Week 6

Guided Inquiry & Inquiry Learning Models  BONUS!

Reading #2

Curriculum Mapping: Infusing 21^st Century Standards and Academic Standards

Everett, J. A. (2003). Curriculum mapping and collection mapping: Otherwise known as “the camel with two humps”. In B. K. Stripling & S. Hughes-Hassell (Eds.), Curriculum connections through the library (pp. 119-137). Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.

“Curriculum mapping and collection development go hand in hand” (p.119).

In her article, “Curriculum Mapping and Collection Mapping: Otherwise Known as “The Camel with Two Humps”, Everett breaks mapping down into two distinct categories.  First, the mapping itself and second collection mapping for collection development.  As Everett takes curriculum mapping to the final level of collection development, it becomes clear that the media specialist is an essential player in what happens to all learners in every classroom of the school.

A fundamental reason why curriculum maps are so important is because they help take curriculum to the level of the “21^st century” by allowing for easy integration  and collaboration.  Moreover they change the role of the media specialist as Everett states, “curriculum mapping played an enormous role in changing my job description from that of a storyteller and book circulator to that of an educator who must be extremely knowledgeable in what is being taught on every level.”  Although she does not blatantly say that curriculum mapping is potentially our best way to save our jobs it is an implicit theme with in the article.  

As she shares the second category, collection development, it is clear that Everett understands the collection development is both difficult, time consuming and tedious.  However a collection of outstanding materials is a powerful tool to generate teacher buy-in and to enhancing the curriculum for the students.  From her own experience, it is possible to create a path for our school’s collection development based on the school’s curriculum maps. 

Once a solid collection is built she moves on to create unit boxes.  This is an awesome and highly useful tool that saves teachers time and helps them understand the breadth of the collection in their own media center. By providing boxes of unit enhancement tools the media specialist gets to have another opportunity to interact with the teachers, allowing the media specialist to continue her collection development and better understand the teachers’ needs. 

Everett’s story is important for two reasons.  First, she is able to show us how to build the map and that the hours of work is worth the trouble.  Second, she shows us how the map is a fundamental way to build an outstanding collection.  By explaining these two benefits, it is clear that curriculum maps can potentially be the saving grace to our profession.