Curriculum

Schema last updated September 23, 2025. Curriculum datasets contain:

Content elements: The instructional materials that teachers and students engage with. The instructional content preserves the original curriculum’s hierarchy and sequencing.
Metadata: Contextual information that supports instructional decisions, sequencing, and coherence. Some metadata is inferred from the content, making implicit instructional dependencies explicit—so you can seamlessly analyze how concepts build over time.

By aligning curriculum datasets to Learning Commons’ K-12 curriculum ontology, we ensure that developers can query Knowledge Graph in a standardized way—without losing the distinctiveness of the original instructional design. Wherever harmonization was possible, we unified concepts; where uniqueness mattered, we preserved it. This transformation unlocks:

Interoperability: Different curricula datasets can integrate seamlessly with other learning platforms and datasets.
Scalability: We will apply this structure to additional curricula in the future, ensuring coherence across different instructional materials.
AI-Enhanced Instruction: Developers can query the data in a structured way, allowing AI-driven tools to provide more context-aware, pedagogically sound recommendations.

By structuring curriculum in a machine-actionable format, content is more accessible—laying the groundwork for a future where AI enhances, rather than obstructs, great teaching. The ontology creates a formal vocabulary that represents entities such as objects, events, or abstract ideas. By providing a structured representation of data, an ontology enables machines to interpret, integrate, and reason about information more effectively. This ensures consistency, enhances interoperability across systems, and supports more precise data organization and retrieval.

Data relationship diagram

Data model diagram: curriculum entities (Course, LessonGrouping, Lesson, Activity, Assessment, Material) and relationships such as hasEducationalAlignment, usesRoutine, hasDependency, and references

Diagram description

The diagram shows the curriculum dataset only. StandardsFrameworkItem appears as a connection target for hasEducationalAlignment; its model is in Academic standards. InstructionalRoutine and ClassroomMaterial are curriculum entities; GlossaryTerm is used in references.Example (Illustrative Mathematics): A course is the root—e.g. IM Grade 2. A lesson grouping is a unit or module (e.g. Unit 3: Adding and Subtracting within 100); child lessons and materials attach through hasPart. A lesson is a single session (e.g. Lesson 1: How do we count collections?); activities attach through hasPart, an instructional routine such as Number Talks attaches through usesRoutine, prerequisites use hasDependency, and links to vocabulary use references (including to a GlossaryTerm). An activity might be a warm-up or practice task; alignment to a standard such as 2.NBT.B.5 uses hasEducationalAlignment. An assessment can align to standards and relate to another assessment through mutuallyExclusiveWith when two end-of-unit tests are equivalent alternatives.Edge list (source → relationship → target):

Course → hasPart → LessonGrouping | Material (e.g. IM Grade 2 → Unit 3)
LessonGrouping → hasPart → LessonGrouping | Lesson | Material (e.g. unit → lessons)
Lesson → hasPart → Activity (e.g. lesson → warm-up, practice)
Activity → hasPart → Material (e.g. activity → worksheet)
Course | LessonGrouping | Lesson | Activity | Assessment | Material → hasEducationalAlignment → StandardsFrameworkItem (e.g. lesson → 2.NBT.B.5)
Course | Lesson | Activity → usesRoutine → InstructionalRoutine (e.g. lesson → Number Talks)
Lesson | Activity → uses → ClassroomMaterial
LessonGrouping | Lesson | Activity → hasDependency → same type (prerequisite)
Lesson → references → Lesson | GlossaryTerm; Activity → references → Lesson; Assessment → references → Lesson
Assessment → mutuallyExclusiveWith → Assessment

Entities

Curriculum is primarily expressed as the following entities:

Course: A structured sequence of lessons covering a subject or grade level.
LessonGrouping: A collection of lessons, such as a unit or module.
Lesson: A focused instructional session within a course.
Activity: A discrete instructional task within a lesson.
Assessment: A specific type of activity designed to evaluate student understanding.
Material : Representation of instructional content, such as readings, videos, or worksheets.
ClassroomMaterial : Physical tools or resources that support instruction but do not contain instructional content.
GlossaryTerm : Definitions of terms used across the curriculum.
InstructionalRoutine : Named pedagogical structures (e.g., Think-Pair-Share, Number Talks) that support consistent teaching practices and student engagement.

Course

A course consists of a structured sequence of instructional content and activities, designed to teach specific skills, knowledge, or competencies over a defined period. It typically encompasses multiple LessonGrouping, Lesson, and Activity nodes, aligning with curriculum standards and intended learning objectives for a particular grade level or subject area.

Properties

Property	Description	Type	Cardinality
`academicSubject`	The academic subject.	`AcademicSubjectENUM`	0..1
`attributionStatement`	A textual credit that acknowledges the source or creator of a work, included when required by the content’s license (e.g., Creative Commons BY). The statement specifies how the creator should be attributed in accordance with the license terms.	String	1
`audience`	Specifies the intended audience for a learning resource, indicating who the content is designed for or most relevant to.	`EducationalAudienceENUM`	1..n
`author`	The author of this content.	String	1
`courseCode`	The identifier for the course used by the course provider (e.g. CS101 or 6.001).	String	0..1
`curriculumLabel`	A curriculum-specific categorization of the resource. In Illustrative Mathematics, an introductory activity might have `curriculumLabel`: `"warm-up"`.	String	0..1
`dateCreated`	The date on which the element was created.	Datetime	0..1
`description`	A description of the item.	String	0..1
`educationalUse`	This property classifies the resource based on whether it is used for delivering instruction or assessing student learning.	`EducationalUseENUM`	0..1
`gradeLevel`	Specifies the educational grade for which the curriculum component is intended.	`Array of GradeLevelENUM`	0..n
`identifier`	The identifier of the item, either as textual strings or as URL (URI) links.	String	1
`inLanguage`	The language of the content.	`LanguageENUM`	0..1
`license`	A license document that applies to this content, typically indicated by URL.	String	1
`lmsLoadingGuidance`	Indicates the vendor’s guidance regarding whether this learning resource should be included when loading content into a Learning Management System (LMS). This property is advisory and may be overridden by local implementation policies. The value is selected from a controlled vocabulary.	`lmsLoadingGuidanceENUM`	0..1
`name`	The name of the item.	String	0..1
`provider`	The service provider, service operator, or service performer.	String	0..1
`providerDateCreated`	The date on which the element was created by the provider.	Datetime	1
`providerDateModified`	The date on which the element was updated by the provider.	Datetime	1
`publisherIdentifier`	The ID assigned by the original publisher.	String	0..1
`timeRequired`	Approximate or typical time it usually takes to work with or through the content of this work for the typical or target audience.	`Duration`	0..1

Example

JSON

{
  "type": "node",
  "identifier": "im:dac57835-073f-52d9-9d63-d6b3b2cb6b55",
  "labels": ["Course"],
  "properties": {
    "dateCreated": "2021-04-30",
    "timeRequired": "P136D",
    "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
    "gradeLevel": "[\"2\",\"elementary_school\"]",
    "attributionStatement": "Knowledge Graph is provided by Learning Commons under the CC BY-4.0 license. Learning Commons received the scope and sequence of the Illustrative Mathematics 360 curriculum under CC BY-4.0 from Illustrative Mathematics.",
    "educationalUse": "instruction",
    "lmsLoadingGuidance": "unspecified",
    "description": "The big ideas in IM Grade 2 include: extending understanding of the base-ten number system;, building fluency with addition and subtraction; using standard units of measure; and describing and analyzing shapes. The materials, particularly units that focus on addition and subtraction, include problem types such as Add To, Take From, Put Together or Take Apart, Compare, Result Unknown, and so on. These problem types are based on common addition and subtraction situations, as outlined in Table 1 of the “Mathematics Glossary” section of the Common Core State Standards (NGA & CCSSO).\n",
    "identifier": "im:dac57835-073f-52d9-9d63-d6b3b2cb6b55",
    "provider": "Learning Commons",
    "name": "Grade 2",
    "inLanguage": "English",
    "courseCode": "im360:2",
    "audience": "[\"Teacher\",\"Student\",\"Family\"]",
    "author": "Illustrative Mathematics",
    "academicSubject": "Mathematics",
    "curriculumLabel": "Course",
    "publisherIdentifier": "482176"
  }
}

Lesson grouping

A lesson grouping organizes a set of related lessons within a curriculum. The naming and level of this grouping may vary across publishers (e.g., Unit, Module, Chapter).

Properties

Property	Description	Type	Cardinality
`academicSubject`	The academic subject.	`AcademicSubjectENUM`	0..1
`attributionStatement`	A textual credit that acknowledges the source or creator of a work, included when required by the content’s license (e.g., Creative Commons BY). The statement specifies how the creator should be attributed in accordance with the license terms.	String	1
`audience`	Specifies the intended audience for a learning resource, indicating who the content is designed for or most relevant to.	`EducationalAudienceENUM`	1..n
`author`	The author of this content.	String	1
`courseCode`	The identifier for the course used by the course provider (e.g. CS101 or 6.001).	String	0..1
`curriculumLabel`	A curriculum-specific categorization of the resource. In Illustrative Mathematics, an introductory activity might have `curriculumLabel`: `"warm-up"`.	String	0..1
`dateCreated`	The date on which the element was created.	Datetime	0..1
`description`	A description of the item.	String	0..1
`educationalUse`	This property classifies the resource based on whether it is used for delivering instruction or assessing student learning.	`EducationalUseENUM`	0..1
`gradeLevel`	Specifies the educational grade for which the curriculum component is intended.	`GradeLevelENUM`	0..n
`groupLevel`	The position of a lesson grouping in a series or sequence of lesson groupings.	Integer	1
`groupName`	The lesson grouping name (e.g., Unit, Section, Module).	String	1
`identifier`	The identifier of the item, either as textual strings or as URL (URI) links.	String	1
`inLanguage`	The language of the content.	`LanguageENUM`	0..1
`isOptional`	Whether the curriculum element is optional to complete.	Boolean	0..1
`license`	A license document that applies to this content, typically indicated by URL.	String	1
`lmsLoadingGuidance`	Indicates the vendor’s guidance regarding whether this learning resource should be included when loading content into a Learning Management System (LMS). This property is advisory and may be overridden by local implementation policies. The value is selected from a controlled vocabulary.	`lmsLoadingGuidanceENUM`	0..1
`name`	The name of the item.	String	0..1
`ordinalName`	A label that combines the item’s sequence number with descriptive text to indicate its order and context within a larger structure (e.g., ‘Lesson 1’, ‘Chapter 2’).	String	0..1
`position`	The position of an item in a series or sequence of items.	Integer	0..1
`provider`	The service provider, service operator, or service performer.	String	0..1
`providerDateCreated`	The date on which the element was created by the provider.	Datetime	1
`providerDateModified`	The date on which the element was updated by the provider.	Datetime	1
`publisherIdentifier`	The ID assigned by the original publisher.	String	0..1
`timeRequired`	Approximate or typical time it usually takes to work with or through the content of this work for the typical or target audience.	`Duration`	0..1

Lesson

A lesson represents a focused instructional session within a larger curriculum structure, such as a lesson grouping or course, designed to achieve specific learning objectives. It typically includes activities, discussions, and assessments, and is intended to be completed within a defined timeframe, such as a class period or session.

Properties

Property	Description	Type	Cardinality
`academicSubject`	The academic subject	`AcademicSubjectENUM`	0..1
`attributionStatement`	A textual credit that acknowledges the source or creator of a work, included when required by the content’s license (e.g., Creative Commons BY). The statement specifies how the creator should be attributed in accordance with the license terms.	String	1
`audience`	Specifies the intended audience for a learning resource, indicating who the content is designed for or most relevant to.	`EducationalAudienceENUM`	1..n
`author`	The author of this content.	String	1
`courseCode`	The identifier for the course used by the course provider (e.g. CS101 or 6.001).	String	0..1
`curriculumLabel`	A curriculum-specific categorization of the resource. In Illustrative Mathematics, an introductory activity might have `curriculumLabel`: `"warm-up"`.	String	0..1
`dateCreated`	The date on which the element was created	Datetime	0..1
`description`	A description of the item.	String	0..1
`educationalUse`	This property classifies the resource based on whether it is used for delivering instruction or assessing student learning	`EducationalUseENUM`	0..1
`gradeLevel`	Specifies the educational grade for which the curriculum component is intended	`GradeLevelENUM`	0..n
`identifier`	The identifier of the item, either as textual strings or as URL (URI) links.	String	1
`inLanguage`	The language of the content.	`LanguageENUM`	0..1
`isOptional`	Whether the curriculum element is optional to complete	Boolean	0..1
`license`	A license document that applies to this content, typically indicated by URL.	String	1
`lmsLoadingGuidance`	Indicates the vendor’s guidance regarding whether this learning resource should be included when loading content into a Learning Management System (LMS). This property is advisory and may be overridden by local implementation policies. The value is selected from a controlled vocabulary.	`lmsLoadingGuidanceENUM`	0..1
`name`	The name of the item.	String	0..1
`ordinalName`	A label that combines the item’s sequence number with descriptive text to indicate its order and context within a larger structure (e.g., ‘Lesson 1’, ‘Chapter 2’).	String	0..1
`position`	The position of an item in a series or sequence of items.	Integer	0..1
`provider`	The service provider, service operator, or service performer	String	0..1
`providerDateCreated`	The date on which the element was created by the provider	Datetime	1
`providerDateModified`	The date on which the element was updated by the provider	Datetime	1
`publisherIdentifier`	The ID assigned by the original publisher.	String	0..1
`timeRequired`	Approximate or typical time it usually takes to work with or through the content of this work for the typical or target audience.	`Duration`	0..1

Example

JSON

{
  "type": "node",
  "identifier": "im:2a6e3fd1-7429-5a78-9231-2b78c4098873",
  "labels": ["Lesson"],
  "properties": {
    "dateCreated": "2021-04-30",
    "timeRequired": "PT45M",
    "gradeLevel": "[\"5\",\"elementary_school\"]",
    "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
    "attributionStatement": "Knowledge Graph is provided by Learning Commons under the CC BY-4.0 license. Learning Commons received the scope and sequence of the Illustrative Mathematics 360 curriculum under CC BY-4.0 from Illustrative Mathematics.",
    "educationalUse": "instruction",
    "lmsLoadingGuidance": "unspecified",
    "identifier": "im:2a6e3fd1-7429-5a78-9231-2b78c4098873",
    "position": "4",
    "provider": "Learning Commons",
    "isOptional": "false",
    "name": " Compare Decimals",
    "inLanguage": "English",
    "courseCode": "im360:5",
    "audience": "[\"Teacher\",\"Student\",\"Family\"]",
    "author": "Illustrative Mathematics",
    "academicSubject": "Mathematics",
    "curriculumLabel": "Lesson",
    "ordinalName": "Lesson 5",
    "publisherIdentifier": "547489"
  }
}

Activity

An activity represents a discrete instructional task or exercise within a lesson, designed for students, teachers, or both.

Properties

Property	Description	Type	Cardinality
`academicSubject`	The academic subject	`AcademicSubjectENUM`	0..1
`attributionStatement`	A textual credit that acknowledges the source or creator of a work, included when required by the content’s license (e.g., Creative Commons BY). The statement specifies how the creator should be attributed in accordance with the license terms.	String	1
`audience`	Specifies the intended audience for a learning resource, indicating who the content is designed for or most relevant to.	`EducationalAudienceENUM`	1..n
`author`	The author of this content.	String	1
`courseCode`	The identifier for the course used by the course provider (e.g. CS101 or 6.001).	String	0..1
`curriculumLabel`	A curriculum-specific categorization of the resource. In Illustrative Mathematics, an introductory activity might have `curriculumLabel`: `"warm-up"`.	String	0..1
`dateCreated`	The date on which the element was created	Datetime	0..1
`educationalUse`	This property classifies the resource based on whether it is used for delivering instruction or assessing student learning	`EducationalUseENUM`	0..1
`gradeLevel`	Specifies the educational grade for which the curriculum component is intended	`GradeLevelENUM`	0..n
`gradingRequired`	Indicates if the activity must be graded	Boolean	0..1
`identifier`	The identifier of the item, either as textual strings or as URL (URI) links.	String	1
`inLanguage`	The language of the content.	`LanguageENUM`	0..1
`isOptional`	Whether the curriculum element is optional to complete	Boolean	0..1
`license`	A license document that applies to this content, typically indicated by URL.	String	1
`lmsLoadingGuidance`	Indicates the vendor’s guidance regarding whether this learning resource should be included when loading content into a Learning Management System (LMS). This property is advisory and may be overridden by local implementation policies. The value is selected from a controlled vocabulary.	`lmsLoadingGuidanceENUM`	0..1
`name`	The name of the item.	String	0..1
`ordinalName`	A label that combines the item’s sequence number with descriptive text to indicate its order and context within a larger structure (e.g., ‘Lesson 1’, ‘Chapter 2’).	String	0..1
`position`	The position of an item in a series or sequence of items.	Integer	0..1
`provider`	The service provider, service operator, or service performer	String	0..1
`providerDateCreated`	The date on which the element was created by the provider	Datetime	1
`providerDateModified`	The date on which the element was updated by the provider	Datetime	1
`publisherIdentifier`	The ID assigned by the original publisher.	String	0..1
`studentGroupingType`	Describes intended grouping structure for student participation in an activity, indicating how students should collaborate to achieve the educational objectives.	`StudentGroupingTypeENUM`	0..1
`submissionRequired`	Indicates if the activity must be submitted	Boolean	0..1
`timeRequired`	Approximate or typical time it usually takes to work with or through the content of this work for the typical or target audience.	`Duration`	0..1

Assessment

An assessment evaluates a student’s understanding or mastery of knowledge, skills, or competencies through structured tasks or questions.

Properties

Property	Description	Type	Cardinality
`academicSubject`	The academic subject	`AcademicSubjectENUM`	0..1
`attributionStatement`	A textual credit that acknowledges the source or creator of a work, included when required by the content’s license (e.g., Creative Commons BY). The statement specifies how the creator should be attributed in accordance with the license terms.	String	1
`audience`	Specifies the intended audience for a learning resource, indicating who the content is designed for or most relevant to.	`EducationalAudienceENUM`	1..n
`author`	The author of this content.	String	1
`courseCode`	The identifier for the course used by the course provider (e.g. CS101 or 6.001).	String	0..1
`curriculumLabel`	A curriculum-specific categorization of the resource. In Illustrative Mathematics, an introductory activity might have `curriculumLabel`: `"warm-up"`.	String	0..1
`dateCreated`	The date on which the element was created	Datetime	0..1
`educationalUse`	This property classifies the resource based on whether it is used for delivering instruction or assessing student learning	`EducationalUseENUM`	0..1
`gradeLevel`	Specifies the educational grade for which the curriculum component is intended	`GradeLevelENUM`	0..n
`gradingRequired`	Indicates if the activity must be graded	Boolean	0..1
`identifier`	The identifier of the item, either as textual strings or as URL (URI) links.	String	1
`inLanguage`	The language of the content.	`LanguageENUM`	0..1
`isOptional`	Whether the curriculum element is optional to complete	Boolean	0..1
`license`	A license document that applies to this content, typically indicated by URL.	String	1
`lmsLoadingGuidance`	Indicates the vendor’s guidance regarding whether this learning resource should be included when loading content into a Learning Management System (LMS). This property is advisory and may be overridden by local implementation policies. The value is selected from a controlled vocabulary.	`lmsLoadingGuidanceENUM`	0..1
`name`	The name of the item.	String	0..1
`provider`	The service provider, service operator, or service performer	String	0..1
`providerDateCreated`	The date on which the element was created by the provider	Datetime	1
`providerDateModified`	The date on which the element was updated by the provider	Datetime	1
`publisherIdentifier`	The ID assigned by the original publisher.	String	0..1
`studentGroupingType`	Describes intended grouping structure for student participation in an activity, indicating how students should collaborate to achieve the educational objectives.	`StudentGroupingTypeENUM`	0..1
`submissionRequired`	Indicates if the activity must be submitted	Boolean	0..1
`variant`	An identifier or label distinguishing different forms of the same assessment, which may vary in item selection, sequencing, or difficulty while maintaining equivalent measurement intent	String	0..1

Material

Instructional content—readings, videos, worksheets, images, or digital resources that support learning activities—is modeled as Material nodes in the graph.

Properties

Property	Description	Type	Cardinality
`academicSubject`	The academic subject	`AcademicSubjectENUM`	0..1
`attributionStatement`	A textual credit that acknowledges the source or creator of a work, included when required by the content’s license (e.g., Creative Commons BY). The statement specifies how the creator should be attributed in accordance with the license terms.	String	1
`audience`	Specifies the intended audience for a learning resource, indicating who the content is designed for or most relevant to.	`EducationalAudienceENUM`	1..n
`author`	The author of this content.	String	1
`content`	The content encoded as HTML	String	1
`educationalUse`	This property classifies the resource based on whether it is used for delivering instruction or assessing student learning	`EducationalUseENUM`	0..1
`identifier`	The identifier of the item, either as textual strings or as URL (URI) links.	String	1
`inLanguage`	The language of the content.	`LanguageENUM`	0..1
`license`	A license document that applies to this content, typically indicated by URL.	String	1
`materialType`	A classification that indicates the role or purpose of a learning material within the educational context, describing how it is intended to support teaching and learning.	`StudentGroupingTypeENUM`	1
`name`	The name of the item.	String	0..1
`ordinalName`	A label that combines the item’s sequence number with descriptive text to indicate its order and context within a larger structure (e.g., ‘Lesson 1’, ‘Chapter 2’).	String	0..1
`provider`	The service provider, service operator, or service performer	String	0..1
`providerDateCreated`	The date on which the element was created by the provider	Datetime	1
`providerDateModified`	The date on which the element was updated by the provider	Datetime	1
`publisherIdentifier`	The ID assigned by the original publisher.	String	0..1

Classroom material

Physical tools, supplies, or resources used to support instruction—but that do not themselves contain instructional content—are modeled as ClassroomMaterial nodes (e.g. manipulatives, lab equipment, or presentation tools).

Properties

Property	Description	Type	Cardinality
`academicSubject`	The academic subject	`AcademicSubjectENUM`	0..1
`attributionStatement`	A textual credit that acknowledges the source or creator of a work, included when required by the content’s license (e.g., Creative Commons BY). The statement specifies how the creator should be attributed in accordance with the license terms.	String	1
`audience`	Specifies the intended audience for a learning resource, indicating who the content is designed for or most relevant to.	`EducationalAudienceENUM`	1..n
`author`	The author of this content.	String	1
`curriculumLabel`	A curriculum-specific categorization of the resource. In Illustrative Mathematics, an introductory activity might have `curriculumLabel`: `"warm-up"`.	String	0..1
`dateCreated`	The date on which the element was created	Datetime	0..1
`description`	A description of the item.	String	0..1
`educationalUse`	This property classifies the resource based on whether it is used for delivering instruction or assessing student learning	`EducationalUseENUM`	0..1
`identifier`	The identifier of the item, either as textual strings or as URL (URI) links.	String	1
`inLanguage`	The language of the content.	`LanguageENUM`	0..1
`name`	The name of the item.	String	0..1
`position`	The position of an item in a series or sequence of items.	Integer	0..1
`provider`	The service provider, service operator, or service performer	String	0..1
`providerDateCreated`	The date on which the element was created by the provider	Datetime	1
`providerDateModified`	The date on which the element was updated by the provider	Datetime	1
`publisherIdentifier`	The ID assigned by the original publisher.	String	0..1

Glossary term

A glossary term defines vocabulary or concepts used within a curriculum, providing explanations that support comprehension of instructional content.

Properties

Property	Description	Type	Cardinality
`academicSubject`	The academic subject	`AcademicSubjectENUM`	0..1
`attributionStatement`	A textual credit that acknowledges the source or creator of a work, included when required by the content’s license (e.g., Creative Commons BY). The statement specifies how the creator should be attributed in accordance with the license terms.	String	1
`audience`	Specifies the intended audience for a learning resource, indicating who the content is designed for or most relevant to.	`EducationalAudienceENUM`	1..n
`author`	The author of this content.	String	1
`curriculumLabel`	A curriculum-specific categorization of the resource. In Illustrative Mathematics, an introductory activity might have `curriculumLabel`: `"warm-up"`.	String	0..1
`dateCreated`	The date on which the element was created	Datetime	0..1
`description`	A description of the item.	String	0..1
`educationalUse`	This property classifies the resource based on whether it is used for delivering instruction or assessing student learning	`EducationalUseENUM`	0..1
`identifier`	The identifier of the item, either as textual strings or as URL (URI) links.	String	1
`inLanguage`	The language of the content.	`LanguageENUM`	0..1
`isOptional`	Whether the curriculum element is optional to complete	Boolean	0..1
`license`	A license document that applies to this content, typically indicated by URL.	String	1
`lmsLoadingGuidance`	Indicates the vendor’s guidance regarding whether this learning resource should be included when loading content into a Learning Management System (LMS). This property is advisory and may be overridden by local implementation policies. The value is selected from a controlled vocabulary.	`lmsLoadingGuidanceENUM`	0..1
`name`	The name of the item.	String	0..1
`position`	The position of an item in a series or sequence of items.	Integer	0..1
`providerDateCreated`	The date on which the element was created by the provider	Datetime	1
`providerDateModified`	The date on which the element was updated by the provider	Datetime	1
`publisherIdentifier`	The ID assigned by the original publisher.	String	0..1

Instructional routine

An instructional routine represents a structured, repeatable teaching strategy or pedagogical framework consistently employed within a curriculum to support instructional delivery and student engagement.

Properties

Property	Description	Type	Cardinality
`academicSubject`	The academic subject	`AcademicSubjectENUM`	0..1
`attributionStatement`	A textual credit that acknowledges the source or creator of a work, included when required by the content’s license (e.g., Creative Commons BY). The statement specifies how the creator should be attributed in accordance with the license terms.	String	1
`audience`	Specifies the intended audience for a learning resource, indicating who the content is designed for or most relevant to.	`EducationalAudienceENUM`	1..n
`author`	The author of this content.	String	1
`curriculumLabel`	A curriculum-specific categorization of the resource. In Illustrative Mathematics, an introductory activity might have `curriculumLabel`: `"warm-up"`.	String	0..1
`dateCreated`	The date on which the element was created	Datetime	0..1
`description`	A description of the item.	String	0..1
`educationalUse`	This property classifies the resource based on whether it is used for delivering instruction or assessing student learning	`EducationalUseENUM`	0..1
`gradeLevel`	Specifies the educational grade for which the curriculum component is intended	`GradeLevelENUM`	0..n
`gradingRequired`	Indicates if the activity must be graded	Boolean	0..1
`identifier`	The identifier of the item, either as textual strings or as URL (URI) links.	String	1
`inLanguage`	The language of the content.	`LanguageENUM`	0..1
`isOptional`	Whether the curriculum element is optional to complete	Boolean	0..1
`license`	A license document that applies to this content, typically indicated by URL.	String	1
`lmsLoadingGuidance`	Indicates the vendor’s guidance regarding whether this learning resource should be included when loading content into a Learning Management System (LMS). This property is advisory and may be overridden by local implementation policies. The value is selected from a controlled vocabulary.	`lmsLoadingGuidanceENUM`	0..1
`name`	The name of the item.	String	0..1
`provider`	The service provider, service operator, or service performer	String	0..1
`providerDateCreated`	The date on which the element was created by the provider	Datetime	1
`providerDateModified`	The date on which the element was updated by the provider	Datetime	1
`publisherIdentifier`	The ID assigned by the original publisher.	String	0..1

Relationships

Any relationships that relate to the Material, ClassroomMaterial, GlossaryTerm, and InstructionalRoutine entities are restricted and require prior approval. Contact support@learningcommons.org ↗ for information about access and eligibility.

The relationships relevant for curriculum are:

hasPart
hasEducationalAlignment
usesRoutine
uses
hasDependency
references
mutuallyExclusiveWith

hasPart

A hasPart relationship connects a parent curriculum element to its constituent components, allowing hierarchical organization of instructional content. Structurally, a Course may connect to LessonGrouping or Material; a LessonGrouping may connect to nested LessonGrouping, Lesson, or Material; a Lesson may connect to Activity; and an Activity may connect to Material.

(:Course) - [:hasPart] -> (:LessonGrouping|:Material)
(:LessonGrouping) - [:hasPart] -> (:LessonGrouping|:Lesson|:Material)
(:Lesson) - [:hasPart] -> (:Activity)
(:Activity) - [:hasPart] -> (:Material)

hasEducationalAlignment

A hasEducationalAlignment relationship connects a curriculum element to one or more StandardsFrameworkItem nodes, specifying the academic standards, competencies, or learning goals that the element is intended to teach, assess, or support. This alignment applies across Course, LessonGrouping, Lesson, Activity, Assessment, and Material. (:Course|:LessonGrouping|:Lesson|:Activity|:Assessment|:Material) -[:hasEducationalAlignment]->(:StandardsFrameworkItem)

usesRoutine

A usesRoutine relationship connects a curriculum element to one or more InstructionalRoutine nodes, representing structured, repeatable teaching strategies consistently employed to support instructional delivery and student engagement. This applies to Course, Lesson, and Activity. (:Course|:Lesson|:Activity)-[:usesRoutine]->(:InstructionalRoutine)

uses

A uses relationship connects a curriculum element to one or more ClassroomMaterial nodes (e.g. handouts, manipulatives, or digital tools), which are necessary for delivery but do not themselves contain instructional content. This applies to Lesson and Activity. (:Lesson|:Activity)-[:uses]->(:ClassroomMaterial)

hasDependency

A hasDependency relationship connects a curriculum element to one or more prerequisite elements of the same type, indicating that prior knowledge, skills, or content must be addressed before the current element can be effectively taught or undertaken. This applies to LessonGrouping, Lesson, and Activity.

(:LessonGrouping)-[:hasDependency]->(:LessonGrouping)
(:Lesson)-[:hasDependency]->(:Lesson)
(:Activity)-[:hasDependency]->(:Activity)

references

A references relationship connects a curriculum element to other instructional content or resources in a non-sequential way, highlighting connections that reinforce, revisit, or contextualize knowledge. This includes Lesson referencing prior Lesson or GlossaryTerm, Activity referencing Lesson, and Assessment referencing Lesson.

(:Lesson)-[:references]->(:Lesson|:GlossaryTerm)
(:Activity)-[:references]->(:Lesson)
(:Assessment)-[:references]->(:Lesson)

mutuallyExclusiveWith

A mutuallyExclusiveWith relationship connects one Assessment to another, indicating that they are alternatives and should not both be administered due to overlap in content or intended purpose. (:Assessment)-[:mutuallyExclusiveWith]->(:Assessment)

Schema release history

Date	Changed
September 23, 2025	First release.

Understanding Knowledge Graph

Getting Started

Using Knowledge Graph

Entity and Relationship Reference

Resources

Data relationship diagram

Entities

Course

Properties

Example

Lesson grouping

Properties

Lesson

Properties

Example

Activity

Properties

Assessment

Properties

Material

Properties

Classroom material

Properties

Glossary term

Properties

Instructional routine

Properties

Relationships

hasPart

hasEducationalAlignment

usesRoutine

uses

hasDependency

references

mutuallyExclusiveWith

Schema release history

Understanding Knowledge Graph

Getting Started

Using Knowledge Graph

Entity and Relationship Reference

Resources

​Data relationship diagram

​Entities

​Course

​Properties

​Example

​Lesson grouping

​Properties

​Lesson

​Properties

​Example

​Activity

​Properties

​Assessment

​Properties

​Material

​Properties

​Classroom material

​Properties

​Glossary term

​Properties

​Instructional routine

​Properties

​Relationships

​hasPart

​hasEducationalAlignment

​usesRoutine

​uses

​hasDependency

​references

​mutuallyExclusiveWith

​Schema release history

Data relationship diagram

Entities

Course

Properties

Example

Lesson grouping

Properties

Lesson

Properties

Example

Activity

Properties

Assessment

Properties

Material

Properties

Classroom material

Properties

Glossary term

Properties

Instructional routine

Properties

Relationships

hasPart

hasEducationalAlignment

usesRoutine

uses

hasDependency

references

mutuallyExclusiveWith

Schema release history