Florida

Northern mockingbird perched on a flowering plant.

OER Project courses are the right fit for Florida schools in more ways than one:

World History Project (WHP) 1200 to the Present is ideal for high-school students taking world history.
Big History Project is ideal for middle-school students to establish an interdisciplinary foundation in historical and critical thinking.

Explore the courses mentioned above at your own pace, and once you’re ready to dive into planning, check out the Florida-specific resources below to get started!

Which best describes you?

I’m new to OER Project and about to start using the courses and materials.
I’m a returning OER Project user in Florida looking to see what’s new.

New to OER Project checklist

Getting started with WHP 1200 or Big History Project is a piece of cake! We recommend following the onboarding checklists below so that you’re equipped with all the information you need to get started:

	World History Project (1200)	Big History Project
Professional development opportunities	Explore the WHP 1200 course. You can also find our WHP 1200 course guide here. Attend a live WHP 1200 introductory PD session. Register for a session today! Take our free, online PD course, Teaching World History (TWH) 1200. P.S. If you’re looking for a more “choose your own adventure” OER Project offering before diving into WHP 1200, be sure to check out Project Score. Flexible, scaffolded writing instruction combined with automated essay-scoring give you a new way to do writing in social studies!	Explore the Big History Project course. You can also find our BHP course guide here. Attend a live BHP introductory PD session. Register for a session today! Take our free, online PD course, Teaching Big History.
Standards alignment materials	Read our WHP 1200 Florida standards alignment document. Read our WHP 1200 course plan, generated by a Florida teacher, which includes a pacing guide. You can find additional Florida course plans on our OER Project and Standards Alignment blog.	Read our BHP Florida standards alignment document. Read our sample BHP year-long and semester-long course plans, which include pacing guides.
Talk to a real person!	Connect with other Florida teachers in the OER Project Online Teacher Community—ask questions, share stories, and seek support! Still have questions? Email an OER Project outreach coordinator for support! You can either email them or find a time on their calendar for a meeting.

"Students learn how to ask big questions, establish multiple connections among disciplines, and experience a transformative understanding of their role in our history as humanity. " — Laura, high-school history teacher, Palmetto Bay, FL

Returning to OER Project checklist

So you’ve taught with OER Project materials in Florida before. Welcome back! We update our courses and materials each year, so let’s catch you up on what’s new. To prepare for a new term or semester, we recommend checking off the following items:

	World History Project (1200)	Big History Project
Professional development opportunities	Attend a live WHP 1200 introductory PD session, or attend an advanced training tailored for veterans. Register for a session today! If you haven’t already, take our free, online PD course, Teaching World History (TWH) 1200.	Attend a live BHP introductory PD session, or attend an advanced training tailored for veterans. Register for a session today! If you haven’t already, take our free, online PD course, Teaching Big History.
Standards alignment materials	Read our WHP 1200 course plan, generated by a Florida teacher, which includes a pacing guide. You can find additional Florida course plans on our OER Project and Standards Alignment blog.	Read our sample year-long and semester-long BHP course plans, which include pacing guides.
Talk to a real person!	Connect with other Florida teachers in the OER Project Online Teacher Community—ask questions, share stories, and seek support! Still have questions? Email an OER Project outreach coordinator for support! You can either email them or find a time on their calendar for a meeting.

What Florida Teachers are Saying

"I love teaching Big History, and after seven years, it is still one of my favorites. Students gain insights from the humanities, as well as from the natural and social sciences. They learn how to ask big questions, establish multiple connections among disciplines, and experience a transformative understanding of their role in our history as humanity."

— Laura, high-school history teacher, Palmetto Bay, FL

Cover image: Northern Mockingbird, state bird of Florida and many others, member of the Mimidae family. © spates / iStock / Getty Images Plus