Curriculum at Your Core

Curriculum at Your Core is a practical guide to designing curriculum that meets standards, serves personal and institutional values, and intentionally leads to successful student learning. Identifying which understandings, knowledge, and skills are “most important” for students to learn is always a question of values, so getting clear on values gives teachers a starting place to design cohesive units, courses, and programs. Written by a teacher for teachers, Curriculum at Your Core includes stories, examples, and case studies from across grade levels and subjects, as well as exercises, protocols, and templates teachers can use when writing values-congruent curriculum. Some key features include:
• stories of failures and successes in designing curriculum
• metaphors from everyday life to help teachers understand curriculum design as a process rooted in values and culminating in meaningful learning
• examples of essential questions, assessment guidelines, lesson calendars, unit plans, and curriculum maps
• exercises and templates teachers can use to create and assess curriculum
• protocols designed to encourage inclusive participation and critical reflection when colleagues look at curriculum together