1. The Formal or Explicit Curriculum

Your textbook lists nine subject areas that comprise the formal curriculum. Links to the professional organizations that support teachers in these fields are listed below. Choose the organization that most closely reflects your teaching interests, then answer the questions which follow.

National Council of Teachers of English

National Council for the Social Studies

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

National Science Teachers Association

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

International Technology Education Association

Association for the Advancement of Arts Education

National Association for Sport and Physical Education

Association for Career and Technical Education

For the subject area you chose, how does this organization's Web site reflect the Tension Points and Trends discussed in your text? What other issues are teachers in this area confronting today? As an educator in this subject area, how could you use this Web site to support your teaching and professional development?

Finally, take a quick look at the other Web sites listed above. What kinds of resources are offered by all of these sites? Identify any resources that you think are especially unique and beneficial to teachers.

2. The Curriculum Time Machine

The two Web sites listed below provide a wealth of online resources related to the history of education. Use these sites as reference sources for completing this exercise.

The History of Education Site

History of American Education Web Project

Your textbook presents eight "time capsules" to give you a historical perspective on the U.S. educational curriculum. Each time capsule presents a broad snapshot of the curriculum trends during each period. For this exercise, we want you to focus on a particular area of the American curriculum and trace its development over time. For example, how has the religious aspect of the curriculum changed from era to era? Other topics you might research include the evolution of education for women, arts education, or vocational instruction. You may choose any topic -- just make sure you zero in on a specific aspect of the curriculum rather than the curriculum in general.

3. New Directions for the Curriculum

Click here to visit the Promoting Achievement in School through Sport (PASS) Web site. In what ways does this program reflect the move toward an integrated curriculum? Use specific examples from the PASS web site to illustrate your answer. How are grade levels and ages integrated? What further enhancements might you suggest? What further groupings of subjects make sense to you?

Do you like the idea of distinct subject areas, or does crossing these barriers have some appeal to you? Does your preference offer you an insight into your own teaching style?