What is integrated curriculum? Integrated curriculum has been around for a long time and has had many different names. It is a sophisticated interdisciplinary unit that goes beyond common parallel units (studying the Industrial Revolution in SS while reading A Christmas Carol in language arts) because it fuses all subject areas, student- centered learning, service learning, and problem-based learning while giving students the opportunity to let their choices drive the curriculum. The following are links to others’ definitions of integrated curriculum: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103011/chapters/What-Is- Integrated-Curriculum%C2%A2.aspx http://www.archeworks.org/projects/tcsp/ic_guide_p2.html Furthermore, this instructional model is endorsed by the National Middle School Association in its formal statement about integrated curriculum as having benefits that both meet and exceed national, state, and local standards. http://www.amle.org/AboutNMSA/PositionStatements/CurriculumInteg ration/tabid/282/Default.aspx How is integrated curriculum different from what I already do with interdisciplinary units? What makes integrated curriculum different is that it is completely student- centered. Students decide what to study, how to study it, how to present what they learn, and what to do with what they learn. Integrated curriculum completely differentiates instruction for each child in your classroom, no matter the level of his or her functioning. (We have used this model to differentiate instruction for children ranging from students taking the NC Extend 2 to those identified as gifted and everything in between, literally in the same classroom.) Furthermore, integrated curriculum naturally mimics the human problem-solving process that people use in real life instead of artificially compartmentalizing problems into discreet academic areas as we tend to do in school. Rarely in real life does a problem occur that can be solved using a single academic discipline. Reality is more complicated. For example, my furnace is inefficient and I have decided that I need a secondary heat source for my house. I will get on the internet and research various types of products. I will weigh the benefits of propane versus electric fireplaces and look at the merits of pellet stoves. I will have to figure out how much pollution is involved because I don’t want byproducts causing breathing problems for my children. I will have to decide how expensive each unit is as well as the operating costs for each. Furthermore, which option will best meet
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Transcript
What is integrated curriculum?
Integrated curriculum has been around for a long time and has had many
different names. It is a sophisticated interdisciplinary unit that goes beyond
common parallel units (studying the Industrial Revolution in SS while reading
A Christmas Carol in language arts) because it fuses all subject areas, student-
centered learning, service learning, and problem-based learning while
giving students the opportunity to let their choices drive the curriculum. The following are links to others’ definitions of integrated curriculum:
Alexander, W., Carr, D., & McAvory, K. (2006). Student Oriented Curriculum. National
Middle School Association.
Websites that Incorporate Music:
finearts.grinnell.edu/instruments - This website has world instruments and ensembles that
students can read about and listen to.
NIU World Music Instrument Collection - This site has a world map that you can click on to see and hear world instruments
United streaming also has short videos on the history and making of African Drums
Gaggle Tube is also a great resource for finding world instrument performances.
Appendix A – Student generated rubrics
Rubric generated so that the elected group leader could evaluate each group member.
Group Work Behavior Rubric Student Name __________________ Date _______________ Graded by _________________________ Directions: Circle only one for each behavior. For behaviors marked as sometimes or rarely, evDirections: Circle only one for each behavior. For behaviors marked as sometimes or rarely, evDirections: Circle only one for each behavior. For behaviors marked as sometimes or rarely, evDirections: Circle only one for each behavior. For behaviors marked as sometimes or rarely, evaluator shouldaluator shouldaluator shouldaluator should explainexplainexplainexplain....
Group Interactions
Does own work - no “piggybacking” on others’ efforts
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Communicates effectively with others
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Helps others
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Positive Attitude – encourages others and their participation, shares spotlight, doesn’t reject
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Individual Behaviors
Time On Task – do your own work; uses time wisely; not playing around
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Volume – use appropriate inside voice; only people in your group can understand what is said
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Research (when applicable) – says on appropriate websites; uses time and resources wisely
Rubric generated in the system of checks and balances to evaluate the group leader. Each day the person
who evaluated the leader would change so that everyone had the opportunity to evaluate and to minimize
opportunities for retributive evaluations.
Group Leader Behavior Rubric Student Name __________________ Date _______________ Graded by _________________________ Directions: Circle only one for each behavior. For behaviors marked as sometimes or rarely, evDirections: Circle only one for each behavior. For behaviors marked as sometimes or rarely, evDirections: Circle only one for each behavior. For behaviors marked as sometimes or rarely, evDirections: Circle only one for each behavior. For behaviors marked as sometimes or rarely, evaluator shouldaluator shouldaluator shouldaluator should explainexplainexplainexplain....
Group Interactions
Does own work - no “piggybacking” on others’ efforts
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Communicates effectively with others
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Helps others
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Positive Attitude – encourages others and their participation, shares spotlight, doesn’t reject
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Individual Behaviors
Does Not Abuse Power or Position – is fair and does not retaliate against group members.
*All of the time *Most of the time *Sometimes *Rarely
Time On Task – keeps members on task; does not play around
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Volume – use appropriate inside voice; only people in your group can understand what is said
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Respectful – is mindful of others and their feelings, even when correcting misbehaviors
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Appendix B – Exploring the Relationship between Integrated Curriculum and
the NC Teacher Evaluation Instrument
Adopting integrated curriculum is an excellent means of attaining
accomplished and distinguished marks on your evaluations. Circled and
highlighted are sample behaviors that the implementation of integrated
curriculum have produced within our classrooms as well as in our professional
lives.
Appendix C – Exploring Integrated Curriculum’s Relationship to the Common
Core and Essential Standards
How does integrated curriculum relate to the Common Core and
Essential Standards? Looking at the objectives for the four core academic
subject areas, one realizes that there are many possibilities for curriculum
overlap. Furthermore, literacy standards adopted through ELA Common
Core standards that have yet to be applied to the Essential Standards dictate
that subject area teachers will be responsible for teaching how to read and
analyze informational texts common to their academic discipline as well as
other literacy standards that apply to writing, visual literacy, and to oral presentations. There is a section in the middle school ELA common core
document entitled “Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects” which specifically outlines
reading/literacy and writing standards to be taught and mastered within
these subject areas. Yet these literacy standards to be applied outside of the
ELA classroom are to supplement, not supplant, stated subject area
objectives. Curriculum integration offers a solution because it allows teachers
to teach to their strengths without taking away from their proscribed
curriculum.
If one examines the various standards collectively, furthermore, it is
apparent that the standards of the disparate disciplines are designed to
correlate. An even more overt example is that the unit design template
endorsed by NCDPI for social studies contains the 5 strands but adds a 6th for
teachers to plan for connections to other disciplines.
The following are copies of each academic discipline’s Common Core
or Essential Standards, highlighted so that key words or phrases that relate to
other disciplines are apparent. On some copies, we have further delineated