We live in an era of rapid technological change. Not only must citizens contend with social problems presented by new and more invasive technologies, but they must also make sense of older technologies that can be viewed as natural to the world. We sought to answer the question, how is technology included and framed in K-12 content social studies…

Although annual state tests had been federally required since 2001, and the consortia and standards were led by states, the new tests became a focal point of narratives about federal overreach and over-testing. Current wisdom holds that testing has become politically toxic. There are real risks that some states are rolling back advancements in…

The Nebraska K-12 Mathematics Standards are intended to reflect what students should know and be able to do by the end of the grades 1, 4, 8, and 12. In addition to identifying grade-level specific standards, the content standards are further divided into six topic strands: (1) Numeration/Number Sense; (2) Computation/Estimation; (3) Measurement;…

Recommended for grades 7-10 social studies classes, this unit presents information about the history of oil, how fast it is being used, difficulties in transporting it, and oil's effect on the world economy. The unit, consisting of eight daily lesson plans, which may be expanded over several more days, contains activity sheets which allow students…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The 2011 State Teacher…

Intended as a supplement to the units "Oil: Fuel of the Past" and "Coal: Fuel of the Past, Hope of the Future," this 3-4 day unit contains three activities which briefly explain the chronological development of energy resources and the formation and development of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The…

Recommended for grades 7-12 language arts, science, and social studies classes, this 5-7 day unit encourages students to investigate alternative energy sources through research. Focusing on geothermal energy, tide and ocean, fusion, wind, biomass, and solar energy as possible areas of consideration, the unit attempts to create an awareness of the…

Social studies promotes civic competence through the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities. This Nebraska framework states that the primary purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse and democratic society in an interdependent…

The Government Documents Collection of the Calvin T. Ryan Library of the University of Nebraska at Kearney contains a broad range of information on a variety of topics, including curriculum guides and materials. This bibliography gathers government documents of special interest to education students, practicing teachers, and teachers of adult…

Home economics and social studies teachers' perceptions of their ability and use of the reading process were compared. Data were gathered through a reading survey instrument given to 82 home economics teachers who later participated in workshops on integrating the reading process into the curriculum. The same instrument was mailed to 100 randomly…

This booklet lists the laws that relate to Nebraska social studies. The volume is intended for administrators, teachers, and curriculum planners to assist them to do a more thorough job of planning social studies programs. The Nebraska Social Studies Statutes are designed to be a primary tool in developing a district's curriculum, as they speak to…

The report has two purposes: (1) to describe the current status of high school courses in four midwestern states, and (2) to describe in specific terms the status of social studies programs in those states. For both studies, 265 schools in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska were grouped by enrollment figures into five classifications ranging…

This document is intended to assist Nebraska business education teachers in developing assessment plans for their local school districts. The first part of the document correlates Nebraska's business education performance standards with grade 8 and grade 12 standards for the following academic subject areas: mathematics; science; social…