Mapping the Foreign Language Curriculum

Foreign Language
Curriculum Mapping
• Deborah W. Robinson, Ph.D.
• [email protected]
What IS Curriculum Mapping?
• A tool for communicating the “Big
Picture” for curriculum decision
making.
• Documentation of content, skills, &
assessments of students’ actual
learning experiences in the classroom,
by the calendar.
Additional Map Content
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Unit Themes or Topics
Essential/Guiding Questions
Learning Activities
Vocabulary and Structures
Materials and Resources
The Mapping Process
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Phase One: Collecting the Data
Phase Two: The First Read-Through
Phase Three: Mixed Group Review
Phase Four: Large Group/Job-Alike Review
Phase Five: Determine Immediately
Revisable Points
• Phase Six: Determine Points Requiring Study
• Phase Seven: The Review Cycle Continues
What Are the Benefits of
Curriculum Mapping?
1. Involves all teachers in the curriculum
development process through
constructing, reading, & comparing
maps.
2. Ensures horizontal and vertical
articulation within/among departments
through discussion about key
concepts, skills, & assessments.
Benefits (Continued)
3. Promotes interdisciplinary
connections.
4. Serves as a monitoring device about
whether standards are being met in
each classroom.
5. Ensures that the textbook cannot
become the default curriculum.
Academic Content Standards
Importance of Verbs >>> Cognitive
Engagement with Material
Importance of Nouns >>> Content
How Do the K-12
Academic Content Standards
Fit with Mapping?
• Begin with the grade-level appropriate
indicators.
Level One starts in Grade 7? Use Grade 7
Level One starts in Grade 9? Use Grade 9
Level Two? Use Grade 10
In Addition…
• Include Lower-Level Indicators in
Activities, Formative Assessments
Groundwork
Foundational Tasks
Scaffolding Tips
Mapping Misconceptions
1. We Must Develop Generic Maps for Level
One, Level Two, etc.
• Problem: Content ≠ Same
(vocabulary, structures, cultural information)
• Skills and Assessments May Be The Same
• Solution: Maps for Each Language, with
Dialog on Common Skills/Assessments.
Example
Theme: Family
• Chinese
• Vocabulary
– Nu’er, er’zi,
• Structures
– Tamen shi wo nu’er,
wo er’zi, he wo.
• Cultural information
– Number of Children
Limited or Pay Fees
• French
• Vocabulary
– Fille, fils
• Structures
– Voici ma famille: ma
fille, mon fils, et moi.
• Cultural information
– Government
Encourages Having
Children
Skills and Assessments
SKILLS
• Describe Your
Family.
– Identify members
– Physical/personality
description
– Professions
– Favorite Pastimes
ASSESSMENTS
Create a ______About
Your Family.
- oral presentation
- book
- multimedia
presentation
- poster
Mapping Misconceptions
2. Our maps are being used as check-off
sheets for the FL Academic Content
Standards.
• Problem: Indicators are functional and
repeat throughout year.
Example
“Engage in oral, visual or written exchanges
to obtain and provide information related
to target language cultures or topics from
other content areas.”
(Grade Seven, Indicator 1)
• Solution: Make a scatter plot to reveal
gaps and redundancies.

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