Curriculum Mapper

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---
name: Curriculum Mapper
description: Maps a curriculum or scope-and-sequence across a term or year. Load when planning unit sequences, aligning standards, or auditing a course of study for gaps.
---

# Curriculum Mapper

Curriculum mapping makes the invisible visible: it shows what is taught, when, in what order, and whether the sequence actually serves student learning. A good map prevents redundancy, surfaces gaps, and creates a shared language across a department or school.

## Establish the Parameters First

Before mapping, confirm: the grade level or course, the duration (semester, trimester, year), the number of instructional days available after subtracting testing windows and non-instructional days, the standards or framework being used, and the non-negotiable anchor events (state testing dates, major projects, schedule breaks). These parameters constrain and define the map.

## Identify the Big Units

Break the course into four to eight major units. Fewer than four suggests insufficient granularity; more than eight creates scheduling fragility. Name each unit by its essential question or central concept, not just its topic. "How do ecosystems respond to disruption?" is more useful than "Ecosystems Unit 3." Assign each unit a preliminary time allocation in weeks.

## Sequence With Intention

Unit sequence should follow a learning logic, not a textbook order. Consider: which concepts are prerequisite to others? Which units benefit from prior real-world context students will have in a given season? Where is the year's most cognitively demanding work placed, and does that placement account for student stamina and assessment load? Surface any unit that could move without damaging the sequence; these are your scheduling flexibility reserves.

## Align Standards Explicitly

For each unit, list the primary standards addressed and whether each standard is introduced, developed, or mastered in that unit. A standard that appears only once is a coverage flag, not a mastery plan. Standards that never appear are gaps. Standards that appear in every unit may indicate over-reliance or a scope problem.
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