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TR A N S F O R M I NG M I D D L E S C H O O L S
Guide to Curriculum Development
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Curriculum Development in Turning Points Schools. . . . . . . . 3
Five Principles of Curriculum Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1. Curriculum should be grounded in
an understanding of the middle school child. . . . . . . . 5
2. Curriculum should be based on what we want
students to know and be able to do. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3. Students and teachers should be engaged
in authentic, intellectual work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4. Assessment should demonstrate that students
can do important work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5. A coherent curriculum should be developed
across the entire school.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Turning Points Curriculum Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Components of Turning Points Curriculum Planning . . . . . . 14
Theme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Essential Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Learning Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Selection and Sequence of Learning Experiences . . . . . 27
Curriculum Planning Template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
A Turning Points Curriculum Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Turning Points Transforming Middle Schools
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iv Guide to Curriculum Development
Acknowledgements
The Center for Collaborative Education wishes to thank all the
Turning Points middle schoo