Although 20 states have adopted Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), 24 other states have developed their own K-12 science standards based on the same National Research Council (NRC) Framework. Understanding what influences content standards developers, realizing the supports and impediments to implementation they foresee, and knowing their…

In this article, the author talks about the updated National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Standards that are directed toward those meaningful units and engaging lessons. The revised standards set guiding questions and provide strategies and "Snapshots of Practice" which can be used to combine extensive use of content with suggestions for…

Student learning is a complex process that requires purposeful, thoughtful planning and reflection on the part of the teacher. If concepts, skills, attitudes, and values are to be learned, they must be taught explicitly and directly. This article is meant to serve as a step-by-step planning guide for standards-based unit planning. The process,…

This document consists of a collection of thoughts, observations, descriptions, definitions, diagrams, models, suggestions, guidelines, and forms pertaining to curriculum development and instructional planning at the elementary and secondary level. Among the specific topics addressed in one or more of the materials collected here are the…

Explores some current concepts of curriculum integration, and proposes some alternatives to the conceptual violence often done in the name of curriculum integration. What is lost in many efforts in curriculum integration is the "topography" of any particular thing. Curriculum integration should rely on relationships that already exist and not…

The Layers of Necessity Model developed by M. Tessmer and J. F. Wedman (1990 and following) proposes that designers create multiple layers of instructional design (ID) activities depending on the particularities of different design situations. To enrich the understanding of the model, a replication was conducted of a study conducted in 1992.…

This book, working from an educator-defined set of curriculum tasks and their allotted time frames, provides a mechanism for linking instructional theory with classroom practices. Chapter titles are: (1) The Tasks of Curriculum Development; (2) Developing Major Goal Statements; (3) Assembling a Psychological Model for the Dominant Educable…

The Upside Down Tree Design (UDT) shows how teachers can use curriculum planning to improve academic standards. UDT employs the "design down" approach, where the design of the curriculum is arranged down from the general to the specific, but the delivery of the curriculum is presented up from specific to the general. The text explores…

This document provides a structure within which teaching staff can improve students' learning experiences and predict specific learner outcomes in health education. The material is presented in four chapters followed by an appendix. Chapters 1-3 examine the system's values, learner values, philosophy of education, mission for public education and…

This article focuses on curriculum analysis, an aspect of direct instruction that is frequently neglected or obscured by an emphasis on classroom management and teacher performance. Explicit strategies that are used to teach higher cognitive skills and the importance of teacher training in the appropriate use of direct instruction are discussed.…

Assistance for school districts, accreditation teams, and education service centers in the development and use of local curriculum documents is provided in this publication. District responsibility to develop local curriculum guides has led to a lack of standardization, which in turn has complicated assessment. State requirements and standards for…

This handbook is designed for use in conjunction with staff training seminars designed to provide teachers and administrators with a framework and procedures for designing and implementing effective applications of technologies in the curriculum. The intended outcome of the seminars is the development of comprehensive programs including the…

The paper introduces the articles in this special issue, which addresses curriculum for learners with mild handicaps, the curriculum modification process, general modification techniques across subject areas, and content-specific modifications. Curriculum development is viewed as a process of modification rather than as a unique and separate body…

One of the greatest dilemmas in grass-roots school reform is how local participants can take the initiative to construct new and more powerful educational environments for students. The 11 chapters of this book provide a "how-to" guide for curriculum dynamics development, implementation, and assessment. Chapter 1 offers guidelines for establishing…

Canada's provincial programs of study are legal documents that state what students are expected to learn and expected to do in all subjects and grades. In Alberta, programs of study exist for elementary, junior high school, and senior high school students. These programs contain two types of information: a philosophy of learning, which includes…