Curriculum Planning

Core Question: How do you structure an online semester for World History? 

First I needed to make sure I had the following three things at my disposal. 

National Standards

The social studies standards have been widely and successfully used as a framework for teachers, schools, districts, states, and other nations as a tool for curriculum alignment and development 

State Standards

The Indiana Academic Standards are designed to help educators, parents, students, and community members understand what students need to know and be

able to do at each grade level, and within each content strand, in order to exit high school college and career ready. 

School Standards

These would be determined by the school board and approved by the community. 

Why are standards important? These three standard types provide a guide to what information should be covered. Think of these are the raw natural resources needed to make a great product. 

Building the Foundation

Unlike a traditional classroom setup, the digital classroom gives students much more control over the pace at which they learn and meet requirements. 

Therefore, you need a core theory or system from which every unit and lesson will be run through. This common foundation provides learners the opportunity to experience something similar to their peers, while also having the potential to be wildly different or unique.