Julie Roberts

Curriculum Analysis
A curriculum is a written document put together by a district to outline the most
important outcomes of the learning process for specific content area and grade levels. It is
essentially a document stating the most important information to teach students during the year.
As an aspiring future educator I hope to be able to use the curriculum provided by my district to
build a learning community in my classroom. I hope to be able to use the curriculum provided to
support the achievement of each student in my classroom. Curriculums should be developed with
the standards in mind, but, a good curriculum should also be more specific than the standards it
was built around. A curriculum should focus on what happens during a short period time such as
a year, unit, or marking period. A well-designed curriculum should be the plan that focuses and
guides classroom instruction and assessment. A successful curriculum also sequences the
outcomes of student learning so that necessary skills are taught and prior knowledge is built
upon. It should ensure that students have all of the necessary prerequisite skills they need to be
able to succeed in the next topic. Unfortunately, not all curriculums we will be given as future
educators will be ideal, so learning how to find the positive and negatives in a curriculum is a
skill that will benefit us for life. For this assignment, I chose to analyze a Pre-Algebra curriculum
from Hazleton Area School District.
When I began to study the document the first thing I noticed was how the document was
formatted. The curriculum was fifteen pages and was last revised in 2008. I was surprised to see
that it was last revised five years ago and saw that as one negative about the curriculum. A
curriculum should be re-evaluated each year based on how successful or unsuccessful it was. It
was organized in a table with five columns that had the following main headers: quarter, content,
Commented [JNR1]: INTASC Standard: 7: Planning: The
teacher plans instruction based on knowledge of subject,
students, community, and curriculum goals
Commented [JNR2]: INTASC Standards: 1: Content
Pedagogy: The teacher understands the central concepts,
tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciple he or she
teachers and can create learning experiences that make
these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
Commented [JNR3R2]: Here, I recognize the importance
of a curriculum and demonstrate my knowledge of how
important it is to know how to analysis/create a curriculum
that will be successful.
anchors/standards, essential questions, and eligible content. I was able to flip through the
document and look at all of the goals the students would need to achieve by the end of the year.
It went in order from what content was to be taught during the first quarter to the fourth quarter
and it seemed as if each content area continued to build off of one another. Each piece of content
went along with what quarter it was meant to be taught during and there was about 15 content
pieces per quarter. This was able to provide me with an outline of how things should be paced
throughout the semester. I would be able to judge how many days I would like to spend on each
piece of content area based on how I thought the class would perform. Overall, the format of the
curriculum is easy to understand and follow.
When looking deeper into specific sections of the curriculum I uncovered some concerns
I would have as a first year teacher. Each content area comes with activities/notes under the
essential question header. The activities suggested went along with the section being taught and
the sections seemed to jump all over the place from content area to content area. For example,
content area 1 of quarter 1 went along with an activity for section 1.1 but content area 2 of
quarter 1 went along with an activity for section 4.2. This pattern of jumping between sections
continues throughout the entire curriculum. I feel as though constantly jumping from section to
section may cause confusion for some students. It made me wonder if the content areas were
organized in a way conducive to student learning. During the end of quarter 1 sections begin to
be taught in order from section 2.1-2.6. However, section 2.3 is started on the first day of quarter
2. Generally report cards are given at the end of each quarter, so splitting the lesson up between
quarters may be confusing for students. There also does not seem to be any type of pacing guide
within the curriculum. Some topics may need more time than others but it does not seem as if the
curriculum accounts for that. Each content area must be completed by the end of the quarter it is
Commented [JNR4]: INTASC Standards: 1: Content
Pedagogy: The teacher understands the central concepts,
tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciple he or she
teachers and can create learning experiences that make
these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
Commented [JNR5R4]: Again, I am able to realize the
negative and positive aspects of the Hazelton Area School
District curriculum I analyzed.
assigned to so it concerns me that if my students are struggling on a topic I would not be able to
give them the time they need to truly comprehend the lesson. There was also no indication on
when assessments should be given. It did not specify which content areas should be tested
together. Another concern I had when looking over the curriculum was the anchors/standards
that went along with each content area. Most of the standards made sense and were at either a
seventh or eighth grade level. However, some of the standards were at an eleventh grade level. I
was confused as to why I would be teaching seventh and eighth graders content that was meant
for an eleventh grader. While analyzing the curriculum it became clear that if I was given this as
a first year teacher I would have many questions and concerns.
There were also many positive things in the curriculum that I noticed as I was looking
deeper into each specific section. Each content area had an essential question to go along with it.
As a new teacher I think this would be very helpful when planning a lesson. It would help guide
me to the most important concepts my students should be getting out of each lesson. I would put
the essential question on the board throughout the whole lesson so my students would always be
aware of what the big picture was. Each content area also went along with an activity/note.
While the activities tended to jump from section to section I think that they would be a helpful
tool when planning my lessons. The activities could help me figure out the most important topics
for each content area and would be a good tool to use when deciphering which topics I would
focus on the most. Each content area also had eligible content that should be focused on during
each lesson. The eligible content provided a more specific look at what should be covered during
each piece of content area. While the curriculum never provided specific timeframes for when
assessments could be given, I think that this could be looked at as both a positive and negative
aspect of the curriculum. While it would be hard to determine which content areas should be
tested together, it also gives me the freedom to make the decision as I see best fit for my
students. If we need a few more days to cover a specific content area before an assessment is
given I would be able to make that determination. The curriculum provided a valuable
framework that would give me a great start to planning my lessons.
I found this curriculum analysis assignment one of the most beneficial so far throughout
my academic career in Bloomsburg University. This was the first time I was ever able to study a
curriculum and it gave me a great perspective on what it would be like to be a first-year teacher.
While curriculums are a great way to build a successful learning community, it is important to be
able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of a curriculum. All curriculums will vary
between schools so being able to determine the factors that would help me succeed is a valuable
skill to have. Overall, I feel as though the curriculum provided by the Hazelton Area School
District for Pre-Algebra is a very well put together curriculum. I could picture myself being
handed this curriculum by the principle and then planning my school year around it. This
assignment was able to give me a true insight on how overwhelming it will be to be a first-year
teacher, but it also showed me that given the necessary tools I will be able to succeed and thrive
during my first years as an educator.
Commented [JNR6]: INTASC Standard: 9: Reflective
Practice: Professional Development: The teacher is a
reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects
of his or her choices and actions on others and who actively
seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
Commented [JNR7R6]: I was able to reflect on the
curricle and think about how I would use it in my classroom.
I was able to think about which parts of the curriculum who
benefit my students and which part of the curriculum I
would change.