The Interdisciplinary Plan

Rachel Marder
Franciscan University of Steubenville

Each year teachers receive a new group of students that they must get to know. Teachers learn things about their students both
on an educational level and on a personal level. Teachers are faced with students of all sorts of backgrounds, talents, and learning
needs. Lately, many schools have been turning to the interdisciplinary approach. The interdisciplinary approach takes pieces from each
different subject, and interconnects its content to provide for better understanding and for students to be able to connect the dots
within different subject matter. (Coffey, para 2) There are many benefits to this approach; students can participate and learn from
topics that they are interested in and are engaged in, and it provides a stomping ground for students to ask more questions and think
about the world around them.
One of the oldest definitions for Interdisciplinary teaching is said to be a type of organization that involves the teachers and
students that are assigned to them, and in which two or more teachers are given responsibility for the instruction for the same group of
students (George & Alexander, 2003, p.304). To have a successful interdisciplinary team, there must be four phases that are properly
met. These phases are: organization; that help make the classroom environment run smoothly; Community Building, to give students a
sense of belonging and safety; Teamed Instruction, making sure timing of instruction and coordination is well planned and making
sure students do not feel overloaded; and Governance, helping teachers want to take on more authoritative roles and encouraging
leadership, (George & Alexander, 2003, p.306). Throughout educational history, many middle school has adopted this system, has
proved to be efficient and successful.

To make an interdisciplinary team work, there are many logistics and details that need to be decided and understood. There are
many elements that are included. The first is that there needs to be teachers willing to work together to collaborate instruction that will
best benefit their students. Teachers need to know their students and need to know their weaknesses and abilities. The primary focus
must be on the students and what be directly beneficial to them. The next important thing is that the team has a sense of commitment
and is in it for the achievement of students. Teachers must be willing to define expectations and make known to students the direction
they want to go in, and the means that will be used to get there. Lastly, what is believed to be another important aspect is a team that
develops a sense of community with each other and with their students. Students should feel safe and supported by their teachers, and
should be welcomed into their classroom. All together, these elements can for a successful interdisciplinary classroom, and can give
the best educational experience to their students. (George & Alexander, 2003, p.312). A practical approach to the interdisciplinary
team can be seen through the Richmond Heights Middle School example. This approach focuses on the main content areas, and is
centered on a theme. (Boury p.1) An example of this is though a school that picks a semester theme of When I grow up This
theme is taken and used through each of the content areas. Each week and new career will be chosen, and different elements of the
career will be integrated within the lesson for that subject.
Though this approach may seem all together, there are some concerns that teachers and parents have. One concern is that
students may become confused or that lines may be blurred about a particular discipline, or not enough time or attention may be given
to the main discipline in itself. (Benson, 1982, p. 2) Another argument that is made is that students are not yet proficient in the
discipline itself to be making connections within other disciplines. It is believed that students should be rooted in the foundations and

understanding in a discipline first before trying to connect the dots and incorporate other disciplines or concepts. (Benson, 1982, 3).
These arguments are valid, and contribute to some parents questioning the validity of interdisciplinary teaching and if it is appropriate
for their student.
Essentially, interdisciplinary teaching seems to be an effective resource to the classroom and is seen to be beneficial for
students. Students seem to focus better when presented with topics that they are interested in, and can make classroom learning more
relevant. Interdisciplinary teaching opens the door to students asking new questions, and exploring ideas and possibilities that they
may have never thought of, without connecting it to other subjects and ideas.

References

Benson, T. (1982).Five Arguments Against Interdisciplinary Studies. Retrieved from http://www.oakland.edu/upload/docs

Boury, T. (2015) Interdisciplinary Project [Handout]. Department of Education, Franciscan University. Steubenville OH
Coffey, H. Interdisciplinary Teaching. Learn NC. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/5196
George, P. & Alexander, W. (2003). The Exemplary Middle School. Belmont, CA: Thomson & Wadsworth.

Semester 1: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Math
WEEK
S
Week 1:
Theme
of
Doctor

TOPIC/FOCUS

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.1
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.3.C

CONCEPTS/SKILLS

ACTIVITIES/RESOURCE
S

Ratios & Proportions

Cross
multiplication
Solving Ratios
Percentages
Unit
conversions

Explain how doctors and

nurses use proportions and
ratios to help figure out how
much medicine they need to
give someone. Students will
do an activity where they will
pretend to be doctors trying
to save another students life.
using the information
provided. Given will be
weight or height, or when the
last medicine they took was.
The goal is to try and give the
right medicine dosage. All
that is need are notecards and
scratch paper to solve
problems.

ASSESSMENTS
Formative
Summative
Teacher will
At the end of
keep tract of the unit,
number of
students will be
people
given a test to
saved and
check for
can use that
understanding.
to asses
understandin
g and know
where to fill
in gaps of
learning.

Week 16
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.EE.A.2

Topic:
Teacher
s

Evaluating expressions
with letters for
numbers.
Expressions
Equations
Greater or less
than

Students will be taught the

basics of how evaluating
expressions work, then will
break into pairs where they
will learn by teaching.
Students will need individual
whiteboards, markers, and
erasers.

Teacher will
walk around
and listen to
students
explanation.

Students will
take a test
demonstrating
their
knowledge, and
then will pick
one question on
the test that
they will
explain to me
on a one-on-one
basis.

Language Arts
WEEKS

TOPIC/FOCUS

CONCEPTS/SKILLS

Week 1:
Doctors

CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.6.4

Collaborative
Discussions
Presentations
with
multimedia
components
Written report
Descriptive
writing

Students will research

different illness that doctors
can treat. Students will create
PowerPoint presentations and
write a written essay about
the illness and how it is
treated.

CCSS.ELA.Literac
y RL 6.5

Reading for information

Explaining
details
Determine theme
or central idea

Teacher will give students a

list of her favorite pieces of
American literate. Students
will pick a book to read, and
teach the class about it.

Week 16:
Teachers

ACTIVITIES/RESOURCE
S

ASSESSMENTS
(HOW WILL YOU ASSESS
STUDENT LEARNING?)
Formative
Students
will
causally
be asked
about
their
findings
during the
research
process to
monitor
student
progress.
Teacher
will have
frequent
check-ins
to monitor
progress
and make
sure
students
are on
track.

Summative
Students will be graded
on preparedness for
presentations, execution
of presentations, and
following all of the
writing expectations
explained on the rubric.

Students will be given a

rubric to follow for
information to be
provided in their own
lesson. They will be
evaluated on
understanding of the
book and ability to
explain.

WEEKS

TOPIC/FOCU
S

CONCEPTS/SKILL
S

Week 1:
Doctors

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RST.68.4

Anatomy terms
Parts of the
body
Biology
Health

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RST.6-8.8

Week 16:
Teachers

Weather
patterns and
cycles

Science
ACTIVITIES/RESOURCE
S
Students will learn basics
parts of the body and their
functions. Relate it to what
doctors need to know. Play a
game of pin the body part on
the human.

Students will put on a

television show to teach their
classmates about different
weather and climate patterns.

ASSESSMENTS
(HOW WILL YOU ASSESS
STUDENT LEARNING?)
Formative
Summative
Students
Students will take a test
will play a
that is provided with
game that
diagrams and questions.
will help
Students will be asked
them label
about the basics of life
different
and how the body
important
functions.
body parts
and to
identify
their
function.
Student will Students will be graded on
give the
presentations and if they
sources to
have engaging
teacher
presentations with the
before the
correct information.
project is
Students will create a
due to
short quiz for classmates,
ensure they and then will be submitted
are on the
to teacher for grading.
right track.

WEEKS

TOPIC/FOCU
S

CONCEPTS/SKILL
S

Week 1:
Doctors

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RH.6-8.2

Famous Doctors in
history
Basics of
famous wars
How the
original
American flag
was sewn.

Week 16:
Teachers

Analyze the
relationship
between a
primary and
secondary
source on the
same topic

Famous Teachers in
history
History of
schools
Segregation

Social Studies
ACTIVITIES/RESOURCE
S
Students will watch videos
and hear stories about famous
doctors in history who were
heroes in war. Students will
learn how the doctors played
important roles.

Students will read about the

roles of teachers and
understand how school
function and work. Students
will read informational texts
and autobiographies to learn
to differentiate primary and
secondary sources.

ASSESSMENTS
Formative
Students
will be
picked at
random as a
ticket out
the door to
provide
feedback
and
information
about a
person that
they learned
about.
Students
will be
given a text
book
scavenger
hunt to
encourage
reading and
research of
information.
Teacher will
walk around
and
observe.

Summative
Students will pick a
specific famous doctor or
nurse to research and find
out more information
about. Students will create
presentations to share with
the class.

Students will be given a

test to help check for
understanding. Students
will be given the history
of famous teachers, and
will have to identify
primary and secondary
sources.

Principle John Smith,

The sixth grade team is excited to present this semesters integrated theme of When I grow up. We are sure this will be a topic
that many students will get excited about and be able to relate with. We want to students to begin thinking about their future, and that
with hard work and focus, they have the potential to do anything. We want to use this theme in our classrooms to show them how
important an education is in any career field. We want them to see that it takes hard work and determination to reach their goals. With
this plan, each week students will be exploring a new career and learning about different components that are associated with that
career that relate to that classroom disciplines content.
Throughout the semester students will be learning about what it takes to be Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, and even astronauts!
Students will learn about hospitals and medicine in science, dive into classic American Novels and teach their classmates about them
in Language Arts, and we even plan to take a field to the capital building to meet our congressman for social studies! Our students
have many great learning opportunities this semester and believe that they will not only have an idea of a future career, but also learn a
little more about themselves in the process.
Thank you for your constant support and encouragement. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us and we can
provide more information. We look forward to what this semester has in store and look forward to seeing our students grow.
Sincerely,
The Sixth-Grade Interdisciplinary Team