The Makecourse-Art is a makerspace designed to promote undergraduate students' aesthetic design skills as well as functional design skills using an interdisciplinary team approach at the University of South Florida. To overcome the unique challenges of the Makecourse (earlier version) and to maximize students' design efforts working on an…

The most recent phase of curriculum reform in the era of accountability is the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) which have essentially reshaped the landscape of public education. Its objective of preparing K-12 students for college and career upon high school graduation have prioritized English language arts, mathematics, and science over social…

Borrowing student loans can be confusing and intimidating, enough so that these feelings can influence how students go to college or whether they even enroll at all. Colleges have a responsibility to provide loan counseling to federal student loan borrowers--which, when done intently, can produce a potentially clarifying and empowering experience.…

This set of activities is designed to bring water resource education into the middle school classroom using an interdisciplinary approach. The packet contains timely, localized information about the water resources of west central Florida. Each activity is aligned to middle-school Sunshine State Standards. These hands-on, minds-on activities can…

Ecosystem management is an integrated approach to managing Florida's biological and physical environments designed to maintain, protect, and improve the state's natural, managed, and human communities. This document contains activities designed for 4th-5th grade students that meet the guidelines of Florida's K-12 Science Framework to better…

A study unit for social studies or language arts credit in secondary grades is developed for a problem centered in-depth analysis of contemporary America. An interdisciplinary approach focusing on an analysis of art, literature, music, and philosophy is suggested to help the student assess personal values and beliefs concerning contemporary…

Exponential growth is a mega-concept which has many applications. It is fundamental to understanding how and why systems work and fail, be they natural or man-made systems. Lessons/activities in this booklet are designed for Florida teachers to help provide their students with an understanding of the nature and implications of exponential growth.…

This unit contains a number of learning activities which can be incorporated into junior-high environmental education classes. Objectives are to make students aware of local environmental problems and clarify their personal values about environmental issues. Along with general kinds of land-use problems and historical overviews, the unit focuses…

The major intent of this interdisciplinary quinmester course for grades seven through twelve is to examine the need, problems, consequences, and social aspects of drug abuse. By studying the history and medicine of drug use, students learn background information that helps them define and categorize legitimate and illegitimate drug use, and…

This teacher's guide to Social Studies was designed for use in the Duval County junior high schools in Jacksonville, Florida. The subjects dealt with are ninth grade American Government and advanced American Government; eighth grade American History and advanced American History; Florida History (for use in seventh, eighth, and ninth grades);…

Interdisciplinary social studies units on land use and social action for eighth and ninth grade students are provided. Although specifically written for students living in Pinellas County, Florida, the units can be adapted easily for teaching about land use in general and/or land use in one's own community. The overall objective is to help…

The introductory social studies survey course required for grades 7 through 9, part of the Quinmester Program, attempts to help the student develop a cognitive structure in the social sciences generally and in each of seven disciplines. Emphasis is placed on basic skills the social scientist uses to study man and his problems. "Launch…

This survey course is one of the several quinmester courses for grades 10-12 clustering around world studies. Emphasis is upon the social change taking place during the 14-17th centuries with students analyzing the impact of the Renaissance and Reformation on Western society. Although the content focuses on history, other social science…

This guide, one of a series in the Quinmester Program, is intended to aid teachers in grades 10 through 12 as they prepare instructional programs dealing with current environmental crisis issues. The aim of this course of study is to help students understand political and economic ramifications of environmental problems and to motivate and provide…

This course of study was written as part of a total effort to revise curriculum to fit the quinmester (five 9-week periods) administrative organization of the Dade County Schools. The major intent of this publication is to provide a broad framework of goals and objectives, content, teaching strategies, class activities, and materials all related…