Chapter One

Curriculum is a sequential list or plan of things students are expected to learn in a particular subject or grade. Curriculum describes the learning goals for a subject and the specific objectives the child will achieve in order to reach the goals. Each grade and each subject within the grade has its own curriculum. Some curriculum guides include suggested lesson plans, instructional materials, and student assignments.

The curriculum for each subject usually includes a list of all the skills and concepts for that subject that will be taught throughout the grade or school year. Most school systems have curriculum guides for each grade and each subject taught in each grade.

Teachers usually know what their students will be doing in their classrooms tomorrow, next week, next month, and so on, because they use the school's curriculum guides and textbooks for planning what to teach next. Parents can get copies of the school's curriculum guides for

any school year

any subject area

any grade

by asking for them from the school principal or the school district's central administration office.

Curriculum guides typically list both the skills and the concepts for each grade level. A skill is an action such as writing or a process such as adding and subtracting, naming letters and numbers and other activities that a student must learn to do in order to complete other tasks. Therefore, if a child is to be successful in school, the basic skill subjects must be learned well.

A concept is a thought, idea, or understanding. After t