Elementary Curriculum Map

Map your K–5 curriculum across the year, organizing integrated units, read-aloud schedules, and cross-curricular connections that maximize learning in the time-constrained elementary classroom.

All SubjectsElementary (K–5)

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When to use this template

  • Annual curriculum planning for an elementary class
  • Finding integration opportunities across subjects to maximize learning efficiency
  • Planning the read-aloud schedule to build content knowledge and literary appreciation simultaneously
  • Grade-level or school curriculum alignment in elementary school
  • When designing a new grade-level curriculum with a team

Template sections

Identify the grade, subjects you teach, and the integration approach for the year.

Grade level:

Subjects you teach (all subjects vs. departmentalized):

Integration philosophy (how you will connect subjects):

Major units for the year (by theme or topic):

Read-aloud schedule (frequency, types of texts):

Map units across the year, showing where subjects integrate and where they are taught separately.

Unit 1 (weeks, theme/topic, subjects integrated, anchor read-aloud):

Unit 2:

...

Subject-specific units (if not integrated):

Seasonal or calendar-driven topics:

Map the read-alouds across the year, connecting them to unit content and literacy goals.

Unit 1 anchor read-aloud (title, author, genre, connection to unit):

Unit 2:

...

Balance of literary vs. informational texts:

Nonfiction read-alouds for content knowledge:

Poetry integration:

Map the literacy block across the year, showing connection to unit content.

Reading workshop connection to unit content by unit:

Writing workshop genre sequence:

Word study (phonics, spelling, vocabulary) progression:

Small group reading schedule:

Independent reading approach:

Map ELA, math, science, and social studies standards coverage across the year.

ELA standards by unit:

Math standards by unit (if you teach math):

Science standards by unit:

Social studies standards by unit:

Gaps or insufficient coverage:

Map major assessments across subjects and plan documentation for young learners.

Major literacy assessments (by unit):

Math assessments:

Content area assessments:

Observation and documentation approach:

Portfolio or cumulative collection plan:

Communication with families about student progress:

The Flip Perspective

Elementary curriculum maps work when they show how subjects connect rather than treating each as a separate track. This map helps you find the read-alouds that build both literacy and content knowledge, the units that address ELA and science standards simultaneously, and the points in the year where integration saves time without sacrificing depth.

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Adapting this Template

For All Subjects

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

About the Elementary Map framework

Elementary curriculum mapping has a distinctive challenge: elementary teachers are responsible for all or most subjects, and the most effective elementary instruction integrates those subjects around common themes and texts rather than teaching each in complete isolation. A good elementary curriculum map shows both the subject-specific content coverage and the integration opportunities.

Integration as efficiency: Elementary teachers do not have separate time for every subject. They have limited instructional minutes and must make them work hard. An integrated unit that addresses ELA, science, and social studies standards simultaneously is not cutting corners; it is smart curriculum design. A curriculum map that shows these integration points helps teachers see where they can double or triple the learning value of a single instructional block.

Read-aloud as instruction: The elementary read-aloud is one of the most powerful instructional tools available. It builds vocabulary, content knowledge, comprehension strategies, and a love of reading simultaneously. A curriculum map that includes the read-aloud schedule shows it as instruction, not recreation, and ensures anchor texts are selected to reinforce unit content.

Literacy block integration: The literacy block in elementary school (reading and writing instruction) is most effective when it connects to the content students are learning in science and social studies. Students who read informational texts about ecosystems during science and then write about ecosystems during writing workshop are developing literacy skills and content knowledge simultaneously.

Developmental pacing: Elementary curriculum maps must account for the developmental range within grades and the very different instructional needs of K–1 compared to Grades 4–5. The pacing of units, the complexity of assessment, and the degree of student independence in activities should all reflect the developmental stage.

Transitions and scheduling: Elementary schedules are complicated by specialist schedules (art, music, PE), lunch and recess, reading support pullout times, and other factors that fragment the day. An elementary curriculum map should account for these realities rather than assuming continuous instructional blocks.

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.

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.

Elementary Unit

Plan multi-week units for K–5 classrooms with age-appropriate pacing, read-aloud integration, hands-on exploration, and the predictable routines that young learners need to engage deeply.

Thematic Unit

Organize a multi-week unit around a central theme or essential question that cuts across topics, texts, and disciplines, helping students see connections and build deeper understanding.

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Frequently asked questions

Integration is valuable when the connection genuinely enriches learning in both subjects. It becomes artificial when the connection is forced, when the science lesson becomes primarily a reading lesson, or the social studies unit is really just a writing assignment. The test is whether students are learning more of both subjects, not less of each.
Some standards require standalone instruction: math procedural skills, phonics sequences, specific grammar instruction. Map these separately in the curriculum map and be honest about the time they require. Not everything needs to or should integrate.
Choose read-alouds that build both content knowledge and literary understanding. An informational text about the water cycle builds science content while teaching text features and expository text structure. A narrative about migration builds social studies understanding while modeling literary craft. The best elementary read-alouds serve multiple purposes simultaneously.
Map the schedule constraints first (when specialist periods, lunch, recess, and pullout support reduce your instructional time), then plan within the actual available blocks. If you only have 60 continuous minutes for literacy in the morning, design your literacy curriculum for 60 minutes, not 90.
Start with shared anchor read-alouds and unit themes, the things you want students at this grade level to share regardless of which classroom they are in. Then allow flexibility in how teachers implement. Shared texts and common assessments create horizontal alignment without requiring identical teaching.
Young learners are natural active learners. Your curriculum map can show where exploration stations, hands-on math activities, science observations, and dramatic play fit into each unit. Planning these at the map level helps you protect time for student-driven experiences even when the schedule feels crowded. Use this map to see the full year of learning experiences and Flip to generate the individual lessons that keep students moving, creating, and discovering.
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