Semester Curriculum Map

Map a single semester of instruction with realistic pacing, organizing 18 weeks of units, standards, and assessments so you start the term with a clear plan and finish with everything covered.

All SubjectsMiddle School (6–8)High School (9–12)

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When to use this template

  • Planning a semester-length course (high school)
  • Beginning-of-semester planning when a full year-long map feels like too much
  • Second-semester replanning based on first-semester experience
  • When you need to coordinate pacing with colleagues teaching the same course
  • Any time you want to see 18 weeks of instruction at a glance

Template sections

Name the course, identify the semester, and count the actual instructional weeks available.

Course name and grade:

Semester (fall/spring/Q1-Q4):

First and last instructional dates:

Mandated testing windows:

School events affecting instruction:

Actual instructional weeks available (after subtracting disruptions):

List all units in sequence with week allocations.

Unit 1 (weeks 1–N, title, essential question):

Unit 2:

Unit 3:

...

Mid-semester review week:

Total allocated weeks vs. available:

Buffer weeks:

Map standards to units for this semester.

Standard 1: Unit(s):

Standard 2: Unit(s):

...

Standards with insufficient coverage:

Standards carried over from previous semester:

Map major assessments across the semester.

Week 2–3: Unit 1 formative

Week 4: Unit 1 summative

Week 6: Unit 2 project due

...

Mid-semester assessment:

Final assessment:

Plan the mid-semester check-in where you assess progress and adjust the second half of the map.

Mid-semester check date:

What you will assess (student progress, pacing, gaps):

How you will adjust the second half if behind:

Topics you could drop or compress:

Topics you should not cut:

Note key resources needed across the semester.

Primary texts and materials by unit:

Technology resources:

Special materials to reserve in advance:

Collaborative planning with colleagues:

The Flip Perspective

A semester map works when it is realistic from the start, accounting for all the non-instructional days before you allocate weeks to units, not after. This template builds in time for disruptions, review, and mid-semester adjustment so the plan survives contact with the actual school calendar.

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Adapting this Template

For All Subjects

Apply Semester Map by adapting the phase timings and prompts to fit All Subjects's unique content demands.

About the Semester Map framework

A semester curriculum map covers approximately 18 weeks of instruction, the standard half-year in most school systems. It is more detailed than a year-long map and more strategic than a unit plan, sitting between them in the planning hierarchy.

When semester maps are most useful: Semester maps are essential for semester-length courses (common in high school), for teachers who plan one semester at a time (a reasonable approach for newer teachers), and for second-semester planning after revising based on first-semester experience.

Realistic week allocation: Eighteen weeks of instruction is not eighteen weeks of teaching. Account for standardized testing, school events, student holidays, review days, and assessment weeks. Most teachers find they have closer to 15–16 weeks of genuine instructional time per semester when all disruptions are counted.

Mid-semester review: A semester map should include a mid-semester review and adjustment point, usually after 8–9 weeks. This is when you compare actual progress against the plan and make adjustments for the second half. Units that went longer than planned compress those that follow, and a mid-semester review makes these tradeoffs visible before they become crises.

Second semester considerations: Second-semester maps often need to account for the realities of spring term: spring standardized testing, senior transitions, increased absences, and motivational challenges. Building these into the map from the start, rather than discovering them as disruptions mid-semester, produces more realistic plans.

Coherence across semesters: If you teach the same students two semesters in a row, your semester maps should connect. The second semester's first unit should explicitly build on where the first semester ended. This connection is most visible when you look at both maps together.

Year-Long Map

Map your entire course across 36 weeks, organizing units, standards coverage, and major assessments so you can see the full year at a glance and spot gaps before the school year begins.

Pacing Guide

Create a realistic week-by-week pacing guide that maps instruction to the school calendar, accounting for testing, holidays, and built-in review time so you know in advance where pacing will be tight.

Scope & Sequence

Document the breadth and order of your curriculum: what you will teach (scope) and in what sequence, to ensure coherent vertical alignment and consistent coverage across classrooms or grade levels.

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Frequently asked questions

A semester map is more detailed: it can include specific assessment dates and mid-semester check-in plans that are too granular for a year-long map. It also accounts for semester-specific disruptions (spring testing, fall orientation weeks) that vary between semesters.
Account for spring standardized testing earlier and more explicitly. If you teach seniors, plan for senioritis and consider front-loading your most demanding content in January-February. Build in more buffer time for absences, which tend to increase in spring.
Create two connected semester maps. End the first semester map with a clear statement of where the course ends, and begin the second semester map with a connection to that endpoint. A one-page summary at the end of each semester communicates this to students and parents.
Plan the full semester map before instruction begins, then use it as a reference while planning week by week. The map is your navigation tool; it keeps you oriented to the full semester while you focus on the current week.
At least 2 weeks of buffer across an 18-week semester is typical. Some teachers build in more for spring semesters or courses with particularly disruptive standardized testing schedules. The buffer is not wasted time; it is used for reteaching, enrichment, or just absorbing the inevitable delays.
A semester map is the right scale for deciding which units will feature hands-on investigations, collaborative projects, or student-led discussions. Rather than mapping only what content you will cover, you can note where active learning strategies anchor the instruction. Use the semester map for the 18-week overview and Flip to generate the individual lessons that bring each unit to life.
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