There is increasing urgency to broaden access to inclusive and culturally sustaining K-12 civic education. Civic education can foster young people's development of their civic identity, which can support a functioning American democracy. Civic education often includes opportunities for learners to develop civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions,…

The "Australian Curriculum: History" has emerged out of a neoliberal federal education policy landscape. This is a policy landscape where pragmatic and performative, rather than pedagogic concerns are clearly foregrounded, and this has implications for curriculum development and implementation. A useful way to conceptualise the features,…

Modern biology has become increasingly molecular in nature, requiring students to understand basic chemical concepts. Studies show, however, that many students fail to grasp ideas about atom rearrangement and conservation during chemical reactions or the application of these ideas to biological systems. To help provide students with a better…

In this initial study, the authors examined the content of the planned and enacted eighth-grade mathematics curriculum for 18 general and special education teachers and the curricula's alignment to state standards via the Surveys of the Enacted Curriculum. The relation between alignment and student achievement was analyzed for three formative…

THE METHODS, MATERIALS, AND CONTENT FOR A RECOMMENDED EIGHTH GRADE SCIENCE COURSE ARE DESCRIBED. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS INCLUDE DISCUSSIONS OF RECENT TRENDS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION, THE RATIONALE FOR AN EARTH SCIENCE COURSE, AND QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARY FOR TEACHING THE COURSE. THE EARTH SCIENCE COURSE CONTENT IS DIVIDED INTO SEVEN UNITS. THE FOLLOWING…

A school social work intervention called the "Getting Better Phenomenon" is redesigned as a curriculum resource for eighth- and ninth-grade teachers. The activities in the curriculum represent a synergy of provincial learning expectations; academic assessment and evaluation structures; teacher-guided delivery of student-generated "course" content;…

The purpose of this study was to determine parents' perceptions regarding acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) education information for their eighth-grade school children. Their perceptions were based on their responses to a questionnaire that included topics such as AIDS as a disease, how the virus is spread, incidence of AIDS among…

Discusses the importance of studying history topics in-depth and how California's History-Social Science Framework (1988) has incorporated in-depth instruction into units of study. Describes the U.S. history and geography curriculum for grades 5, 8, and 11. Concludes that the Framework provides teachers with more time to plan and teach while…

The state of New Mexico requires all sixth grade students to take the year-long social studies course entitled Eastern Hemisphere Studies. Seventh grade students are required to take two semester-long courses, are in Western Hemisphere Studies and the other in New Mexico History and Geography. The year-long social studies course on U.S. History is…

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…

Fifteen major concepts form the basis of the New York State schools K-12 social studies program. They are: (1) change, (2) choice, (3) citizenship, (4) culture, (5) diversity, (6) empathy, (7) environment, (8) human rights, (9) identity, (10) interdependence, (11) justice, (12) political system, (13) power, (14) scarcity, and (15) technology. The…

Describes the changes that have been made and are planned in the home economics curriculum in New York State. Changes discussed include living skills for males and females; four freestanding modules spread over grades six, seven, and eight; closer cooperation between home economics teachers and guidance personnel; and overlap with health…

A practicum was designed (for grades 7-9) which implemented a speech, drama, and communications course (18 students) at a nonpublic Christian school. The goals of positive student self-image and peer acceptance were emphasized through teacher-made and religious-oriented materials as well as through written and oral student presentations evidencing…

Contrasts two approaches to achieving depth in an 8th grade U.S. history class. One presents a detailed and chronological approach, the other a discipline-based matrix structure with chronological and regional evolutions as a backdrop. Favors stressing major principles and generalizations while focusing in depth on prototypical examples. (MJP)

Describes the personal development of a private-school teacher involved in course restructuring in U.S. history. Lists and discusses the use of seven themes as the basis for the course. Concludes that history, more than any other subject, is linked to personal identity. (CFR)