Running head: CROSS-CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION 1

Cross-Curriculum Instruction

Kira Lynn Madison

Regent University

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

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Introduction

Having enough time in the day to teach seven different subjects can be extremely

difficult. Over time, teachers need to bring different curriculums together and complete both at

one time. Mixing English and Science can be easy to connect by reading or writing about the

science topic that needs to be taught or discussed. The same can be done by using history

articles to reinforce the content knowledge that needs to be learned. Using cross-curriculum

instruction can help teachers get everything done in the timeframe they are given. Using pictures

that are in books or that go with articles can also be beneficial to put real-life perspectives for the

students as well. Teachers can relate to the content area curriculum in word problems in math.

There is also other natural math being done in other content areas, such as balancing equations in

chemistry. Cross-curriculum learning not only can help put real-life perspectives on what is

being taught, but it also can help teachers use different strategies in the classroom.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

My first artifact is a cross-curriculum article that I used in class. The first article

discussed Brown vs. Board of Education, and the second is about Little Rock Nine students.

Both pieces proved to be very useful with my small group of students. It was interesting to relate

the information that they were learning in Virginia Studies to a real-life application. It was also

fun for them to learn that segregation happened in more areas that just Virginia. This article

brought many questions and many discussion topics between the students and me as well. I

chose to talk about these articles because I think that they are essential learning pieces. They

open up a more significant understanding of segregation and how it impacted not only states but

the country as a whole. Altogether, these articles proved to be effective in the fifth-grade

classroom where they were discussed.

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My second artifact is the work of one of my students who wrote about Pocahontas and

her life. They used both the history content and the English curriculum, which involved using

transition words in writing. I enjoyed teaching the students about Pocahontas and seeing them

understand how she was important and how she helped the settlers when they came from

England. We also read a book about Pocahontas that described the items that they discussed.

My students worked hard to write in their best handwriting and to insert the proper transition

words to describe her life. I chose this artifact because it shows a cross-curriculum with writing,

reading, and history all at one time. I think that this artifact shows how a teacher can effectively

incorporate many curriculums into one lesson.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

Throughout my time in student teaching and college, cross-curriculum learning has also

been a topic that is addressed. It is a way to teach two areas of the curriculum at the same time.

I have learned to enjoy teaching reading and writing based on what we are learning in history.

There are many ways to integrate many curriculums into one lesson. I have learned that using

songs can be useful in the classroom to “teach students about literary devices, storytelling, and

vocabulary” (Manouchehri, 2017, pg. 26). Students can listen to a song and then go through the

lyrics to get a deeper understanding of the song. Music and English can be incorporated in the

classroom easily when they become connected to the curriculum specifications that are being

learned.

Recently for a lesson, I used a book to help teach subtraction. I was able to help the

students work through the book to figure out the subtraction problems. Combining both math

and English helped put a real-life perspective on subtraction in the real world. The book that I

read involved a character starting on the tenth floor of a building and going down a certain
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number of stories each time. Many books can help integrate math in English, these can include

“counting books, books addressing specific math content, and books without specific math

content” (Larson & Rumsey, 2018, pg. 589). Music and math are not the only curriculums that

can be integrated with English. English can be used to develop a deeper understanding of

science. Combining science and English creates "learning opportunities for students to develop

reading and writing skills and to apply comprehension strategies while simultaneously learning

about science concepts and processes” (Clark & Lott, 2017, pg. 702). When teaching a class

with limited time in the day, it can be challenging to cram writing, reading, penmanship, math,

science, social studies, and word study together. Combining curriculums can allow for more

learning and growth for our students.

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References

Clark, S. K., & Lott, K. (2017). Integrating Science Inquiry and Literacy Instruction for Young

Children. Reading Teacher, 70(6), 701–710.

Larson, L. C., & Rumsey, C. (2018). Bringing Stories to Life: Integrating Literature and Math

Manipulatives. Reading Teacher, 71(5), 589–596.

Manouchehri, E. (2017). Music as a cross-curricular teaching device in elementary

school. Canadian Music Educator, 58(2), 25-29.