Yes, Students Should Be Able To Tell the Story of Algebra 2

That’s right. Students should be able to tell the narrative story of Algebra 2 … and Rocks and Minerals in third grade … and Chemistry. It’s a mark of true comprehension. It is something students who have not only grasped concepts but are involved with them are able to do. It’s also at the heart […]

How to Design a Winning Curriculum Storyboard

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 […]

Whoa! A New Framework for Curriculum Design

In a recent presentation with Eduplanet21, Heidi Hayes Jacobs and I showed a Curriculum Storyboards example written by a fifth-grade teacher at Virginia Beach City Public Schools. When I look at this example, my eye is immediately drawn to the visuals. I see the roller coaster and then my eye follows that up to the […]

Curriculum Is Not a Script

“The job of teaching is not to ‘execute’ the paper curriculum irrespective of results, any more than it is the coach’s job to execute the playbook irrespective of the score. The teacher’s job is to flesh out the lessons in the curriculum and adjust instruction, whenever needed, to ensure optimal learning and performance. Given that […]

How Curriculum Storyboards Provided Better Time Management to One First Grade Teacher

Books created by first grade students

Laying out traditional curriculum within a storyboard provided efficiency and organization Last August, I conducted a virtual presentation to teachers at Colegio Maya in Guatamala, clarifying the Curriculum Storyboards concept and providing design feedback to the teachers. Today I had the pleasure of meeting the teachers for the first time, hearing from one of the […]