It can be overwhelming to be tasked with lesson planning, especially when trying to consider your objectives for an entire year. The place to start is by developing a curriculum map, or scope and sequence. This post includes a free curriculum map template to get you started in lesson planning for math.
FREE Template for Lesson Planning in Preschool Math
Even with years of education and experience, knowing what to teach and when is difficult. Especially in preschool where not every state has a set of objectives to follow for the year.
But let’s take a step back and define the term “curriculum map.”
Most simply put, a curriculum map is an outline, or framework, that lays out what you plan on teaching during the school year and when it should be taught. It is meant to guide your instruction. It helps you organize skills and content in a systematic way so that your instruction is intentional. You can use a curriculum map all year long.
A curriculum map is also referred to as a pacing guide or a scope and sequence.
There are many benefits to using a curriculum map in preschool, especially when lesson planning in math. Using a curriculum map helps your organize your year and helps you plan out what should be teaching and when. Those are two important points, and one should not be without the other. Effective teaching happens when the skills progress in an organized manner. But the most important part is that a scope and sequence tell you in what order to teach skills!
This is especially true when lesson planning in math and literacy. Lesson planning in math requires a plan.
But not to worry. This post offers a FREE scope and sequence template for teaching preschool math.
*** Be sure to grab your FREE scope and sequence template for preschool math at the end of this post.***
Oh, and it’s fully editable, too, meaning you can just type right into the document and save it on your computer!
How to Write a Curriculum Map for Preschool Math
You don’t have to design you very one curriculum map. I’ve already done that for you. Your job is to fill in the specific skills and activities, and I’m going to show you just how to do that using my FREE and editable template.
Materials
- free scope and sequence template (from the end of this post)
- colored pens (optional, since the document can be filled in on the computer)
What is Included in the Curriculum Map Template for Preschool Math
There are five basic columns in my math scope and sequence.
The template covers the month, of course, as well as circle time ideas, and suggested activities.
But here’s the kicker. Math has five disciplines. Number Sense, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, and Data Analysis and Probability. All five of those disciplines should be covered systematically throughout the school year. My template has that filled in for you. And there, of course, is space to record suggested activities within each discipline.
The scope and sequence template make lesson planning in math so much easier!
The math disciplines are “spiraled” which means they are organized in a looping manner where you come back around to them later in the year to explicitly teach those skills. You can read more about how I came up with this process in this post about lesson planning in math. Because the number sense strand is so important in early childhood education, we loop back around to that every other week.
How to Fill in Your Curriculum Map
When lesson planning in math, I like to start with my circle time concepts. I like to add shapes and colors we might focus on, usually paired with a holiday, as well as numbers I hope for my preschoolers to be able to identify. (I focus on number identification 0-10 for my 3-year-old class and 0-20 for my 4-year old class). Typically, I choose one shape and color for each month and then the focus number varies on the age group.
Then comes the best part.
The suggested activities.
This is the time to scour my blog for all the math activities you can find, including free math printables and my printable math packs. Check out my Pinterest boards Number Identification and Counting as well as Math Beyond Counting for preschool measurement, graphing, and sorting activities.
Then, start filling in the suggested activities.
I call them suggested activities because everything on a curriculum map is just a guideline, meaning that they can, and should, be altered and tweaked and the students demonstrate.
I do this for my entire year to help with my lesson planning in math.
Now, remember, this free printable comes with a scope and sequence template for a 3’s class and a 4’s class. And, it’s fully editable so you don’t have to print it out and write by hand. Although I’m old-school like that because I like my colored pens. (I still use a classic paperback planner).
Differences in the 3-4’s template and the 4-5’s template
The differences in two templates are specific to what is developmentally appropriate. When a preschooler is four to five years old, they are ready for data analysis and probability. This is a little more than just graphing, which can be introduced in the 3’s class. Activities in probability can also include any of these activities.
Looking for More Lesson Planning Resources?
Have you seen my post series about how to write preschool lesson plans an entire year at once? Put in an afternoon and you end up with an entire year of lesson plans basically written out and ready to go.
Just click the links below or click the images for more information.
But don’t forget to grab your free printable template below.
Want Your FREE Scope and Sequence Template for Preschool Math?
If this looks like useful planning tool, you can grab your own copy by clicking the image below.
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
do you have something similar for literacy? just an outline/ planning guide
Yes, I do! You can find it here: https://tstest34.techsurgeons.com/how-to-write-preschool-lesson-plans-a-year-in-advance/