In fact, much can be gained from including short cross-curricular lessons on a regular basis. In turn strengthening the sense of achievement that students feel at the completion of a learning activity.
Gary Stager showed during a presentation about Dr. Discover maps can help students see the connections between social studies topics, math topics, and science topics. It is one of the tools that exist today that I wish had existed when my students undertook the Mars project years ago. Discover Maps are essentially interactive webs of discovery. Students can select any topic in a web and instantly see a new web of more related topics.
The webs display related topics from the fields of science, social studies, and math. Each time a student clicks on a topic a new web is generated. Of course, each web also contains links to multimedia articles for students to read. Students are quite inquisitive about the place their scientist lives, so geography organically arises as a discussion topic in many letters.
Our program connects students with someone who uses personal anecdotes to describe a new place, providing a rich experience that is very different from performing a Google image search.
Adults apply cross-curricular thinking on a daily basis. We read about non-fiction topics we care about or to inform our work, write in many formats to communicate our ideas or findings, analyze data using math and critical thinking skills, and collaborate with others in different fields to name a few examples. Rarely do adults complete tasks in isolation without utilizing many skills simultaneously, yet schools often teach subjects in silos.
Letters to a Pre-Scientist is proud to provide a program that incorporates many subjects into science class to provide a comprehensive, meaningful experience for students, but we are always looking to improve and develop new ways to do this especially to incorporate math. Have ideas? Reflection adds insights that did not occur during the absorption of the lesson.
By mentally revisiting it, the students can determine their strengths and weaknesses. They can draw new conclusions and predictions previously not considered. And they can chose to investigate the material further—thus creating an even deeper understanding.
Effectively planned cross-curricular lessons are usually starting points. But this is sometimes all that is needed to expose students to interrelated concepts. Throughout my teaching career, many of my students have often told me they do not have anything to say or write about.
Essentially, they were saying their mind is blank. In order to have complex thoughts and write meaningful compositions, students must, first and foremost, be voracious readers.
The appetite for learning should never be satisfied. Complacency is an intellectual trap. It imprisons the mind and poisons the aspiration of the soul. As students discover that learning is a never-ending process, one that is interrelated, they will choose to be active participants of the learning community.
Through cross-curricular instruction, students can use what they have already learned to navigate the complexities of what they are learning. Being a life-long learner, I realized that the more I learn, the less I really know. Yet, I did not grasp this until I saw the interconnections within and between disciplines. Learning in isolation leads to an incompleteness of understanding and application.
Once teachers, through artistry and relevance, unite branches of knowledge, they can significantly enhance the learning process.
Then, many students, realizing the inherit connections among disciplines, will choose to begin a life-long pursuit for enlightenment and to contribute to the existing body of knowledge. Professional Page of John Gabriel Search this site. Characteristics of Effective Leadership. Data-Driven Instruction and Academic Growth. Overview of SGOs. Philosophy of Curriculum and Instruction. Philosophy of Education. Questions for a Pre-Observation Conference. Questions for Curriculum Analysis and Development.
Star School Exhibit. Statement of Moral Purpose. Supervising the Marginal Teacher. The Benefits of Cross-Curricular Instruction. Local studies can also include art, design, science, RE and other subjects, as in our cross-curricular project on local urban parks and gardens. Here the two key themes are: The parks and their environs in the past and People, plants and animals in the parks. See Urban spaces. There are so many ways to teach exciting, enquiry-led topics that link history with geography and social understanding, as well as with subjects in Rose's other five areas:.
See also The Great Fire of London , which includes art, drama, story-writing and poetry. See, for example, our Urban spaces investigation. Key stage 1 teachers have traditionally taught through topics. See these key stage 1 lessons for history taught as part of topics:. Drive your topic with key questions; they will provide a purpose for activities. Membership Contact us Support us About us.
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For more up-to-date guidance see: Progression and assessment without levels Progression from EYFS to KS3 Tracking pupil progress Assessment and feedback in primary history Primary curriculum schemes of work I am a new coordinator: when should I do what?
Subject leaders section This resource is free to everyone. For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free or discounted CPD and membership of a thriving community of teachers and subject leaders, join the Historical Association today Cross-curricular work offers a creative way to develop children's knowledge, skills and understanding while motivating them to learn through stimulating, interconnected topics.
Questions to ask yourself Am I tackling substantive concepts, knowledge or skills in all the subjects included in the topic? Will the children be making real progress in each subject? If not, will they be using and applying such subject knowledge in the course of a cross-curricular topic?
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