Running Head: CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM 1

Content Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Jasmine Erickson

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2018

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Introduction

It is extremely important for teachers to use an engaging curriculum that aligns with state

standards. However, it is often difficult to find enough time to cover all the standards that are

required. This is why it’s vital that teachers use an interdisciplinary curriculum as much as

possible. Combining several subjects into one cohesive lesson helps teachers fulfill multiple

standards while allowing children to make connections between subjects that are taught. This

cross-curricular approach is extremely beneficial for students as it helps make them better

equipped to make real world connections and to dig deeper into concepts.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first artifact is a book called The Sleepover by Catherine Twomey Fosnot (Fosnot,

2008). I used this book as part of in an introductory math lesson about decomposing numbers.

The very concept of decomposing numbers is quite foreign to kindergarteners; so, it was

extremely helpful to present the material in literary form. The book is about a group of children

that are having a sleepover at someone’s house. The children delight in tricking the guardian by

rearranging how many children are on the top and bottom of the bunk beds. In the beginning of

the book, there are four children on the top and four on the bottom (Fosnot, 2008, pg. 4). The

guardian brings up snacks, but thinks she has lost a child when she comes back to find only three

kids on the top bunk (Fosnot, 2008, pg. 6-8). However, what really happened was one of the

children moved from the top to the bottom bunk, making three on top and five on the bottom.

This pattern continues throughout the book and demonstrates many different ways to arrange

eight children. After reading the book, the children got together in pairs and had a math congress

where they tried to figure out how many ways they could arrange eight children. This lesson
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fulfilled both the language arts SOL K.9 (The student will demonstrate comprehension of

fictional texts. C) Use pictures to make predictions) as well as the math VBO MA K.1.12 (The

student will compose and decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more than

one way). Merging English and math into one lesson was very beneficial because I could see

how it assisted the children in grasping the concept better.

The second artifact is a book called Our World Let’s Go! by Joy Masoff (Masoff, 2005).

This book was specifically designed for Virginia teachers to use to fulfill kindergarten SOLs in

history and social science. I used this to teach an introductory lesson on maps. This particular

artifact was extremely useful because it covered multiple SOLs including: reading K.10 (The

student will demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction texts), reading K.6 (The student will

demonstrate an understanding that print conveys meaning. 2) Explain that printed materials

provide information), geography K.4 (The student will use simple maps and globes to c) locate

land and water features.), and geography K.5 (The student will demonstrate an awareness that

maps and globes a) show a view from above c) show the position of objects.). It was easy to

point out the nonfiction text features while also demonstrating various types of maps. The

children seemed to be able to make connections to other non-fiction texts and it was an easy way

to integrate English and social studies standards.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

One of the primary benefits of using an interdisciplinary curriculum is that it helps

students make better connections between what they are learning and real life. Ben Johnson

points out that today’s students have “deeper learning needs [than previous generations]”

(Johnson, 2013, para. 1). He suggests that the only way to fulfill these needs is if teachers work
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together to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum that is “aligned, cooperative, [and]

conceptual” (Johnson, 2013, para. 12). This approach encourages teachers to combine their

talents to make lessons that connect with students on a deeper level.

The biggest challenge for creating a quality interdisciplanary curriculum is figuring out

how to best incorporate subjects. Melissa Kelly says that teachers should look for ways that

“disciplines may be related through a central theme, issue, problem, process, topic, or

experience” (Kelly, 2017, para. 2). When such themes are identified, teachers will have an easier

time figuring out how to merge multiple content areas. For example, Kelly suggests that a

science teacher could disucss how the use of atomic bombs helped end World War II during a

lesson about splitting atoms to help students realize that there are “real world consequeances of

atomic warfare” (Kelly, 2017, para. 15). Thus, merging history with science in this lesson would

help students realize that what they are learning is relavent.

The biggest proof to the benefit of merging content areas in an interdisciplinary

curriculum may be found by the results it produces. Susan Drake saw the benefits firsthand

when she “led a provincial team in developing an integrated curriculum, [and] she noticed how

her team suddenly shifted into deeper and deeper levels of connection” (Drake & Burns, 2004,

para. 38). Naturally, this same phenomanon occurs with the students that are exploring lessons

created with an interdisciplinary approach. Drake noted that studies have shown increases in

scores, amount of student engagement, and levels of happiness for those being taught integrated

lessons (Drake & Burns, 2004, para. 30).

I have also personally witnessed the power of an interdisciplinary curriculum. In lessons

that I have taught, such as the one using artifact one The Sleepover, I have seen how well the
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students are able to comprehend abstract concepts when presented in a manner that encompases

multiple subjects. It may be difficult for some teachers to develop quality interdisciplinary

lessons, but that is why it is extremely helpful to collaborate with other teachers that may have

more expertise in certain subjects. Once a quality interdisciplinary curriculum is developed, both

teachers and students benefit from higher levels of learning and understanding.
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References

Drake, M. S., & Burns, C. R. (2004, February 15). Meeting Standards Through Integrated Curriculum.
Retrieved from ASCD75: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103011/chapters/What-Is-
Integrated-Curriculum%C2%A2.aspx

Fosnot, C. T. (2008). The Sleepover. Portsmouth: FirstHand.

Johnson, B. (2013, January 15). Deeper Learning: Why Cross-Curricular Teaching is Essential. Retrieved
from Edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/cross-curricular-teaching-deeper-learning-ben-
johnson

Kelly, M. (2017, March 31). Cross-Curricular Connections in Instruction. Retrieved from ThoughtCo.:
https://www.thoughtco.com/cross-curricular-connections-7791

Masoff, J. (2005). Our World Let's Go! West Palm Beach: Five Ponds Press.