Free Curriculum Map: The Ultimate Guide for Organizing and Managing Your Curriculum
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What is a Curriculum Map?
A curriculum map is a planning tool that allows educators to determine how content, skills, lesson plans and standards will be laid out for the year. Think of it this way: Imagine you’re going on a 9-month adventure. You’d want to be sure you had a path to follow so you can actually get where you are going. AND you would want to be sure you didn’t miss any of those important sights and highlights along the way. A curriculum map works the same way. It gives you a starting point, and guides you through the entire school year ‘adventure’ and assures that you don’t accidentally miss the exit to the Eiffel Tower!
A curriculum map will include the instructional big ideas for your classroom and suggest materials you can use to teach them. You will also want to keep an eye on your state’s standards so you won’t miss something important.
In general, you will find reading, phonics, writing, math, and more. It just depends on how detailed you want to go with your planning.
Homeschool parents may also want to follow a year-long curriculum plan.
How to create a curriculum map?
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is “How do I plan out my year-long curriculum?” In the past, I had planned out my year through a combination of paper, sticky notes, and gum wrappers (kidding on the last one!). Some school districts provide a curriculum map, but many do not.
But when I led our district’s instructional team, I knew I had to get organized to serve my colleagues and faculty members to the best of my ability. That was probably 10 years ago and I’ve been using curriculum maps ever since.
One huge consideration when going through the curriculum mapping process is to look at the grade level below the one you teach, and the grade above the one you teach.
For example, in kindergarten, you would want to see what Pre-K teachers are teaching, and the particular outcomes for each of the subject areas. The next step would be to look at the first-grade curriculum map. In this way, you’ll be able to pick up where the previous grade left off and make sure you have your students ready for the beginning of the year, next year. In this case, first-grade.
Remember, the key to your planning process is to look for the big ideas, so keep them simple and easy to follow.
How to use a curriculum map
Curricular mapping is a process (which produces a tangible resource) that helps teachers keep track of the work and student learning that’s taken place in the classroom. And perhaps most importantly, the work that still needs to be done. As the year progresses, you may find you need to modify your curriculum map.
Make notes as you go along on your actual document. Future classes of yours will benefit from the reflective practice of making notes, as you go through the year, of what went well. Also, making notes as you go, will help you keep track of an important concept that still needs to be covered.
If you’re anything like me, if you “think” you will remember at the end of the year when you are revising your curriculum map, you won’t… Mercy!
You will also find that having a shared curriculum map with your grade level team helps you collaborate more. Collaborating with your team members on student needs, instructional strategies, helpful resource types, and even classroom management, will prevent some of the stress and isolation that can affect classroom teachers. Whether you’re a veteran teacher or a first year teacher, sharing ideas with colleagues about different ways (THE BEST way!) to use instructional materials to cover the various teaching units, can sometimes be more valuable than any professional development meeting you’d attend. Yes, I said that!
Your curriculum map is also a great tool to use if you want to plan a celebration or room transformation. Now you can see how those special curriculum days make the most sense!
Sometimes it’s helpful to have someone do the heavy lifting. I created this curriculum map many, many, many years ago. Over the years, it’s been modified and updated. [See the previous section in this blog post about that.]
Scope and Sequence too!
Another question that I often get that goes hand-in-hand with curriculum mapping is, “What does your scope and sequence look like?” Over the years, I’ve modified the phonics scope and sequence for kindergarten and first grade. Deanna and I did that after pouring over research and consulting teachers who are in the trenches!
This free curriculum guide took a lot of time, research, and care to create, and it is MASSIVE. Here’s what you will find:
- kindergarten phonics scope and sequence, phonemic awareness, reading, writing, and math scope and sequence
- first-grade phonics scope and sequence, phonemic awareness, reading, writing, and math scope and sequence
- second-grade reading and writing
Because this document is so large, we included an interactive Table of Contents. When this file is downloaded on your computer, you will simply click on the boxes to jump to that section within the curriculum map pdf!
Other items included in this curriculum map
Curriculum Research
We’re often asked about the research we used to create our resources. You can find that information in this curriculum map download as well. We’ve listed the professional reading we used to create the original teacher resources. We highly recommend you look these resources up and include them in your own professional reading.
Curriculum Map Crosswalk
We are often asked how our resources work with other big box curriculum. We had some lovely teachers work on curriculum crosswalks. You can find a link to those within the curriculum map pdf as well.
Curriculum Map: Mentor Text Lists
Readers’ Workshop Suggested Book List
You will also find read-aloud suggested booklists! There are some suggested read-aloud books by month too. We now have 3 years worth of fantastic interactive read-aloud book suggestions. As I always say, you can’t have a deep conversation about a book if that book does not have deep roots!
Below, you can find our Read Aloud curriculum that we call Engaging Readers:
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse Free File
We also have provided a sample of our Engaging Readers for you! You will find a 5-day lesson plan for Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. The best thing about this sample is that it gives you an idea on how easy it is to teach the joy of reading with our Engaging Readers units. This free sample is complete with related comprehension charts, response pages, and related rubrics!
That sample is in this download and you’ll find the link at the end of this blog post.
Writers’ Workshop Mentor Text Lists
Over the years, we loved taking the extra time to curate a list of writing mentor texts. We also have some suggested writers’ workshop suggested mentor texts. We have also created a writer’s workshop curriculum that takes the guesswork out of teaching writing to emergent writers. Since creating this curriculum back in 2011, we’ve had thousands of teachers tell us how their students have blossomed and that writing is now their favorite time of the day. It’s very gratifying when so many different teachers have told us how these materials have made teaching easier and that they truly address the needs of the students!
Math Tool Kits
If you’re looking to organize your math time, you will find tips for creating Math Tool Kits! Game! Changer! To read more on Math Tool Kits and how they CHANGED my LIFE, you can read THIS blog post.
Example of a Curriculum Map
With this download, you’ll find an example of a curriculum map. In fact, you’ll find three examples of curriculum maps! You can use them as-is or as a curriculum map template model.
- Kindergarten Curriculum Map This curriculum map example is the actual one I created and used in my own classroom. It is a great starting place. If you need to modify the curriculum map for your classroom, simply grab your pencil and white-out and modify them to fit YOUR classroom and needs. In my opinion, the resources and support materials I’ve suggested are sound teaching practices that will help your instruction match the common core state standards (or for you rebels out there… your state’s objectives {insert winky face here}).
- First-Grade Curriculum Map You will find a first-grade curriculum map example in this free download as well. Again, you will have a simple curriculum pacing guide to help you.
- Second-Grade Curriculum Map We also have a second-grade curriculum map that includes the instructional focus for readers’ workshop and writers’ workshop.
Additional blog posts that may interest you:
I sure hope this helps you on your quest for an organized and effective year!
Curriculum Guide and Free Resources Download!
You can download the file below! Simply add your email to the box below. This curriculum guide will be sent to your email. (NOTE: check your spam folder if you don’t see it immediately.)
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Deedee Wills
My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!
Hi, I'm DeedeE.
My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!
Free curriculum planning Map
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50 Responses
You are absolutely amazing! Thank you for your generosity and kindness! Now, take some time for yourself! 🙂
I headed over to TpT to see how much this was and was so happy to see the word FREE! Thank you so much! Can't wait to print it and start planning. Well, I can, but I'm still excited! Ha!
Lisa
Always an Adventure in Kindergarten
Thank you for all the hard work this represents. I hope you at least got to do some of it pool side 🙂 Enjoy your last two conferences and the fleeting moments of summer!
Wow…and that is all I can say…wow!
OMG!!! THANK YOU!! THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW WOW WOW!!! What a huge help!! 🙂
This is amazing- thank you for sharing all of your hard work.
✿Tiffani Time 4 Kindergarten
Thanks for sharing, Deedee.
This is terrific, Deedee!
Jennifer
First Grade Blue SKies
Wow!!! You are so amazing! Thank you!
Cheryl
Crayons and Curls
Thank you for sharing from Texas ….go TEKS… 😉
Ha!!!
This is exactly what I have been "meaning to get to" all summer! I have a K/1 class this year and I was having difficulty creating a format that worked for what I needed to cover in each grade. Thank you for this amazing resource. It is brilliant and I am looking forward to using this in my planning! VERY HELPFUL!
Deedee, First of all, I cannot even imagine all that you do or when you even do it! And secondly… I just want to ((HUG)) you for sharing this hard work and wonderful resource. Please know how greatly it is appreciated! Thank you! Thank you! (Do you think I like it?!)
Carolyn
Kindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together
What a fantastic resource. Thank you so much!
You all are so welcome! I needed to make this for me and I am glad you are going to be able to rest easy knowing it is available for you! Thank you for your comments! I do appreciate them!
You are so organized! What lucky students you have! 🙂
Colleen Patton
Mrs. Patton’s Patch
These are great! My grade level is getting together next week to do long range plans and these will help so much! Of course we all do some things differently, but you put on paper what was only starting to form in my summer brain! Now if you could start on the math…. just kidding! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
Camp Kindergarten
Thank you for sharing all of your hard work with us. I love being a part of a community where we can bounce ideas and share what works. This is very helpful in my planning that I am actually working on right now!
Katie
Glitter, Glue & Giggles: a kindergarten blog
I can't believe that was free–thank you so much, as always, for your kind spirit and generosity. I am truly grateful!
This is awesome!!! I am so thankful that I got to learn from you at I Teach K! this summer. You are such an inspiration! And to do this and share with others…well, you are amazing! I appreciate your hard work.
Omg! this is exactly what I have been putting off doing!!! Thanks so much for sharing this and for free!!! You are amazing! I already have all the Reader's Workshops and I am currently in the process of making all the posters!!! Thank you so much!!!
Angela Nouryeh
DeeDee you are amazing! I hope that you get time to enjoy the summer. People are so lucky to see you at conference. I'm glad I got the chance!!
Just the word Curriculum Map strikes terror into the hearts of many. We worked it to death in after school inservice meetings two years in a row (and then never looked at them again). Thinking of a curriculum map as an outline for the year and a guideline for the direction you are heading makes it much easier to understand and more likely to be used all year. Thank you for sharing yours! It is a great starting point for making my own.
Terri Izatt
KinderKapers
Wow! Thank you for sharing this! It is amazing!!!
Thank you so much for so generously sharing this!
Thank you so much for so generously sharing this!
Thank you!! This is something my team is going to be doing in the near future, and seeing someone else's laid out, makes the task seem doable. Thanks for the ideas and encouragement. I will definitely be using this! Do you plan to do one for math?
Wow! This is amazing and you are apologizing for what exactly? We started fundations last year and this will be so helpful. We used the letters as they were presented in our reading program and it made starting Fundations in January a little tricky. Thank you!
Wow! Thank you so much Dee Dee. You are such an inspiration to all of us. I appreciate so much your willingness to share with all of us. My kinders and I love love love your products. Bless you!
Thanks for sharing this. I'll be referring to this often in the future!
Priscilla
Thanks so much for sharing, SHARING!, all your hard work! I teach Gr. 1 in Canada and I absolutely agree, this outline can easily work for it too. Enjoy the remaining time you have off, we don't go back til beginning of Sept. One more month to go, wahoo! Judy
Thank you so much. You are so generous!! This will be so helpful. We are to begin using the Common Core ELA standards this year at my school. This will be a great guide for us. Thanks again!
Thank you so very much! This is very much appreciated!
I have put my email address in to get the free curriculum map, but I haven’t received any email. I did it about a week ago, and again today. Can you please email it to me? amixon5@gmail.com
SENT! 😉
I’m not sure what is happening to my free curriculum map. I even checked my spam folder. Can you please send me an email too? Thanks!
rtjlolson@gmail.com
I sent it to you 🙂
I’m having trouble to download my free curriculum map. Can you please send me an email too? Thanks!
Skye2072@yahoo.com
Sorry! I just saw this! I sent it your way!!! You should have it in your email inbox 🙂
Hi! Just wondering what literacy program you use at your school? Are you familiar with American Reading program and the IRLA assessment?
Hi there! The curriculum map shows our literacy program. We actually got to write it ourselves. YAY!
I have entered my email three times over the past two days but have not received any reply or files for your K-2 Curriculum Map. I tried twice with my school email (and even checked the spam folder) and then tried my personal email and I still haven’t received any replies. What am I doing wrong??
Can you email me?
deedee@mrswillskindergarten.
I would like to have a free copy of 2 Month Curriculum Map With Mentor Text Lists For K-2 (FREE) 2019, but everytime I enter “join” it doesn’t work. Could you please send to my via email? Appreciate it.
Thank you.
Are you still stuck? I can email you a copy. Just let me know.
deedee@mrswillskindergarten.com
WOW!! LOVE THIS!! I’m wondering if there is an editable version of this?! My county requires us to follow there scope and sequence, but it’s not as user friendly as this! I would love to be able to move around standards and such. If not, I’d love to know how you created this!
Christina, I have to tell you a VERY sad story. I accidentally saved over my original. I can NOT believe I did that. SO next time I have to update it, I have to start from scratch! GAH! Yes! I CRIED!!!
Hi Deedee, I was looking to download this and there is no box to put my email in. Is this still availible?
Hi Stacy, I fixed the link. Will you let me know if you are still having trouble?
deedee@mrswillskindergarten.com
Hi Stacy!
Yes! I am going to email you the file.