How do I join Curriki?
On the Curriki homepage (library.curriki.org) click the Sign up button in the top right corner of the page.
Click the Facebook or Google icons on the right or enter your info on the left side to sign up using our form.
How do I login?
On the Curriki homepage (library.curriki.org) click the Sign up button in the top right corner of the page.
Click the Facebook or Google icons on the right or enter your info on the left side to login.
How do I reset my password?
If you forgot your username and or password, click the link under the Log In button that says ”Forgot Username or Password?” and then enter your email address where we will email you instructions.
Does it cost anything to join?
No, membership is free!
Do I have to pay to download any resources?
No.
How do I find resources?
There are three places from which to access the search tool.
1. Homepage
Just enter your keywords for your search, such as “math videos” and click the search button.
2. Blue Navigation Bar Search Box
The search box in the blue navigation bar is present throughout the site for easy accessibility. Just enter your keywords for your search, such as “math videos” and click the search button.
3. Blue Navigation Bar: Resources & Curricula
The Resources & Curricula button on the Blue Navigation Bar will open the full, advanced search page.
On the advanced search page or from any search results page, you can narrow your results by selecting specific subjects, topics, grade levels, and types of resources. Just click “More Search Options” to open.
To search by standards, click “Search by Standard”
Select the state or organization for your select standards set.
Click Document Title and select.
Click Course of Study and select the specific standard. To search for resources aligned to more than one standard: PC: Control/click MAC: Command/Click
And then click the Search button.
Can I find practice sheets, quizzes, outlines, and lesson plans?
Yes, Curriki hosts various types of resources including:
- Article/Essay
- Assessment
- Audio
- Curriculum
- Diagram/Illustration/Map
- E-book
- Fiction
- Full Course
- Game
- Graphic Organizer/Worksheet
- Interactive
- Lesson Plan
- Manual
- Non-Fiction
- Other
- Photograph
- Readings/Excerpts
- Rubric
- Scope & Sequence
- Slides
- Table/Graph/Chart
- Textbook
- Unit
- Video
- Vocabulary
Are these materials copyrighted?
All Curriki editorial content is copyrighted by Curriki. Open Educational Resources found on the Curriki site have been contributed by educators and content partners. They are all generously shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Click here for more information about Copyright & Open Licenses.
What is “Follow?”
Following someone on Curriki means:
You are subscribing to their activity on Curriki as a follower.
Their updates, such as new resource contributions, will appear in your Dashboard.
That person will be listed on your Contacts page.
What are the ways I can share resources with my colleagues or students?
There are three ways to share a Curriki resource with your colleagues or students.
From your MyLibrary page:
To share a resource that you have saved to your library, simply hover over the Share icon/link and select the method of sharing.
From the Resource page:
- Copy the website address and paste it into an email or text message that you will send to your students or colleagues.
- Click the social media icon to share via Facebook or Twitter.
- To email, click the email icon.
From the Search Results page:
- Click the Share button that you will find between the More Info and Add to my Library links.
- The social media and email icons will appear. Click your selected method of sharing.
- Or copy and paste the link into an email or text message that you will send to your students or colleagues.
How do I add a resource to My Library?
Click the Add to Library button on the resource page or from the search results list. Select the collection where you want to place your resource and click Save. You can add resources to your personal Library or to the resource libraries of Groups in which you are a member.
How can I edit my profile information?
1. Click the Edit link beneath your photo.
2. Complete the fields and save.
How can I align my resources to standards?
While you are contributing a resource:
As you contribute a resource, you will be prompted to provide the standards that your resource is aligned with.
You can align with three sets of standards while contributing a resource. If you wish to align to state or other standards, this can be completed after the resource has been added to Curriki. Select Common Core State Standards ELA, Common Core State Standards Mathematics, or the Next Generation Science Standards.
- Select the grade level.
- Select a topic area.
- Select the standard.
You will see the details about that standard beneath the “Add a Standard” box. If this is the standard you desire, click the Add Standard button and it will appear to the right under “Your Alignments.”
Want to add another? Go back to the drop down menus to select again.
Align an existing resource:
To add standards alignments to a resource that has already been contributed to the site, click on the Standards tab in that resource.
How do I contribute a resource?
To contribute a resource, on your Dashboard, click the Contribute a Resource button to begin. Then follow the four step process.
1. Create
Enter the title and a summary of your resource. Enter details that will best describe and present this resource in search results.
Add your resource to the editor. With the various tools in the editor, you can combine several different resources into one complete resource. You can add links, text, videos, documents (Word, PDF), and images. The formatting tools should be familiar to those who use Gmail or Word.
To insert a YouTube video, grab the Embed Code.
Click the Link icon, paste the Embed Code, and click OK.
2. Describe
This is where you enter the descriptive information about your resource. Try to be as accurate and detailed as possible so that your contribution will be found by others to seek for materials like yours. Select subject, subject area (Math: Algebra), education level, type of resource (lesson plan, video), and enter key words that will help in the search and find process.
Next, add your standards alignments. Currently, you can add alignments to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts as well as the Next Generation Science Standards. If you wish to add alignments to other standards such as your state’s standards, skip this step for now and complete after your resource has been uploaded.
3. Access
The next step is to select the level of access and a Creative Commons License for your shared resource.
Public: Available to anyone and any member can edit
Protected: Available to anyone but only you (or your group) can edit this copy
Private: Only you (or your group) can view or edit
We suggest that you select Private to keep your material in “draft” until it is ready to be released into the repository for general use.
Curriki’s default Creative Commons license is “Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial.” This license allows others to use and modify your resource, but requires that they do so for non-commercial purposes and provide author attribution.
To learn about all the open licenses, please click here.
4. Submit
Click the Submit Now button and you’re done! You will see
I want to align my resource to my state’s standards. How can I do this?
To do this, click the Standards Tab on your resource and follow the steps for adding alignments.
Is there a limit to the number of resources I can download?
No. You can download as many resources as you need.
How do I rate and review a resource?
To rate and review a resource you must be logged in with your user name and password. Once you’re logged in, select the resource you want to rate and review. Towards the right of the resource page you will see Member Rating – click the Rate this Resource link. Then, just select your “star rating” and type in your review here. Once you’re done, simply click on “Submit Review” to add your review and rating.
Please note that you cannot add a review without choosing a rating.
GROUPS
How do I create a new group?
Students and teachers use Curriki Groups to collaborate on projects, curriculum development, and district initiatives. Other groups focus on sharing resources and ideas within a topic-specific group for creative inspiration.
- Groups can be public or private.
- Private groups are entirely private and secure
- Share files without sending bulky attachments in a shared resource library.
Just click the “Start a Group” button on your Dashboard and begin the process.
1. Details
Similar to contributing a resource, you will enter the group name, a clear and detailed description of your group, identify relevant subjects and grade levels for the topic and materials you will share.
2. Settings
This is where you will select the privacy options. Groups can be public, private, or hidden.
In Settings, you also determine if all or some of your group members can invite others to join your group.
3. Forum
Groups can have discussion forums or not. We suggest that you enable a discussion forum to allow members of your group to communicate in a structured, bulletin-board style fashion.
4. Photo
Upload a group avatar. This can be a photo or graphic.
5. Send Invites
The last step is to invite others to join your group. You can do this in two ways.
- Send invitations by email to people who is not yet a member of Curriki.
- Search for Curriki members to invite.
Once your group is set up, get started right away by posting a welcome message on the Activity tab, adding curriculum resources on the Resources tab, and starting a discussion in the Forum.
How do I join a group?
Joining a group is easy. First, find a group that interests you. From your Dashboard, click the “Find a Group” button.
Then enter some keywords for the type of group you want to join. You might search for “high school mathematics, ””English Language Learners,” “STEM,” or the name of your local district to see if there is an existing group for your district.
Forums
Some groups will have Forums and others will not. The member who creates the group determines whether the group has a Forum. In order to post to a group’s forum, you must be a logged in member of that group.
In your group, click the Forums tab to access the discussion area.
If any discussion topics have been initiated, you will see them listed. You may return to this view anytime by clicking the “Topics” button.
To create a new discussion topic, click the “New Topic” button and add your topic title and your topic description. We suggest posting interesting and challenging discussion topics that will engage your group members.
Add keywords to the Topic Tags field. This will help others know what this discussion is all about. Changing the Topic Type to “Sticky” will make your topic stay at the top of the list. Check the box if you would like to receive email notification when someone replies to this topic.
What is the best way to share resources with my fellow group members?
Resources that you want to share with your group members can be uploaded to the Resources tab in your group. Follow the same steps for uploading as described above.
What is so great about Open Educational Resources (OERs) and Curriki?
- It’s free. Yes, that’s right. Curriki is completely free for teachers, students, and parents.
- The OERs have been created and contributed by educators, curriculum designers, curriculum partners, and school districts.
- They are ”mashable.” You may select resources (lesson plans, videos, animations, photos, units, e-texts, etc.) you want to use, access them, mix them up with other resources if you wish, and generate your own custom teaching tools.
- Many OERs have already been mapped to both state and Common Core standards.
- And finally, Curriki encourages you to add, subtract, and edit anything that will make the resources better for your purposes.
ABOUT CURRIKI
What is Curriki?
Curriki is an online community for creating and sharing curricula and teaching best practices. Curriki:
Provides High Quality Free Resources – Curriki contains tens of thousands of free K-12 lessons, units, assessments, and multimedia learning resources across all subject areas.
Empowers Educators – Curriki’s free platform enables educators to build their own curriculum by assembling Curriki resources, as well as their own, into collections.
Helps Eliminate the Education Divide – Curriki originated from the idea that technology can play a crucial role in breaking down the barriers of the Education Divide – the gap between those who have access to high-quality education and those who do not. Curriki helps bridge this divide by providing free and open resources to teachers who need them most. The Curriki community is composed of millions of users and hundreds of collaborative networking groups.
Leads the Open Education Resource Movement – Curriki is a leading organization behind the OER movement—a movement based around the idea that educational resources should be freely available for educators and students to use, mix, modify, and share.
Engages in Dynamic Partnerships with a Global Reach – Curriki is working with partners around the world to develop multilingual educational content that supports local education initiatives and goals.
What do educators do on Curriki?
When you join Curriki (at no cost), you can:
Build a Personal Library – Teachers can replace their file cabinets with a personal space in Curriki to store and organize their lesson plans, units, e-textbooks, assessments, videos, animations—virtually any type of learning object. Again, free of charge.
Find Resources – Curriki allows users to search for K-12 educational resources by subject, grade, type, standards, and more.
Contribute Resources – Curriki empowers teachers across the globe to share their best lessons or units of study. By contributing to the Curriki repository, the global community can find the resources they need, when they need them, free of charge.
Connect with Other Educators – Curriki invites teachers worldwide to work together to create new curricular materials and share best practices using the site’s easy-to-use collaboration tools.
Here are some real-life examples of teachers using and contributing OERs.
- As a teacher, you can reuse and repurpose material for use in your own classroom, and augment your school’s resources. For example, a physics teacher might use a video from an introductory physics class at MIT, or use interactive simulations from University of Colorado at Boulder’s PhET project.
- You can contribute to open math and science textbooks that will be used by students in over 194 countries.
How does Curriki help teachers?
“I think that teachers are constantly looking for resources and communities that can enhance their teaching. Curriki has many great resources compiled from a variety of subjects that are helpful when planning new lessons or sprucing up old lessons.” – Curriki Educator
Free and Comprehensive Resources – Curriki’s repository contains full courses, units, lesson plans, multimedia files, assessments, and more—all free of cost, saving valuable time and money.
Global Community of Educators – Curriki allows teachers to connect with like-minded colleagues around the world and form communities around shared curricular goals.
Helping ALL Students Succeed – Curriki allows teachers to join a worldwide community to help all students succeed by sharing the knowledge they have with others around the world.
How does Curriki help administrators and district leaders?
- Cost Savings on Teaching Resources – On average, school systems spend $4,500/teacher on teaching resources. It is estimated that by using the free OERs available on Curriki, schools and districts can reduce that cost by approximately 50%.
- Dynamic Teaching Resources – Curriki liberates school systems from static methods of teaching and learning, and helps all educators bring innovation in their classrooms on a daily basis; this leads to increased student achievement.
- Innovating at All Levels – Curriki connects principals and districts to a community of innovative educational professionals from around the world.
- Managing Valuable Knowledge – By collaborating within a Curriki group, districts and schools and school teams create a living library of shared content. In this way, Curriki ensures that even if teachers leave the system, their knowledge is still available for use in schools.
Does Curriki have resources in different languages?
Yes, educators have contributed resources in a multitude of languages. In addition, the Curriki website has been translated into Finnish and Japanese.
Do I have to be a member to download resources?
You can browse Curriki’s learning resources without logging in, but when you are ready to download a resource, you will be asked to login or join.
How does Curriki ensure high-quality materials?
While some say that low-cost (or free) comes at the expense of quality, Curriki is different. Curriki has the advantage of being free of cost, while, at the same time, providing greater value to users. In fact, many Curriki contributors are teachers who use these materials themselves, so they have a strong interest in keeping the quality as high as possible.
Curriki’s Content Review Team of subject matter experts and teachers review and rate resources on Curriki. The Content Review System allows those seeking high-quality materials to find resources on Curriki that have already been vetted by subject matter experts.
New in 2015, we are using the OER Rubrics developed by Achieve to assess and evaluate the value each OER brings. Each OER Rubric focuses on a different element of quality. When complete, the Curriki Review System produces an aggregate score for the resource, which is displayed on the resource listing.
How can I keep up with any new resources?
Everytime you log into Curriki, your Dashboard will display the latest activity. You will see recently added resources, updates to your groups, and more.
Sign up for Curriki’s monthly newsletter and subject-area emails (opt in when you join), subscribe to Curriki’s blog via RSS, and join us on Facebook.
Why was Curriki started?
Curriki was conceived from the idea that technology can play a crucial role in breaking down the barriers of the Education Divide—the division of inequality that prevents children worldwide from access to quality education.
Today, educators are searching for ways to deliver first-class, cost-effective learning resources and opportunities to their students. Learners are becoming discouraged by the mounting costs for textbooks, and the availability of other credible resources.
Curriki makes learning possible for anyone, anywhere in the world.
How can I contribute to or edit curricula on Curriki?
There are a variety of ways to contribute curricula to Curriki. You can use our unique online tools to share resources you’ve found with others. On a larger scale, you can write a textbook or build a curriculum.
For instance, groups of teachers or professors can take a curriculum framework and use the tools to create and edit a book, or develop sections and pages of an instructional textbook.
Our online editing tools enable users to select individual lesson plans, course syllabi, learning activities, scope and sequence hierarchies, and other educational elements found on Curriki to build a complete, fully-integrated curriculum.
Is Curriki the same organization as the Global Education & Learning Community (GELC)?
Yes. In March 2004, Sun Microsystems launched the Global Education & Learning Community (GELC). In 2006, Sun spun GELC off as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit to focus on building a repository of curricula and to create an online community for this repository. The organization changed its name to Curriki in 2006 to capture the spirit of community-driven learning excellence and the delivery of Open Source Curricula.
Why should I get involved?
If you place high importance on helping others to learn and believe that overcoming the Education Divide is simply the right thing to do, then you are in the right place! With your input, we can help foster the exchange of ideas, whether among students and parents, or curriculum developers and educators, all in a global, interactive community that makes it fun and rewarding to make a difference.
Your assistance can take many important forms. Actively participate in our community. Use the curricula. Provide us with feedback. Support the community financially. And most importantly, spread the word.
How can I contact Curriki?
Click here to send an email to Curriki.
What browsers does Curriki support?
Curriki is optimized on Windows 7 or greater running Chrome, OS X Yosemite or greater, iOS 8 or greater running Safari, and Android running Chrome. Most browser updates are free and we encourage Curriki users to update their browsers to current browser versions.
- Chrome – Version 45 or greater
- Firefox – Version 38 or greater
- Safari – Version 8 or greater
- MS Internet Explorer – 11
- MS Edge – Version 21 or greater
