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Content Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Olivia Shedd

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2019

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Introduction

In the time I have spent in the classroom, I have begun to realize the importance

of integrating subjects with each other in a cross-curriculum mindset. Not only does it

save the teacher time by, in a sense, “killing two birds with one stone,” it enhances the

learning and comprehension of subjects by the student. In particular, it is highly

suggested from studies that language arts be strategically integrated within other subject

matters due to the common issues continuing to arrive with the literacy of students. In

fact, “improved teaching of literacy across disciplines therefore enhances not only

language learning, but also content learning” (Kirsten 2019). My selected artifacts

demonstrate an understanding of integrating content knowledge across the curriculum as

well as competency in their application.

Rationale of Selected Artifacts

Artifact #1

My first artifact is a lesson plan designed to stretch across a five-day school week

with instruction in History and Language Arts content. It includes learning objectives

focused on historical figures and the understanding of reading fiction versus nonfiction.

The student hands-on materials include books, coloring books with pencils and crayons,

true/false quiz with true/false “paddles” for answering, and a “picture walk” activity for

further understanding. The lessons would take about 20-30 minutes of instruction time

every day but effectively incorporate language arts into a social studies learning time. It

could also be incorporated as a small group reading center. I created this lesson plan with

fellow students at Regent University while enrolled in a course titled “Teaching

Reading/Language Arts Across the Curriculum.” It is designed for a first grade

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classroom with reading being intertwined with more pictures than an upper grade level

would have. Overall this plan is a straightforward but effective option to teach history

while still enforcing literacy skills.

Artifact #2

My second artifact is a lesson plan I created to tie in the concept of a rules and

laws from a social studies concept to a shared reading lesson. In the first few weeks of

school, our content objectives were tied around the importance of rules, laws, the

government and it’s purpose in our lives. To help drive the discussion of these topics

home with the students, we read a book titled “Officer Buckle and Gloria” where we once

again saw a demonstration of rules and laws designed to keep us safe. Eventually, the

students were required to write down their thoughts of this concept together on an anchor

chart and take a quiz using this resource. This was a cross-curriculum lesson integrating

social studies and shared reading with common themes. It also addresses real world

problems and aspects they will encounter both inside the school and in the future work

place.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

When it comes to an integrated curriculum, it is important to first address what

skills are the most important for a student to comprehend as they move from grade to

grade. It is fairly easily assumed that literacy in both reading and writing are the two most

crucial parts in any curriculum. Reading is critical as it leads to success in all other

content areas. In the words of Kelli P. Henderson, “without developing strong reading

and writing skills at an early age, students can face challenges during the rest of their

educational career” and “it is suggested that if teachers integrate reading and writing with
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the other content areas that students will be able to better comprehend the content as well

as develop stronger literacy skills” (2016). As I prepare lessons, I desire to be more

intentional to make sure I save time in my instruction by integrating other concepts with

my classroom reading time slots. In a study done on 4th grade students, it was shown that

“the majority of students showed an increased level of achievement in the area of

language arts after receiving instruction throughout the school year in which reading and

writing were taught in conjunction with science and social studies” (Henderson 2016).

Cross-curriculum planning and instruction not only saves time for the educator, but also

proves to reap more successful results than keeping all subjects separated in the

classroom. Instead of solely lecturing all other concepts, I desire to strategically pick

books that will enforce other concepts that I could use in shared reading, as a prompt for

shared writing, my personal classroom library, or for use during language arts centers.

Additionally, if a student finds interest in a certain subject, giving them a book to read on

that topic not only integrates their personal desires and passions, but also gives them

excitement for literacy instruction.

Another interesting topic of discussion is that by strictly dividing the classroom

instruction time into segregated minutes, we are not preparing students for the real world,

where, in contrast, everything they experience is going to be integrated and connected to

each other. When a student encounters a piece of literature, they should be able to see

how it connects to science, art, math, and our history. In the words of Heidi Hayes Jacobs

in her article, The Growing Need for Interdisciplinary Curriculum Content, “no matter

what the content, we can design active linkages between fields of knowledge. We can

teach the works of Shakespeare with an eye to the history of the times, the arts, the
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values, the role of science, and the zeitgeist rather than simply sticking with specific

passages” (2019). We are actually doing our students a disservice when we force them to

view a certain subject as what they do from ten to eleven every morning, instead of

teaching them how fields of knowledge are all connected and can teach us more about the

other.

In order for our students to succeed to the best of their ability, we as educators

need to be willing to adapt our instruction to meet their needs and prepare them for

successful futures. Ultimately we are to prepare them to tackle the world with broad

mindsets and capability to understand subjects in relation to the other. “Integrated

curriculum attempts should not be seen as an interesting diversion but as a more effective

means of presenting the curriculum, whether you wish to teach Plato or feminist

literature. The curriculum becomes more relevant when there are connections between

subjects rather than strict isolation” (Jacobs 2019). With recent studies and observations,

setting up students for success in literacy skills plus an integrated curriculum is not only a

good option but a critical intervention as we move forward as student-minded educators.

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References

Henderson, K. P. (2016). Effects of integrating literacy across the curriculum (Order No.

10191859). Available from ProQuest Central; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Global. (1860892248). Retrieved from

http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.ezproxy.regent.edu/docview/1860892248?accountid=13479

Jacobs, H. H. (2019). Chapter 1. The Growing Need for Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Content. Retrieved September 27, 2019, from

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/61189156/chapters/The-Growing-Need-

for-Interdisciplinary-Curriculum-Content.aspx.

Kirsten, N. (2019). Improving literacy and content learning across the curriculum? how

teachers relate literacy teaching to school subjects in cross-curricular professional

development. Education Inquiry, , 1-17. doi:10.1080/20004508.2019.1580983.

Retrieved from

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20004508.2019.1580983?scroll=to

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