80. Strategizing Your Sequence: Curriculum Design Part 1

Secondary Science Simplified™

You asked for it so I’m going to give you what you want! One of the most frequent requests I get is for my curriculum design process. What better time to break down my process for you than during our Summer Podcast PD!? We are kicking off our curriculum design series by starting with the absolute first thing you need to do when designing a curriculum to use in your classroom.

Whether you are trying to figure out what to teach in a prep you have nothing for, or you have curricula for all your preps, you are going to walk away from this series knowing how to write a curriculum for you to use in your own classroom because I am breaking down my process step-by-step.

In this episode, I am sharing what this series is and what it is not, how to best use this series to achieve your goals, the importance of strategizing your sequence, and what action step you can take today to get started creating your own curriculum.

Not sure how to strategize your sequence? Think through these 10 questions:

1. What overall themes do I want to thread throughout my entire course?
2. What are the hardest topics traditionally for students?
3. What are the hardest times of year you typically experience for yourself?
4. Does it make more sense to go macro to micro? Or micro to macro?
5. Are there any units that HAVE to be taught in a certain sequence?
6. Are there any units (or concepts within units) that might make more sense taught in a different order?
7. What units best lend themselves to spring weather and getting students outside?
8. What units naturally have some fun projects in them that would be great for ending the year with?
9. Which unit in my course BEST ties all the other units together?
10. Is the sequence I have been using really effective or are there changes I could make to improve it?

Resources Mentioned:

• Sign up for the FREE Summer Podcast PD
• Download your FREE Classroom Reset Challenge.
• Send me a DM on Instagram: @its.not.rocket.science
• Send me an email: [e-mail]
• Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts.

Show Notes: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode80