In a world with an ever-increasing population, diminishing natural resources, and greater levels of consumption, sustainability has emerged as a critical concept and it encompasses everything from international policy to lifestyle changes to "green" technologies. While various aspects of sustainability have been adopted by schools and…

Phase II of the Iowa High School Industrial Arts project sought to revise industrial arts content to include the infusion of new technologies, structured mathematics and science content, and a less project-oriented approach to teaching. The project identified a philosophical basis and a content structure; set priorities for development and…

Designed to facilitate development of local school district curricula, this document provides science educators with guidelines for conducting an assessment of K-14 programs as well as offering "essential" process skills and knowledge items for synthesizing the most appropriate student outcomes in science courses. The booklet is divided…

This set of activities is intended to assist home economics teachers in incorporating basic energy education concepts into traditional home economics topics. Awareness activities that are intended to help students develop an understanding of fundamental energy conservation concepts and, at the same time, apply these concepts in home economics…

This guide (developed in response to a mandate from the Iowa General Assembly) is designed to help faculties and administrators in developing curriculum and improving instruction in higher order thinking skills. The guide synthesizes the varied and not always consistent ideas about thinking into an approach that will be useful to educators as they…

Describes experiences from the Iowa Star Schools project involving the introduction of distance education into preservice teacher education. Highlights include project activities for preservice teacher education; and future possibilities, including connecting Iowa preservice teacher education programs, connecting preservice programs with…

This guide was developed as a model for local music education programs. Following the preface, a unit titled, "Rationale/Philosophy/Goals," contains the philosophy and goals of music education and preferred student attitudes toward music. Goals and objectives for a multicultural, nonsexist approach to music education, and recommendations…

This guide, which is intended to help middle-level home economics teachers satisfy the Iowa Vocational Education Standards and Requirements, consists of descriptions of 51 successful learning activities developed by Iowa teachers for helping middle school students master 17 minimum competencies in the following major content areas: personal and…

The materials in this guide focus on a variety of approaches to acquiring learning skills and applying them to eight content areas. The guide begins with a definition, an overview of learning skills, and historical background on the process of acquiring and applying learning skills. Ten learning skill competencies are defined: (1) self-evaluation,…

This visual arts curriculum guide was developed as a subset of a model curriculum for the arts as mandated by the Iowa legislature. It is designed to be used in conjunction with the Visual Arts in Iowa Schools (VAIS). The guide is divided into six sections: Sections one and two contain the preface, acknowledgements, and a list of members of the…

Based on the Iowa model for career education, this career education inventory presents a series of four tests for measuring a student's career education development. Following a list of student outcome objectives, tests are provided for four levels of career development: grades K-3, awareness; grades 4-6, accommodation; grades 7-9, exploration;…

Describes a Science-Technology-Society (STS) course implemented in Iowa that utilizes the National Science Teachers Association guidelines for STS courses. (PR)

This report presents results of a project to revise the current 120-hour advanced nurse aide course to include all recommended minimum competencies. A three-page description of project objectives, activities, and outcomes is followed by a list of the competencies for the 75-hour nurse aide course for long-term care and for the 120-hour advanced…

The purpose of this guide is to present dance education as a discipline and to encourage student participation in a wide range of dance activities. The unit, "Rationale/Philosophy/Goals," contains an introduction to the program, a rationale, and overall goals. "Scope/Sequence/Strategies," presents a chart which lists basic…

Realizing that there is virtually no acknowledgement of the theater arts as part of the educational program in the public schools of Iowa, this guide is intended to be a model for instruction in theater beginning in the earliest grades and continuing beyond the school years. It is organized so that it is the theater teacher/director who makes the…