Many people would agree the creative arts are essential for children's education and development. For years, the creative arts were integrated into classroom learning units, especially in the language arts, by using drama, music, and drawing; this was considered good teaching. In this study we examined whether contracted curricula designed for…

This article is about my experiences as a ninth grade history teacher trying to implement a "big idea" unit on ancient African history. My experiences as a first year teacher and also my experience in seeing this unit develop over three years are chronicled. I conclude that implementing a big idea strategy of instruction is possible in a…

This curriculum guide covers Course I of a three-year sequence for high school mathematics in New York which was intended to provide an alternative to the regular Regents sequence of ninth-, tenth-, and eleventh-grade mathematics. A listing of scope and content for Course I is provided, along with a suggested time allotment. Four mathematics units…