Participants in this hands-on institute will explore writing across the curriculum. They will create and respond to prompts that integrate curriculum content with areas such as poetry, readers' theater, book reviews, newspaper features, research projects, and narratives. The culminating activity will be to develop a unit of learning that incorporates various types of writing activities.

The objective of this institute is to enable teachers to create social studies curriculum effectively using the community as the classroom and connect the lessons to the Kentucky Core Content. The downtown areas of Murray and Paducah, KY, and the Murray State University campus will be used as examples of community. Teachers will be assisted in relating the concepts and experiences to curriculum development, utilizing their own communities and schools. Emphasis will be placed on the theme, Shaping of America by Local People, Events, and Documents.

Participants will address strands of the Kentucky Core Content as they explore ways to introduce and reinforce mathematics concepts, skills, and relationships. This workshop will enhance the public school's curriculum by integrating literature and mathematics in meaningful and sustained ways that will make a difference in the lives of public school children. This course will allow teachers to create materials that will demonstrate the connection between literature and mathematics as well as increase content knowledge of mathematics.

Participants who have had little or no formal Spanish Instruction will learn to engage in conversation at the beginning level and will be able to apply these skills to the classroom. It will give participants a solid foundation in Spanish pronunciation and provide opportunities for practice and basic conversation. The institute will also address the needs of non-English speaking students.

Participants will explore a wide range of topics and gain competence needed to meet Kentucky's technology standards in areas most germane to their specific needs, backgrounds, and work requirements. Participants will actively explore a wide variety of informational and interpersonal resources available on the Internet; identify ways to integrate the use of on-line resources; learn to create web-based instructional materials; and explore current issues, policies, and trends in instructional technology.

Participants will learn and practice differentiated methods and strategies of instruction. Educators will develop a Differentiated Unit of Instruction that responds to the needs of all learners in the general classroom. Participants will explore, apply, and practice the many effective methods of differentiating instruction for all students.