Curriculum Storyboards are designed as a narrative framed in the language of the target audience – the students.
At first glance, a storyboard appears simple. It is a clear, concise, and engaging overview of the year. But the truth is that a storyboard is initially drafted and then vetted and refined by classroom teachers and other influencers within a school.
As you move to make that initial draft, we urge you to think about the following components:
Title: Make it Compelling
The title should be clear and purposeful. You don’t have to make it clever, but that does help. It’s like a book title. It should be something the students are drawn to. They should recognize that this storyboard is speaking directly to them.
A third grader, for example, may find a title really fascinating and interesting on rocks and minerals. In a geology course in high school, however, there may be a different title that speaks to the students.
It’s fundamentally the same field. We are thinking of our reader: the audience.
Images: Draw Students In
The images are critical and we actually find that teachers love this component because it gets them to think about the essence – the big idea, the concept they want to elevate.
We are drawn to images. They tell a story and they stick. Whether you’re using icons or selected images, it doesn’t matter – the key is that they assist in telling the story and drawing in your students.
They have been one of the biggest breakthroughs in the Curriculum Storyboards concept.
Focus: Keep Your Audience in Mind
The focus is written to be clear and accessible to the audience, whether it’s parents or students. Eventually, you are going to be partnering with your students on the development of your storyboards as well.
And then the focus is written to be clear and accessible to the audience, whether it’s parents or students, and eventually, you’re going to be partnering with your students on the development of the storyboards as well.
Learning Targets: Clarify as a 10,000-Ft View
There is a flexibility to learning targets in that they can be adjusted based on the classroom experience. Teachers may leverage a few focus questions to act as the primary area of emphasis, but there are many other directions this section can be taken.
Learning targets could be focused on student-led conferences, on the basis of standards-based cradles, or instructional designs.
The key is to make this a 10,000-ft view as an organizing frame for the teachers to design and coach better instructional practice in their learners. It’s also from a learner’s point of view, however, to begin to track performance over time as well as continue to have a leading role in their own story.
Getting Started
The beauty of Curriculum Storyboards is both in the simplicity and the endless potential.
Yes, the template is a great way to present a curriculum in story form, but – prior to the presentation – the conceptualization, dialogue, and reiteration that happens around creating these is as much of a benefit.
As you look ahead to your next school year, consider digging deeper into Curriculum Storyboards to streamline your process.
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