About
Storyboarding Curriculum Maps
by Danielle Traphagan
M.S.Ed in Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum; Teacher Leadership and Coaching Track
Biography: Danielle Traphagan is an 8th grade U.S. History teacher for Northwest Hendricks School Corporation with 16 years of education experience. Danielle started in education as an Instructional Assistant in the Special Education department of a Title 1 urban public school in Indianapolis. After obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Danielle taught middle school for 12 years. Danielle is a recipient of a Forum Credit Union grant to obtain GPS trackers for her 6th grade Geography students. She has been an instructional leader in various roles; from mentoring new teachers to the Social Studies department Vertical Team Leader. In her free time, Danielle volunteers with her local school’s Youth Assistance Program and coaches Academic Super Bowl at her current school.
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Storyboarding Curriculum MapsCurriculum Maps need an overhaul. My colleagues and I don’t ever look at our Curriculum Maps unless told to by the Instructional Coach or Curriculum Director. The only time we open them up is when the timeframe or the dates need updating. Our curriculum maps were delegated to us and we find them boring and useless. They are just one more thing to check off our list. But what if curriculum maps were engaging, visually appealing, and useful? What if we expected our students to engage with the curriculum map? The Curriculum Storyboard, created by Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Allison Zmuda, is an engaging way of connecting to the curriculum across units in a single semester or school year. It includes a Streamlined process using standards, learning outcomes, a brief narrative and visually appealing images of authentic learning. Curriculum Storyboards go through a rigorous overhaul of what needs to be cut out, cut back, and consolidated (Jacobs & Zmuda, 2023). When created with fidelity, the Curriculum Storyboard offers an illustrative and narrative approach to curriculum mapping for teachers and students.
Keywords: Curriculum, Curriculum Maps, Curriculum Storyboard, Streamlining Curriculum, Vertical & Horizontal Alignment, Professional Learning Community