Author Topic: Example High School Curriculum (Read 22498 times)

noealz · « **on:** August 29, 2011, 09:15:09 AM »

Hello, I've been searching for a good skeletal curriculum for HS from which to build upon. Have also been searching with boards with no luck, are there any suggestions?

taebaekluke · « **Reply #1 on:** August 31, 2011, 11:05:51 AM »

I'm lucky. I've got a mid level academic high school in a rural area with 6 english teachers who can all speak impressive english. the headmaster was also a previous english teacher and as a result really pushes the importance of conversational english.

With 1st graders I mainly do functional english (I have them once a week, no textbook) with some listening focus (requested by coteachers).
With 2nd graders I do topic-based lessons (twice a week, 1 textbook which has limited use) with frequent listening activities (requested).

I made out a plan for my lessons this year, and haven't yet finished it (haven't included the grammar focus or materials, for example) but it might be of use to you. This is my second year in this school and all the lessons / topics / material that bombed last year i've thrown out the window, so most of it is interesting for the students.

L

shhowse · « **Reply #2 on:** October 06, 2011, 09:58:51 AM »

Hello everyone,

I noticed that a lot of new users/teachers have been asking about ideas on how to create a curriculum for your year teaching at high school. I thought I would provide an example based on what I have been doing for the past 3 years at my all-girls high school, which my Korean co-teachers have always very much enjoyed and approved. This is by all means not the be-all and end-all answer, but rather just something to give you an idea of how you can organize yourself to get started. You should always choose lessons that you are familiar and comfortable with (do some research and alterations before you teach anything!!!!), and also that address the needs of your students.

So first of all, some explanation about my set-up. My contract is for March 3rd, which means I start teaching every year right at the beginning of the new school year and semester, convenient! I make two curriculums, one for first grade classes and one for second grade. I see each grade, each class once a week for a total of 14 classes a week. This means I normally teach 2 lessons a week, one per grade. I recommend planning on 20 weeks of classes per term, though this will inevitably be shortened by exam days and random cancelled classes, etc. I would say out of those 20 weeks, I end up teaching around 14 class/game weeks, plus two exam weeks, plus two movie weeks. The other two if not more, weeks are cancelled for various reasons. As I said before, I always plan for the full 20. Don't be caught off-guard, thinking that you won't need any materials for a certain week; always have backup, just in case plans change.

So here's what my typical "curriculum" looks like:

First Grade

Week / topic: First Term
week 1 Introduction
week 2 Classroom Rules
week 3 Class Language
week 4 Greetings
week 5 Speaking Game 1 - Typhoon
week 6 Continents and Oceans
week 7 Prepositions
week 8 Paralanguage
week 9 Articles- The, an, a
week 10 <midterms - no classes>
week 11 Speaking Game 2 - Jeopardy
week 12 <field trip week - no classes>
week 13 Suggestions
week 14 Compliments
week 15 Song lesson (try to find something current, example Lady Gaga/Justin Bieber...)
week 16 Names
week 17 Survival game - Deserted island
week 18 <final exams - no classes>
week 19 End of term reward class - movie part 1
week 20 End of term reward class - movie part 2

Week / topic: Second Term
week 1 Summer Story
week 2 Hollywood Movies
week 3 Comparatives and Superlatives
week 4 Dirty Homes
week 5 Speaking Game 1 - Family Feud
week 6 Food Pyramid
week 7 <midterms - no classes>
week 8 Superstitions
week 9 Phobias
week 10 Halloween
week 11 Survival Game - Zombies
week 12 Shopping and Demonstratives - this/that, these/those
week 13 Adjectives - Fortune Telling
week 14 Comics and Cartoons
week 15 Song lesson (try to find something current, example Lady Gaga/Justin Bieber...)
week 16 <final exams - no classes>
week 17 PPT Bomb game - review and general trivia
week 18 Mr. Bean's Christmas
week 19 End of term reward class - movie part 1
week 20 End of term reward class - movie part 2

Second Grade

Week / topic: First Term
week 1 Icebreakers/Introduction if you have not taught them before
week 2 Valentine's Day
week 3 Ordering in a Restaurant
week 4 Restaurant Complaints
week 5 Speaking Game 1 - Typhoon
week 6 Survial Game - Deserted Island (a different version from Grade 1)
week 7 Space
week 8 Can you come to my Party?
week 9 Superheroes
week 10 <midterms - no classes>
week 11 Speaking Game 2 - Jeopardy
week 12 <field trip week - no classes>
week 13 Natural Disasters
week 14 New Government
week 15 Song lesson (try to find something current, example Lady Gaga/Justin Bieber...)
week 16 Charity or Protests
week 17 Speaking Game 3 - Word games
week 18 <final exams - no classes>
week 19 End of term reward class - movie part 1
week 20 End of term reward class - movie part 2

Week / topic: Second Term
week 1 Best Job in the World
week 2 Holiday Post Card
week 3 Keeping in Shape
week 4 Dating Etiquette
week 5 Speaking Game 1 - Family Feud
week 6 Music Genres
week 7 <midterms - no classes>
week 8 Interview
week 9 Giving Directions
week 10 Halloween
week 11 Survival Game - Zombies
week 12 Thanksgiving
week 13 Fairy Tales
week 14 Bucket List
week 15 Song lesson (try to find something current, example Lady Gaga/Justin Bieber...)
week 16 <final exams - no classes>
week 17 PPT Bomb game - review and general trivia
week 18 Christmas
week 19 End of term reward class - movie part 1
week 20 End of term reward class - movie part 2

Finally, I'm attaching my "Record of Class Schedule" which will give you an idea of how to keep track of your classes and what you have actually taught to each one. For me, this is essential because I am required to submit 3 exam questions for both midterms and finals. That means I have to know which topics all of my classes have completed by the exam dates. For example, I can't make a question for a topic that only 3 out of 7 classes have been taught; this would not be fair to the students who have not seen the material to study. I have additional explanation in the attachment itself, to further clarify how I use this worksheet.

I hope it's useful for you!

shhowse · « **Reply #3 on:** October 06, 2011, 10:02:46 AM »

I forgot to say my recommendations!

For any new teacher who are out there, and trying to come up with a plan for their year, here's a guide of what you could do.

From another post: "My suggestion would be to just spend some time reading through the various games and such in this high school board, to familiarize yourself with the types of topics and activities that go well in high school classes. Start on the "Lesson Plan Master List", to get an overview of topics, then go through the whole board, page by page, to check out things that sound interesting to you. A lot of time you need to learn by trial and error in your first few weeks. It also wouldn't hurt to do a needs analysis in each of your classes, to get an idea of what your students are interested in, and what they think is important to focus on in class.

There are several icebreaker games/activities posted somewhere on the board, so look for those to get you started. Then I would recommend compiling a list of topics you want to do, and make yourself something of a curriculum for the rest of your semester. Keep your students' needs, interests and proficiency levels in mind. After you make your curriculum, go through each of the topics you have selected and alter them to your tastes and teaching objectives. NEVER go to class without looking through the materials first and getting familiar with them. The students will know if you haven't a clue what you are doing, and will take advantage of that, plus you don't want to give your co-teacher an impression of lack of teaching ability. Take notes as to how each class goes, and make some changes accordingly, to improve things.

Later, when you feel more comfortable, you can try making some of your own lessons, and then share them on here!"

rleslie · « **Reply #4 on:** October 10, 2011, 01:00:39 AM »

Here is the template my high school uses.

rleslie · « **Reply #5 on:** October 10, 2011, 01:02:20 AM »

Here is a template we use in my high school for standards and assessments.

shhowse · « **Reply #6 on:** September 18, 2012, 09:50:44 AM »

Check out the thread in High School called "Example High School Curriculum". I wrote about and attached some examples there.

Author Topic: Example High School Curriculum (Read 22498 times)

noealz

Example High School Curriculum

taebaekluke

Re: Making your own curriculum ~ 1st/2nd grade

shhowse

Example High School Curriculum

shhowse

Re: Example High School Curriculum

rleslie

High School Curriculum Map Template

rleslie

High School Template for Standards and Assessments

shhowse

Re: Request- semester planning spreadsheet?