Integrating Curriculum
What Integration Looks Like
Dream
House: A Discovery Learning Project Roosevelt Middle School
Port Angeles, Washington
Engaging students while covering important content is a challenge faced
by all teachers. In some cases, combining subject matter provides more
avenues to "hook" students, and to differentiate for multiple
learning styles by offering more than one way to reach an outcome. The
Dream House project crossed multiple disciplines, combined multi-layered
daily activities with long-term goals, and used various assessment methods.
Experiencing
Math Through Nature Colleen Niemi, Jeffers High School, Painesdale, Michigan
Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
This lesson—involving soldier beetles, goldenrod plants, and caramels—is
an example of an engaging, interdisciplinary unit where one teacher
was able to combine the study of math and science in a real-world context.
The
Boat Project Gena Merliss, Dan Noel, Mit Wanzer, Ann Colligan,
Tanya Bouzy and Derek Brown
Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School
The Boat Project came about because of the dedication and collaboration
between six teachers in the Mathematics, Science, and Technology team
at Parker Charter Essential School in Devins, Massachusetts. The Boat
Project was a seven-week unit involving 150 students in grades 7 and
8.
The three Challenges of the Week (COW's) demonstrate the seamless
blend of math, science, and technology present in this project, but,
more than anything else, it is clear just how much fun this project
was for students and teachers alike.
The
Ultra 5000 Project James Mitchell, Patty Blome, and Eileen Ege
The O'Farrell Community School
San Diego, California
The Ultra 5000 Project, formed by an interdisciplinary team at the O'Farrell
Community School, combines community involvement, problem-based learning,
and career exploration in an exciting, ambitious format with high rewards
for students. This unit is a simulation of the criminal and judicial
system, and the students were asked to select a role in the process
to solve a problem/crime.
Recommended
Readings
The following books are recommended for further reading about integrating
curriculum.
