates, times, people, and events onto it. This would be a constant, on-going project that would

be on display for the class to see. This is a good way to keep the past and present events and

dates on their minds and in plain view of the students. Being able to have the timeline as a

reference would help keep information available.

Section 4. Concept Map with Reflective Essay

List (Developing Curriculum)

Time Relevance Data

Money Students Stakeholders

Support Resources Gatekeepers

Revised Curriculum Audience Blockers

Original Curriculum Grade Level Early Adapters

Goals Teachers Power Players

Objectives Content Readiness

Materials Assessments Implementation

Subculture Support Background Setting

Concept Map

Developing Curriculum

Original Curriculum

Time

Money

Support

Revised Curriculum

Material

Goals

Objectives

Content

Assessments

Stakeholders

Power Players

Gate Keepers

Blockers

Early Adapters

Students

Teachers

Data

Grade LevelRelevance

Readiness

Resources

Setting/Background

Subculture Support

Reflection

My thoughts on curriculum have changed from when I first began this course to now. I

had never really put much thought into changing a curriculum because I assumed that

becoming a teacher would include already-made curriculums and I would just follow along. I

didn’t realize that I was capable of possibly being part of a curriculum for which alterations

could be made. When I thought of a curriculum, in the beginning of this course, I initially

thought of an outline for the year. It included the basics, such as materials, objectives, end

goals, and lessons. I had no idea curriculum development involves so much more, but now that

I have developed my own change in curriculum, I know it entails a great deal more.

Developing a concept map really helped me put my thoughts together in an organized

and constructive way. I was able to start with the basics of curriculum development and simply

add on from there. It created a flow to my thoughts and the design of a curriculum and

enabled me to place particular elements where they needed to be. It was easier and more

useful when making connections to the different elements of a curriculum.

I learned a lot about myself and others’ specialties and I really appreciated being a part

of the discussion during the curriculum overview section. I always find my peers’ feedback to

be very insightful when it comes to discussing material and these discussions helped prepare

me for developing my own curriculum changes. I was able to discuss, in detail, particular

changes that were more important and details of a curriculum that needed to be met. Had it

not been for these discussions, I may not be as prepared as I am now. It provided an outline

and a sense of what others thought about what is important when developing a curriculum.

After completing the discussions for my group, I enjoyed reading others’ thoughts and I felt like

we were all on the same page, at that point in the course.

I will continue to use this knowledge and these experiences in my professional

development as an educator. I know that I am now capable of recognizing changes that may

need to be met. I am aware of goals and priorities that need to be addressed when teaching a

curriculum in my own classroom. I will not be overwhelmed when I am given my designated

curriculum because I know how to navigate and understand how a curriculum is developed and

used. This was a huge accomplishment for me through this course because, until now, I was

unsure as to how to even read and look through a curriculum. I am now confident in my ability

to do so and be successful in teaching from one.

I hope to be a part of developing a curriculum someday, and I know that I have a ways

to go in learning how to do so, but this was a huge start in the right direction. I feel that I am

more than capable in really getting to know a school and working with others to create a

successful working environment, in order to meet my needs as a teacher and my students’

needs. Making a curriculum better and more able to fit those needs is an important and

reachable goal for me now. I appreciate the complexity of a curriculum and I cannot wait to

develop a curriculum of my own, in the future.

References:

EngageNY. (2014). Core Knowledge Language Arts- Grade 1. Retrieved from

https://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-1-ela-curriculum-map

https://www.engageny.org/file/106391/download/ckla_g1_ll_scope_and_sequence.pdf

NYSED. (2011). Standards for English Language Arts and for Literacy in History/Social Studies

and Science. Retrieved from https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-p-12-

common-core-learning-standards-for-english-language-arts-and-literacy