A1-  

Proper planning can tie your makerspace to a specific curriculum if you choose so, but it doesn’t have to.  More here:  http://www.slj.com/2015/10/students/a-thematic-approach-to-planning-your-maker-space/

A2-  

They can be but don’t necessarily have to be.  At mine, we try to balance keeping the space open for student initiated projects by having “Open Make” opportunities during lunch, recess, and study hall. While not tied to a specific curriculum, our middle school teachers are part of the collaborative process, and we try to find entry points within the curriculum to integrate maker ed ideas and tools.

A3-

Closest curriculum to project-based learning in makerspaces I have seen thus far is Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).  I look forward to working with others to help grow NGSS or other curriculum that help teachers bring more making to their classroom.