Lucy Hayes was chosen as the subject for the pilot because she was a First Lady from Ohio, she was the first First Lady to earn a college degree, and she lived in the 19 th century - an exciting time in the U.S for invention and new ideas. The unit took about a year to develop. By focusing on these issues, it is hoped that history will come alive for the students. Sue Platt, the curriculum coordinator, was in charge of forming an advisory committee and choosing the schools that would take part in the pilot. Although some schools elected to begin the pilot in late March after the proficiency tests were complete, most will run the pilot in April.
Teachers can use the entire unit or just parts.
It was designed to be a resource tool, a supplement that can be integrated. Because of this flexibility, classes have a choice in how long they will spend on the unit, which will range from several days to several weeks. After the pilot ends, the teachers and the curriculum advisory committee will meet to evaluate the pilot and discuss possible revisions. Revisions to the pilot will be done over the summer, after which time, work on the second unit will begin.