Planning a new course from scratch can be really tough. This upcoming school year I will be teaching a new course, with new standards from a new state. My new standards are very vague and open ended. I’m having a hard time trying to figure out exactly what content needs to be taught for each standard.
I will have a team of other teachers in this course – thank goodness. I didn’t have that during my first year of teaching when I was the only chemistry teacher in the building.
This year I will be organizing my standards thematically, checking for recurring standards, and doing some basic research. I want to appropriately match the standards to content. I am coming from very specific standards that told me exactly what I needed to do so this is fresh.
In this podcast episode, I outline a few of the resources you can use to plan a new course.
Other Teachers
People who have been there and done that will almost always be your best resource. The reason is because you can ask questions! Reach out to people in your school or district. Call the neighboring school. Maybe even ask a stranger on Instagram. Most teachers would be willing to help!
Textbooks
When planning a new course from scratch, textbooks are a great place to figure out the content of a course and how it matches your standards. Use the textbook in your school building, even if you won’t use it with the kids. It will show you some course organization. And remember, you don’t have to go in order of the book! Sometimes even just a peak at the Table of Contents can be a big help.
Free Textbook Company Resources
During the distance learning, hybrid craziness, I was given two new courses. And I relied heavily on the free resources from our textbook company. I was given the PowerPoints, question banks, answer keys and even images so I could make my own worksheets with them. It was a game changer!
Final Exam
If your state or district gives a final exam, see if you can sneak a peak at it to get an idea of the course as a whole. It will also give you an idea about the styles of questions to prepare your students for.
Cheap Workbooks
Planning a new course from scratch is a lot easier with a lightweight workbook. It usually covers the same content as a textbook, but in a much more concise way. Plus they’re usually cheap and loaded with questions you can steal.
Teachers Pay Teachers
Even if you don’t go there to buy anything, there is plenty of opportunity to research! The content was all put together by teachers so you know it’s going to be useful. You can get lessons, units or an entire curriculum. There are also product previews and descriptions for you to check out if you’re just going to research.
Learn more about my curriculum planning method in the All Star Planning Masterclass.
