Your Guide to a Great Year: Curriculum Maps
One of the biggest confidence boosters for me at the beginning of the year comes from having fantastic curriculum maps for EACH CLASS. They are a MUST! They provide the big picture of what I am going to be teaching with each project and when. By mapping out the projects and content, I can understand how one skill builds upon another. I know what materials I'm going to need and when I'll need them. I can see what projects will be completed in time for which competitions and student exhibits. I'll know when each assessment is and what benchmarks students should be reaching. Finally, I can easily answer the perpetual question of "what comes next?" Once the chaos of the schoolyear begins, your curriculum maps will provide you a calm center of organization to anchor to.
However, if you are new to teaching art, you might be asking... "Where can I get a great curriculum map?" Great question! Some schools and departments will provide you with one. Nice! You might ask another art teacher if they will share their's with you. You can look at resources online like teachers-pay-teachers or the Art of Education . OR just keep reading, and I'll share mine with you :)
But what makes a good curriculum map? For me, the answer is KISS. KEEP IT SIMPLE! Too often, curriculum maps include way too much information and ultimately cease to be effective as a useful document. I want my curriculum map to show me what I'm teaching, when I'm teaching it, and what content is linked to each project. Here is an example of my ART 1 curriculum map for 2018: