With the national focus on student achievement and teacher accountability, more and more states are adopting academic standards for all subject areas. While the standards were never intended to be a checklist of objectives to be mastered by a specific date during the year, many school systems use them this way.
         Kay gives teachers a precise format for using the standards to guide them toward innovative and creative units of study in the content areas. Strategies include:

• becoming familiar with the standards
• creating a long-range plan
• choosing appropriate topics
• collecting sources of information
• mapping out a unit
• writing standards-based, detailed lesson plans
• differentiating instruction for special needs and gifted/talented students
• planning for assessment and display
• integrating other areas of the curriculum

         This workshop is a must for teachers who want to become more familiar with the academic standards. For those who teach in states without standards, get a head start on a national trend!