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AnalysisofaCurriculum:ColoradoDepartmentofEducation
HighSchoolSocialStudies:WorldGeography
ClayWhite
UniversityofNorthernColorado

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IntroductionofCurriculum
IthasbecomeveryclearthattheSocialStudiesstandardsandcurriculum(aswellas
otherareasofstudyinmiddleschoolandhighschool)hasbeenaseriousshiftandconcerted
efforttoaddressingreadingandliteracyinsidetheclassroom.Thecurriculumsetforthbythe
ColoradoDepartmentofEducationforhighschoolworldgeographyfollowssuitandputsalarge
emphasisonreadingandliteracyaswellasdevelopingColorado21stCenturySkills.These
skillsarelumpedintofivecategories;criticalthinkingandreasoning,informationliteracy,
collaboration,selfdirectionandinvention.Withinthosecategoriesaretheactualskillsthe
studentsshouldhaveoncetheyhavecompletedthecoursewhichinclude;thinkingdeeply,
thinkingdifferently,untanglingtheweb,workingtogether,learningtogether,ownyourlearning
andcreatingthesolutions.TheGradeLevelExpectations(GLE)arerootedinotherareasof
SocialStudieswhichincludehistory,geography,economicsandcivics.Thesamplecurriculum
usedforhighschoolgeographyisveryindepthbutdoesnotspecifywhatspecificgradelevel
thisismostappropriatefor.
ThefirsttimeIwasintroducedtoanyofthesamplecurriculumsthattheColorado
DepartmentofEducationhascreatedwasformyTeacherWorkSamplethatwasnecessaryto
finishinordertocompletemyteachingprogram;Ihadusedamultipleofthesesamplesasa
guideasIcreatedasamplemonthlongunitplanformyfinal.Thesamplecurriculumsatthe
highschoollevelareonlyspecifiedashighschoolandthedistricts(andsomeschools)getto
makethedecisiononwhenthesecoursesaretaughttothestudents.Ibelievethisisnotthemost
productivewaytostrategicallyaligncurriculumandwhatthestudentsshouldlearn;thismakesit

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difficultforstudentstochangeschoolsandmakesuretheyhavetakenthenecessaryclassesor
coursestograduateandbesuccessfulinhighschool.
Whichcommonplaceistheauthorsstartingpoint?
Ibelievethecommonplaceforthecurriculumandtheauthorsstartingpointisthe learner
commonplace.AtthebeginningofeachsamplecurriculumputforthbytheColorado
DepartmentofEducationtheauthorstateswhatthelearnershouldbeabletoaccomplishand
learnbytheendoftheclassandwhatskillstheyshouldhaveastheymoveforwardinboth
academiaandlife.Withthisinminditseemsthatthestartingpointcouldalsobelabeledwith
themilieuorteachercommonplaces.ThereasonIbelievethatthemilieucouldbethe
commonplaceassociatedwiththestartingpointisbecausethecurriculumisfocusedonwhatthe
studentscandointhe21stcenturyandincludesstatementssuchasworkingtogether,creating
solutionsandthinkingdifferentlycanallbeappliedtothespecificsocialenvironmentofa
student.Thestartingpointcouldalsobelabeledwiththelearnercommonplacebecausethisisa
veryspecificoutlinetohowateachershouldgoaboutteachingaveryspecificclass;thesteps
arelaidoutfortheteacherinordertobestgetthestudentstoreachthebenchmarks.
Whatisnotspecificallystatedoraddressedingreatdepthinthecurriculumiswhatthe
studentsneedsinregardstopriorknowledgeandwherethiscurriculumandclassshouldbe
placedinsequencewithothersocialstudiesclassesatthehighschoollevel.Ithinkbothofthese
needtobeaddressedinmoredepthbecausethestudentscurrentlyinmyninthgradegeography
classseemtohaveverylittlebackgroundknowledgeofwhatthisclassisaskingthemto
eventuallylearnandmaster.Also,BoulderValleySchoolDistrict(BVSD)looksatviable
curriculumascreatingnewcenturygraduateswhichisallaboutbuildingthosenecessaryskills

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tobesuccessfulinapostsecondaryeducationworld.Thisiswherethelevelatwherethe
studentsaretaughtthissubjectmattercomesintoquestionandwhereImremindedoftheDr.
SeussstoryofYertletheTurtlethatConnellyandClandinintalkabout;inapracticalbattleina
worldoflimitations,whowinsoutinwhatisthelastthingorthemostimportantthingstudents
takewiththeminapostsecondaryworld(ConnellyandClandinin,pg.83).Ifinditinteresting
thatinalotofdistricts(includingBVSD),thestudentslearnaboutgovernmentandtheworld
outsideoftheUnitedStatesasfreshman.Somewouldsaywhattheylearnaboutasfreshmanis
actuallythemoreimportantthingstheywilllearninregardstotheactualmaterialthatweare
usingtoteachtheskills.Also,IknowofotherschooldistrictsthattreatWorldGeographyand
USGovernmentasyearlongcoursesbutotherstreatthemassemesterlong.DanielEdelson,
vicepresidentofNationalGeographic'seducationdivisionbelievesthatevenifthereisonlyone
highschoolgeographycoursetaught,thenthesubjectneedstobebetterintegratedintoclasses
suchashistoryandearthscience(usnews.com).Again,thisisanissuewherelotsofvoicesare
tryingtomakedecisionsonwhatisbestforstudentsoraslikeAristotlesays,ababbleofvoices
aboutsomethingthatweallagreeissignificant(ConnellyandClandinin,pg.83).
Whichcommonplaceisemphasizedinthetext?
Ibelievethatwithaheavyemphasison21stCenturySkillsinthebeginningandaglobal
perspectiveembeddedinmostofthetext,thecommonplacethatismostrepresentedinsidethe
samplecurriculumfromCDEismilieu.ConnellyandClandininhavesixcharacteristicsforthe
commonplacesanddescribethemilieuasapartofthechangingfocusoneducationandusesit
tolookattheworldthroughaninternationallenswhichleadstoasubtlechangefrom
knowledgetoinquiry(ConnellyandClandinin,pg.85).Milieuisallaboutwhatisastudents

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backgroundandwhatsocialorganizationandenvironmentastudenthasgrownupinandbeen
shapedby;thecurriculumfromCDEputsaheavyemphasisonlookingouttotheworldbut
usingyourownexperiencesortheexperiencesoftheUnitedStatestothestudentsanswer
internationalbasedquestionssuchas;HowhasthewarinAfghanistanchangedourperception
ofthepeopleandcultureoftheMiddleEast(SouthwestAsia)andHowdoesthemigrationof
MexicannationalschangetheU.S.culture?
Alargepartofthemilieuistheteacherandhowheorsheshapesaclassroomandcreates
theenvironmentthatfacilitatesessentiallearningandskillbuilding.IbelieveforWorld
Geographyatthehighschoollevel,theteacherneedstomakesurethatthestudentshavea
groundedfoundationinwhotheyareandwhattheenvironmentisandhowithasshapedthem
whilealsomakingsurethatcreatinganunderstandingofwhattheworldhastoofferandwhywe
arelearningaboutothersandhowtheyinteractwithusonadailybasis.However,Ifindithard
toteachthisclassatitshighestlevelbecause95%ofmystudentsareninthgraderswhohaveyet
towanttoexperienceandlookoutsidetheirownworlds;sometimesthesubjectmatterjust
doesntinterestormattertothem.Anexampleofthisistheintroductionofmigrationpatterns
throughouttheworldandspecificallytotheUnitedStates;thesestudentsseenewstudentsas
nothingmorethannewstudentsbutinrealityandsomethingthatItrytogetthemto
understandiswhythesestudentshavecometoourschool,whatfactorshaveledtotheirfamilies
decidingtomakeamove.Bytalkingaboutalocalfamiliesreasoningformovingtotheschool
community,Icannowtakethosesameideasandusethemtodescribewhyothersaroundthe
worldleavetheirhomesforotherplaces;IthinkthisisobservedbyDeweyaswellwhenhe
statesAprimaryresponsibilityofeducatorsisthatnotonlybeawareofthegeneralprincipleof

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theshapingofactualexperiencesbyenvironingconditions,butthattheyalsorecognizeinthe
concretewhatsurroundingsareconducivetohavingexperiencesthatleatogrowth(Dewey,
40).Ashasbeenstatednumeroustimesalready,thislessoncanbelostonstudentswhoarenot
closetofindingthemselvesinapositiontomoveandstarttheirownadultmigration;this
lessonwouldbemuchmoreimpactfulontheseniorlevelstudent.
AppropriatenessofCurriculum
Overall,Ibelievethiscurriculumdoesworkatmyhighschool,NederlandMiddleSenior
HighSchool(NMSHS),butIdobelievethisisacoursethatwouldbebettersuitedforhigher
levelhighschoolstudents,atleastatmyhighschool.ThereisacourseattheAPlevelthatis
taughtinhighschoolsaroundthecountry,whichisAPHumanGeographywhichintroduces
studentstothesystematicstudyofpatternsandprocessesthathaveshapedhumanunderstanding,
use,andalterationofEarth'ssurface(collegeboard.com).TheissueattheheartofNMSHSand
notbeingabletoofferthisAPcourseisthefactourstudentnumbersaresmallandgetting
smallerandaswitheverythingitcomesdowntomoneyandhowmanyteacherscanbepaid
insidethebuilding.Withthatbeingsaid,Istillthinkthiscourseshouldbetaughtatthe11thand
12thgradelevelwithelementsoftheAPcoursecanbeincorporatedintotheclass.
IbelievethatthepresentcurriculumofCDEdirectlyreflectswhatisnecessaryinour21st
centurystudents;theabilitytoreadandwriteatahighlevel,beingabletoanswerthetough
questionsinlifeasitpertainstoourcountryandbeyondandhavetheskillsnecessarytoperform
inthepresentandfutureworld.Whenyoucombinethiscurriculumwiththatofyourlocal
district,itallowstheteachertohaveaverywellroundedexampleofwhatisexpectedofthe
studentintheclassroombutultimatelygivestheteachertheframeworktocreateaclassroom

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thatfosterslearningatahighlevel.Thiscurriculumisappropriatebecauseitwaswrittenfornot
onlythestudentsofthedaybutcouldeasilybeusedforourstudentsofthefuture;inother
words,thiscurriculumwouldberelevantnotjusttodaybutcouldbemodifiedinminorwaysbut
stillbeusefulastheworldcontinuestochange.Itismyfinalbeliefthatthiscurriculumsultimate
goalistoallowthestudentstoseetheworldfromwhateverclassroomtheyinhabitinColorado;
itallowsthemtolearntheultimate21stgoalwhichistoseetheworldthroughtheeyesofthe
peoplewhoareexperiencingitbutultimatelyusingthatinformationtounderstandboththe
worldattheirdoorstepandbeyond.

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8
References

CollegeBoard.(n.d.).RetrievedOctober16,2016,from
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/8154.html
Connelly,F.M.,&Clandinin,D.J.(1988).Teachersascurriculumplanners:Narrativesof
experience.NewYork,NY:TeachersCollegePress,TeachersCollege.Columbia
University.
Dewey,J.(1997).Experienceandeducation.NewYork:Simon&
Schuster.
Koebler,J.(2011,July20).HighSchoolSeniors'GeographyScoresDon'tImprove.Retrieved
October16,2016,fromhttp://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/highschool
notes/2011/07/20/highschoolseniorsgeographyscoresdontimprove