Assignment: Curriculum Foundations

Scenario: Assume that you are the curriculum designer for a school district. The school board has requested that several teams develop proposals for new curricula to meet newly established state standards. You and your team must develop the first proposal to provide as a pilot or model for the other teams. You have to first identify a specific curriculum area not currently used in the school district that would greatly benefit the students in the district. Use the Internet or the Strayer Library as well as your textbook to develop a pilot curriculum for a specific discipline area (reading, math, science, etc.) or grade level (K-12) at a local school district.

Assignment: Curriculum Foundations

Refer to the Scenario for Assignments. Build on the same pilot curriculum you identified in Assignment for this assignment.

Write a six to seven page paper in which you:

1. Summarize the following aspects of Assignment:

1. Describe the specific curriculum area and grade level(s) for the pilot curriculum

2. Provide four core instructional goals for the curriculum.

2. Describe the approach to curriculum development (i.e., behavior, systems, humanistic) you will use to shape curriculum design, providing a rationale for your selected approach that is consistent with the core instructional goals of the planned curriculum.

3. Describe the philosophical / theoretical approach to curriculum development (idealism, realism, etc.) you will use to shape the curriculum design, providing a rationale for your selected philosophy that is consistent with the core instructional goals of the planned curriculum.

4. Describe the psychological motivational approach to curriculum development you will use to shape the curriculum design, providing a rationale for your selected approach that is consistent with the core instructional goals of the planned curriculum.

5. Discuss one cultural influence that has the greatest impact on the school district and provide a rationale for the impact it has on the district.

6. Recommend at least one effective way to integrate the cultural influence into the planned curriculum that is consistent with the core instructional goals of the planned curriculum.

7. Develop a strategy for incorporating critical thinking skills (appropriate to grade level) into the planned curriculum using Bloom's Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives.

8. Provide a rationale for your strategy that is consistent with the core instructional goals of the planned curriculum. (Note: A brief description of Bloom's Taxonomy may be found at Center for Teaching and Learning located at http://teaching.uncc.edu/articles-books/best-practice-articles/goals-objectives/blooms-taxonomy-educational-objectives.)

9. Use at least six (6) relevant, scholarly references published in the last seven (7) years (three [3] new in addition to the three [3] identified in Assignment 1). (Note:Wikipedia and other non-government Websites do not qualify as scholarly resources. Review the supplementary readings list on the first page of the course guide for possible references.)

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify the key elements of curriculum design and development.
• Compare the philosophical foundations of curriculum.
• Consider how psychological foundations play a role in the development of curriculum.
• Analyze the relationship of social foundations to K-12 curriculum.
• Develop the strategies and techniques to support curriculum planning.
• Design curriculum plan for a current or future school setting.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in curriculum planning.
• Write clearly and concisely about curriculum design and development using proper writing mechanics.