Uses the example of New York State to illustrate how the rancorous political debate over education can render national standards irrelevant and contradictory. In appeasing so many factions the standards become inclusive to the point of obfuscation. Provides a brief overview of the controversy concerning national standards. (MJP)

This curriculum guide is structured around 10 key concepts of the K-6 social studies program including change, citizenship, culture, empathy, environment, identity, interdependence, nation-state, scarcity, and technology. The guide is divided into two sections. Section 1, the teachers's notebook, encompasses: (1) the concept goals of the…

Explores the Accelerated Christian Education Curriculum used in a working class, fundamentalist Baptist school in upstate New York. This school blends behaviorism and Calvinism, using rules to regulate students' behavior and cubicle "offices" to isolate students. Speculates on the congruency of this social reproduction approach with…

This New York state social studies curriculum guide for kindergarten focuses on helping students develop awareness of self as growing individuals and contains two sections, the Teacher Notebook and the Syllabus. The Teacher Notebook's goal is to elaborate on the key features of the program while suggesting relevant classroom applications. The key…

This sixth grade program is designed to bring students to a fuller realization of their relationship with other members of different world communities. Skills, concepts, and content form the curriculum model for this social studies program. The course content is derived from history, geography, economics, politics, and society. The skills…

This syllabus outlines a course of study for high school students in the New York State Regents Physics program. It is a major revision of the 1967 edition. It identifies skills students should master, encourages the development of positive science attitudes and emphasizes problem solving. The five core areas represent the basics for all students,…

The "Participation in Government" course is intended to be a culminating activity for social studies students in New York State high schools. Designed to have students apply prior knowledge in the determination of positions regarding vital public issues, the course is particularly crucial for non-regents students, for it will, in many…

The draft of a new syllabus for Latin instruction in New York State public schools emphasizes language instruction for communication. The syllabus is intended to serve as a basis for local activities such as review of current local programs, development of local programs to meet new standards, selection and acquisition of support materials,…

This guide, "a work in progress," is one of a series designed to serve as companion documents for the New York state learning standards defined for each major curriculum area. It is intended to establish a connection between the state-mandated learning standards and classroom instruction and to further elaborate on the standards that…

Ways in which teachers can use the guidelines set out in "Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century" (Standards) to design classroom instruction are discussed. The Standards document is explained, some misconceptions about it are examined, its relevance for the classroom teacher is explored, and examples are…

Asserts that public policy analysis has a time-honored tradition in civics education. Provides a four-part teachers' rationale for including the study of child-labor legislation in social studies courses. Includes a five-part classroom format for teaching public policy analysis. (CFR)

Designed to challenge the special abilities of musically talented and gifted elementary level students, this Gateways music curriculum guide presents enrichment programs that enhance, rather than supplant, the regular music program. Part 1 describes this program's philosophy, which is based upon Joseph Renzulli's Enrichment Triad Model which…

This calendar of lessons conforms to the New York State syllabus for grades 7-8, United States and New York History, which was officially implemented throughout the state in September 1987. It is a guide to the objectives of the state social studies program, not a prescription for day-to-day lesson plans. United States and New York State History…

The unified science approach to instruction is one in which the concepts and processes of science are presented to emphasize the fundamental unity of scientific thought rather than the distinctions among the various scientific disciplines. The general thrust of this program is to provide students with motivating, meaningful units that will…

This document has been prepared to help teachers and administrators in New York plan and execute a mathematics program for grade eight. The syllabus is designed to improve the problem solving abilities of students, while continuing a natural development of mathematical skills and concepts. Problem solving situations are emphasized in each of seven…