This unique book combines state-specific facts and 30 fun-to-do hands-on projects. The Government Projects Book includes making a three branches state government tree and adding leaves of each branch's functions, designing a simple census questionnaire, staging a mock classroom election, holding a meeting with Robert's Rules of Order and more! Kids will have a blast and build essential knowledge skills including research, reading, writing, science and math. Great for students in K-8 grades and for displaying in the classroom, library or home.

This unique book combines state-specific facts and 30 fun-to-do hands-on projects. The Current Events Projects Book includes writing a current event news story that takes place 100 years from now, creating a timeline of recent state events, editing state stories in a current newspaper, writing and broadcasting a short news story and more! Kids will have a blast and build essential knowledge skills including research, reading, writing, science and math. Great for students in K-8 grades and for displaying in the classroom, library or home.

Grades K-8. Features 30 history projects for kids to complete-and includes actual state facts. Each project is quick, easy, and inexpensive! Projects include: creating a cartoon panel describing how our state name came about; writing a state constitution for the 21st century; creating a topographic map of the state; dress up as a famous explorer and recreate their main discovery; and more! Students will have a blast creating projects sure to end up as part of a history resource center-all about your state! Most projects use ordinary, easy-to-access materials. 32 pages.

Exploring Indiana through Project-Based Leaning includes 50 well-thought-out projects designed for grades 3-5. In assigning your students projects that dig into IndianaÕs geography, history, government, economy, current events, and famous people, you will deepen their appreciation and understanding of Indiana while simultaneously improving their analytical skills and ability to recognize patterns and big-picture themes. Project-based learning today is much different than the craft-heavy classroom activities popular in the past. Inquiry, planning, research, collaboration, and analysis are key components of project-based learning activities today. However, that doesnÕt mean creativity, individual expression, and fun are out. They definitely arenÕt! Each project is designed to help students gain important knowledge and skills that are derived from standards and key concepts at the heart of academic subject areas. Students are asked to analyze and solve problems, to gather and interpret data, to develop and evaluate solutions, to support their answers with evidence, to think critically in a sustained way, and to use their newfound knowledge to formulate new questions worthy of exploring. While some projects are more complex and take longer than others, they all are set up in the same structure. Each begins with the central project-driving questions, proceeds through research and supportive questions, has the student choose a presentation option, and ends with a broader-view inquiry. Rubrics for reflection and assessments are included, too. This consistent framework will make it easier for you assign projects and for your students to follow along and consistently meet expectations. Encourage your students to take charge of their projects as much as possible. As a teacher, you can act as a facilitator and guide. The projects are structured such that students can often work through the process on their own or through cooperation with their classmates.

The federal government wastes your tax dollars worse than a drunken sailor on shore leave. The 1984 Grace Commission uncovered that the Department of Defense spent $640 for a toilet seat and $436 for a hammer. Twenty years later things weren't much better. In 2004, Congress spent a record-breaking $22.9 billion dollars of your money on 10,656 of their pork-barrel projects. The war on terror has a lot to do with the record $413 billion in deficit spending, but it's also the result of pork over the last 18 years the likes of: - $50 million for an indoor rain forest in Iowa - $102 million to study screwworms which were long ago eradicated from American soil - $273,000 to combat goth culture in Missouri - $2.2 million to renovate the North Pole (Lucky for Santa!) - $50,000 for a tattoo removal program in California - $1 million for ornamental fish research Funny in some instances and jaw-droppingly stupid and wasteful in others, The Pig Book proves one thing about Capitol Hill: pork is king!

When school buildings are aging, a decision must be made as to whether to continue to maintain the existing building, renovate building, or build new. Very seldom is extending the existing buildings life over building a new building. If renovation costs exceed 50% of the cost of new construction, it is better to build instead of renovating. The taxpayers in your community will have much to say on whether to renovate or build new. Much emphasis should be given to taxpayer input before the school board makes a final decision. School administrators are responsible to the community for maintaining school buildings and they owe an explanation to the community of what has been done to protect existing school buildings. This book is developed to help aspiring teachers who want to become principals, business managers or superintendents, that existing buildings need to be properly maintained and functional and can continue to serve the public for many years to come.