ISBN-10: 0871202867 | ISBN-13: 978-0871202864 | Publication Date: May 1997
Teachers have always used the school calendar to plan instruction. Now, using a standard computer word-processing program, they can collect real-time information about what is actually taught to create "curriculum maps." These maps provide a clear picture of what is happening in their classes at specific points during the school year.
The benefits of this kind of mapping are obvious for integrating curriculum: when curriculum maps are developed for every grade level, educators see not only the details of each map, but also the "big picture" for that school or district. They can see where subjects already come together--and where they don't, but probably should.
In Mapping the Big Picture, Heidi Hayes Jacobs describes a seven-step process for creating and working with curriculum maps, from data collection to ongoing curriculum review. She discusses the importance of asking "essential questions" and of designing assessments that reflect what teachers know about the students in their care. She also offers a viable alternative to the "curriculum committees" that are part of almost every school district in the United States.
The book concludes with more than 20 sample curriculum maps from real schools, all of which were developed using the process described in this book.
DR. HEIDI HAYES JACOBS, Executive Director of the Curriculum Mapping Institute and President of Curriculum Designers, Inc., is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of curriculum and instruction. She has served as an education consultant to schools nationally and internationally on issues and practices pertaining to: curriculum mapping, dynamic instruction, and 21st century strategic planning. She is the author of "Interdisciplinary Curriculum: Design and Implementation" and "Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment K-12", "Getting Results with Curriculum Mapping", all published by ASCD. "Active Literacy across the Curriculum: Strategies for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening" is published by Eye on Education. Dr. Jacobs has published numerous articles which have appeared in professional journals. She just just released The Curriculum Mapping Planner: Templates and Tools for Effective Professional Development, co-authored with Ann Johnson; and, Curriculum 21: Essential Education for A Changing World will be released in January 2010 and was selected as the worldwide member book by ASCD.
In January, 2010, she will be addressing the United Nations Council on Teaching about the UN. Over the years she has taught courses at Teachers College, Columbia University, NYC, from 1981 to the present. Dr. Jacobs has worked with the College Board, NBC Sunday Today Show, PBS Teacherline, the Discovery Channel, Children's Television Workshop, CBS National Sunrise Semester, ASCD, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, New York City Ballet Education Department at Lincoln Center, Peace Corps, the National School Conference Institute, the Disney Company, Prentice-Hall Publishing, the Near East School Association, East Asian Council of Overseas Schools, The Tri-Association of Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, the International Baccalaureate, the European Council of International Schools, and state education departments. She has been interviewed and featured in the New York Times, Educational Leadership, and Child Magazine, NASSP's High School and National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation" Broadcast. Dr. Jacobs has published curriculum materials with Prentice Hall, Milton-Bradley, the Electric Company, and Bowmar Publishing. ASCD has two video series focusing on Dr. Jacobs' curriculum models. In addition, Video Journal of Education features a series on her work, including Aurora Awards platinum award-winning Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening across the Curriculum video series.
Her doctoral work was completed at Columbia University's Teachers College in 1981 where she studied under a national Graduate Leadership Fellowship from the United States Office of Education. Her master's degree is from UMASS at Amherst and her undergraduate studies were at the University of Utah in her hometown of Salt Lake City. The fundamental backbone of her experience comes from her years as a teacher of high school, junior high school, and elementary children in Utah, Massachusetts, and New York. She is married with two children and lives in Westchester County, New York.
This review is from: Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment, K-12 (Paperback)
Mapping the curriculum is an outstanding, hands-on way to record the complete scope and sequence of the curricula in your school. It is, easy to read and gets directly to the point. I recommend this book to any school administrator or team leader. It will only take an hour to read, but will pay dividends for years to come!
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This review is from: Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment, K-12 (Paperback)
Jacobs presents a very simple, common sense approach to organizing and assessing curricula. Her curriculum mapping technique helps teachers to become better organized and it helps administrators evaluate curricula. In an age of standards and accountability, curriculum mapping also makes it easier to to incorporate standards into the curriculum. I would recommend this book to all educators involved in lesson planning and/or curriculum development.
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