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Developing curriculum is a tough assignment for rst year teachers. However, understanding what to expect
and preparing ahead of time can be of great help. Here's a list of strategies for curriculum building from
various teaching professionals.

Learning to Build Your Curriculum

If you're looking to develop your own curriculum as a new teacher then you may nd yourself overloaded with
curriculum building software, how-to articles, and numerous books. It's an overwhelming process whether you're
planning for preschool or graduate school. However, there are general principles that you can use as a guideline for
preparing your own curriculum. Here are seven principles to get you started.

Focus on the Students

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When writing curriculum, it helps to remember that it's not about writing the best lesson plans or developing a
perfect set of in-class projects and assignments. Instead, it's about meeting the needs of the students in a way that
ensures the material is understood, maintained, and applied in and out of the classroom.

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English educator, Dr. Todd Blake Finley, PhD (https://www.edutopia.org/blog/planning-best-curriculum-unit-ever-
todd- nley) has prepared a free Unit Plan document to lead rst-year teachers step by step through the curriculum-
building process. In this downloadable PDF document (https://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/blogs/edutopia- nley-
planning-curric-unit.pdf) he lays out eight stepping stones to building a solid curriculum focused on student needs at
all learning levels.

Describe your vision, focus, objectives, and student needs.

Identify resources.
Develop experiences that meet your objectives.
Collect and devise materials.
Lock down the speci cs of your task.
Develop plans, methods, and processes.
Create your students' experience.
Go!

Ask for Help

Seek out seasoned teachers and ask for their input regarding your curriculum. If you don't have a mentor think about
asking a fellow teacher if he or she would be willing to walk alongside you during the rst year. There's no need to
reinvent the wheel. Ask your mentor what he or she did when it came to curriculum building during the rst year.
Professional teachers are a wealth of information (http://www.hu ngtonpost.com/deborah-chang/5-things- rstyear-
teache_b_6166002.html) and are often more than willing to share their knowledge with others.

Choose a Supportive Program or Software

Most teachers will tell you that they don't plan their lessons or build curriculum on their own. In fact, oftentimes
supportive computer software, online programs, or basic planning maps are used as a guide. Here are a couple of
online resources recommended by teacher and curriculum developer Lily Jones

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(https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2014/08/01/making-planning-manageable/):

Planning to Change the World plan book (http://www.justiceplanbook.com/)

Planbook.com (https://www.planbook.com/)

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Online programs are especially encouraged as they enable teachers to access curriculum anytime, and make
modi cations for future use. If you're on a budget, look for free resources online (i.e. Finley's Unit Plan) or ask fellow
teachers for a curriculum sample to use as a guide.

Avoid Prepackaged Curriculum

Packaged curriculum can be a great learning tool especially if you're looking for a hands-on sample to go by. However,
it's not suggested that you use the curriculum as your set course of action. Boxed curriculum tends to be scripted and
t one type of student or learning level. What works for one teacher's students may not work for another teacher's
students. In the end, you may nd yourself re-writing and restructuring the curriculum so it will t the learning levels
and needs of your students.

Schedule Planning Time

Creating multiple lesson plans in order to build curriculum takes time. It's important to schedule in planning sessions
and blocks of time to work on curriculum. Learning how to manage that time is also important. Teachers shouldn't get
bogged down on curriculum development. Work on it in sections or by units. Set goals for yourself that t in the
allotted time and when time is up, step back and step away for a break. It's not a race. It's your students' entire year
of learning so make sure to handle it with care.

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Remember U-Turns are Allowed
As a rst year teacher developing curriculum for the rst time, it's important to realize that it's not going to be perfect
the initial time around. It may not even be where you want it to be the fourth or fth time around and that's OK. Even
when the nished product is ready for launch, there still may be a few bugs to work out. That's why it's critical to put
the curriculum into motion. Start teaching from it and see if it works. You won't really know if the assignments, class
projects, or even guest speakers are a good t for your class until they are presented. Be prepared because some
things will work out perfectly while others will need an immediate facelift. This is all part of the process of curriculum
development.

Plan for Feedback and Assessments

Don't forget to build in assessments and time for feedback when developing your curriculum. You will need to be able
to measure how well students are doing. Set aside time to engage students in conversations about the day's lesson
and assignments. Find out what they liked or did not like and what they might want to do di erently. Encourage
students to speak up if they didn't understand some of the material presented as well.

At the end of the day, it's not about the curriculum or plan itself. It's about the students and how well they
understood the lessons presented. It's about the presentation of the material and the student's ability to understand,
retain, and apply it.

By Amanda Johnson

January 2017

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