New York State Curriculum

The New York State curriculum must be followed in all New York schools. In addition to the basics, New York has some interesting requirements. Here are some examples:

• Language Arts -- Using Native American languages, students are expected to be able to give appropriate verbal and non-verbal responses, recreate legends through authentic dance, as well as converse with tribal elders about traditional values. Although Native American languages are traditionally oral, the NY school system has introduced a writing dimension to these studies.
• Family and Consumer Sciences -- To prove their proficiency in healthy food preparation, students will use age-appropriate technology, such as a microwave, to prepare food.
• Physical Education -- Students will create a dance with a partner that combines movement to music from a specific culture.
• U.S. and New York History -- Students will study the Irish Potato Famine as an example of a civil or human rights violation. Students will compare the cultural metaphors like "melting pot" and "salad bowl" with "tapestry" and "mosaic" to determine which are most historically accurate.
• World History -- Students should be able to distinguish between past, present, and future time periods.
• Information Systems -- Students will join a list serve and send e-mail to other people about their concerns and interests.
• Science -- As a part of the "Living Environment" unit, students will use rulers to determine the effect of amount of sleep on hand-eye coordination.
• Technology -- Students will use a torch to heat a steel rod to a cherry red color and cool it slowly to demonstrate how the process of annealing changes the internal structure of the steel and removes its brittleness.

See detailed Learning Standards and examples of student work on everything from Holocaust Studies to the Irish Potato Famine to AIDS Prevention to Physical Education Requirements.