This paper describes an interdisciplinary project at California State University (Long Beach) designed to increase the attractiveness of the geosciences to underrepresented groups. The project is called the Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Project (GDEP). It is a 3-year program which began in the fall of 2001 with funding from the National Science…

The National Park Service originated with the passage of the Organic Act of 1916. Since then the National Park Service and the U.S. government have designated many places to be protected, either because of their historical significance or natural significance to the nation. In Kentucky, Mammoth Cave National Park is one of four national parks.…

This grant's goals for high school teachers were threefold: (1) in the core courses and elective classes to collaborate and create lessons with a central theme; (2) become proficient with computer technology and utilize Internet resources as integral components of their lessons; and (3) enrich, enliven, and update the content of their classes…

This eighth grade lesson plan asks students to research and analyze primary source documents about early factory labor (mill workers during the period between 1840-1860) showing their hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. The lesson plan asks students to read a historical novel about the time,…

The key way for government to legislate the scientific revolution is to know when science threatens to ethically destroy the fabric of society. The U.S. President has asked you (the student), his senior advisor, to test the waters of this new science and evaluate what stance he needs to take regarding issues like cloning, cryogenics, assisted…

This teacher's guide gives practical and realistic ideas for teaching and learning about art. Creating artwork need not be seen as an activity in isolation but can be used to reinforce historical understanding or to support cross-curricular work. The aim of the guide is to help teachers recognize the potential of the historic environment to:…

A great companion to the original "Social Studies through Children's Literature," this teacher's handbook gives theoretical support for integrating social studies and literature disciplines and serves as an instructional guide for classroom use. The guide is divided into two parts: (1) "Children's Literature in the Social Studies…

This paper provides an overview of the interdisciplinary program at Auburn High School, a small high school in Riner, Virginia, and describes a recent schoolwide project to construct an Elizabethan gazebo and Shakespeare garden. To develop interdisciplinary units, the teachers begin by brainstorming ideas, looking for overlapping content. The next…

This case study describes the theory behind and the process of developing a learning community program at Abilene Christian University (ACU), Texas. The program, initiated in 1996, was developed to improve community and student retention and to provide opportunities for faculty renewal and professional development. Review of the research on…

An interdisciplinary curriculum program was introduced at a suburban high school almost 1,700 students when the school became eligible for a Chapter 1 program grant for academically at risk students. The interdisciplinary program, which integrated English, Algebra, Biology, and World History, developed and was expanded to all students, including…

This report is part of an annual national survey that examines salaries of full-time teaching faculty in 54 selected disciplines. Data for the study as a whole were collected from 305 public and 403 private institutions for the baseline year of 1997-1998 and the trend year of 1999-2000. This portion of the study covers salary data for…

This lesson plan imagines the student as part of a delegation to a special meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-sponsored Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council being held in Brussels, Belgium, where the topic of discussion is a proposal by several NATO members to invite independent republics of the former Soviet Union to become…

In this lesson plan, students role play members of the Cabinet of the President of the United States. Cabinet members must define and defend their highest priority programs for the coming fiscal year. Students must identify a pressing current issue before their particular Cabinet department and prepare an action plan, with possible alternative…

The Water in Africa Project was realized over a 2-year period by a team of Peace Corps volunteers, World Wise Schools (WWS) classroom teachers, and WWS staff members. As part of an expanded, detailed design, resources were collected from over 90 volunteers serving in African countries, photos and stories were prepared, and standards-based learning…

Intended for middle school social studies classrooms, this publication features articles that spotlight diverse and innovative learning activities. This document includes the three issues of the "Middle Level Learning" supplement published in 1999 and the three that were published in 2000. Articles and classroom activities highlighted in this…