Running head: INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT

INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT
Matthew DAgostino, Sonya McLoyd, Mary-Grace Lee, Sarah Miller
St. Monica Charter School
6th Grade Curriculum

Running head: INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT

School systems should base their curriculum not on the idea of separate subjects, but on
the much more fertile idea of disciplines...which makes possible a fluid and dynamic curriculum
that is interdisciplinary. -Ken Robinson
Picture a 6th grade classroom with students sitting at desks arranged in rows as the
teacher instructs the students on a new math concept. After the lesson, the teacher hands each
student a worksheet to complete on the new concept. Now picture a 6th grade classroom where
students are sitting around tables discussing and completing hands-on activities based on a new
math concept based around a real life experience. The teacher is making her way around each
table to see how each group is coming along and asking students questions to deepen their
understanding on the subject. Which approach kept the students engaged? The second classroom
was based around the integrated curriculum approach.
Integrated curriculum is designed to reconstruct the student experience (George &
Alexander, 2003). The reconstructive experience guides students to independence by
incorporating choices, engaged learning, and cooperation with peers. Witte (2004) explains
integrated curriculum opens the world to students as they study the methods of disciplines or
professions (para. 2). The results of successfully integrated programs are students who are able
to articulate what they have achieved and the knowledge obtained from the experience. Witte
(2004) notes this is when teachers can declare learning has taken place (para. 6).
An interdisciplinary curriculum is more similar to the daily life of a student than that of
traditional curriculum (Jacobs, 1989). This is because an interdisciplinary curriculum does not
fragment the schedules of students so they are only learning about specific subjects at particular
times of the day (Jacobs, 1989). It is argued students should not be learning about math for half
an hour before moving to english for half an hour because this will not properly prepare students

Running head: INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT

to address and solve conflicts in the real world (Jacobs, 1989). It is stated in defense of an
interdisciplinary curriculum When you are out walking, nature does not confront you for three
quarters of an hour only with flowers and in the next only with animals (Jacobs, 1989, p. 8).
Interdisciplinary curriculum, when utilized properly, will prepare students to address conflicts as
it will allow students to integrate knowledge gained from several subjects at the same time
(Jacobs, 1989).
In conclusion Interdisciplinarystudies represent an opportunity to: have more
meaningful relations with students; teach cognitive skills associated with 'real life'; motivate
students; increase student achievement; promote positive attitudes toward subject matter; create
more curricular flexibility; diminish scheduling problems; and integrate new and rapidly
changing information with increased time efficiency( Mathison & Freeman, 1997, pp .24-25).
The interdisciplinary curriculum allows teachers and students opportunities that standard
curricula does not provide. The interdisciplinary approach provides more student engagement
and experiential learning. This curriculum also provides a type of learning more similar to daily
life. Given these facts we can see that the interdisciplinary approach is an approach that would be
beneficial to use in the classroom.

Running head: INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT

Reference
George, P. S., & Alexander, W. M. (2003). The exemplary middle school. Belmont, CA:
Thomson/Wadsworth.
Jacobs, H. (1989). Interdisciplinary curriculum: design and implementation. Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Mathison, S. & Freeman, M. (1997) The Logic of Interdisciplinary Studies. Presented at
the

Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago, IL

Retrieved from: file:///C:/Users/Matthew/Desktop/2016%20classes/Middle

%20school/lit%20reviews/intrdisiplinary%20app%20rationale.pdf
Witte, M. (2004). Engaging students in interdisciplinary curricula. Gifted Child Today, 27(2), 5253. Retrieved from:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=a9b18dcdd1b0-47c0-a102cfa75999beb3%40sessionmgr4005&vid=2&hid=4207&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl
2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=12903324&db=tfh

10-Day

Formative

Summative

Instructional

Technology

Diverse

Running head: INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT

Unit
Name

Assessment

Assessment

Strategies

Strategies

Learners

National
parks: the
place, the
people, the
adventure

Students will keep a

running journal
during the overnight
camping excursion
part of the unit. This
journal will include: a
daily log of the
activities that the
student participated
in that day,
observations about
signs of animal life,
and three facts or
skills that the student
learned that day. The
teacher will also
accompany students
on the trip and
observe and give
feedback.

After students return

from the trip, they
will interview a park
ranger about a topic
of their choice. The
students will create
interview questions
based on their topics
before the interview.
The students will
then create a movie,
video, podcast that is
no longer than 20
minutes. This
podcast will include
a summary of what
the students learned
on the outdoor
excursions and the
answers and
information that they
gained from the park
ranger interview.

Field trip,
hands on learning,
inquiry based
instruction,
modeling(desired
skills and
outcomes),
cooperative
learning,
interviews

Students will
explore the
national park
service
government
website. The
teacher will
directly instruct
students on how
to use a camera,
upload pictures,
and create
videos. The
teacher will
model creating a
podcast and
provide resources
for students to
use. Students will
use distance
learning software
to interview a
park ranger.

Students will be
prepared with two
trip buddies (these
pairs will be of
mixed ability level)
to help each other
during the excursion
at the national park.
Students will work
in teams to create
the summative
assessment artifact.
Students with
diverse needs will
be given the choice
in regards
participation in the
outdoor experience.
Students who chose
to leave the
experience early will
participate in a
group activity with
the intervention
specialist. Students
will be able to
dictate journal
entries to the teacher
or classroom aid.

History of
Ohio

Students will turn in

three, short (one page
in length) simulated
journal entries from
the perspective of
Lucy Bagby, a
runaway slave, and a
conductor in the
Underground
Railroad.

Students will
participate in a mock
trial at the end of the
unit in order to
discuss the Fugitive
Slave Act and
identify the
significance of this
law on the Lucy
Bagby trial.

Simulated guided
instruction, inquiry
based instruction,
field trips,
discussion and
observation.

Students will
utilize the
internet to
research the
Fugitive Slave
Act as well as the
trial of Lucy
Bagby. They will
also utilize
Google Docs to
prepare their
arguments, as a
team, for the
mock trial.

Handicap-accessible
field trips, students
with hearing
impairments will be
given a headset on
the guided tour,
When appropriate,
students will write a
shorter simulated
journal, mixedability pairing for
mock trial.

Music and
Art

Students will show

their understanding
of music and art in
everyday life by
participating in group
work, discussions,
and hands-on
activities.

Throughout this
mini-course, I will
provide a daily quiz
for the students to
complete based
around information
learned the previous
day.

Instructional
strategies for these
two mini courses
include Jigsaw
strategy, group
work,
observations, and
discussion.

Each student will

create a playlist
on the online
digital music
service, Spotify,
containing songs
that are
meaningful and
important in his
or her life. Each
student will then
share his or her

The teacher will

provide additional
time to complete
quizzes if needed.
In addition, I will email the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame in
advance in order to
set up
accommodations for
students who are
hard of hearing,

Running head: INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT

Ecology of
the Ohio
River
Valley

Students will
research and prepare
presentations on the
significance of the
Ohio River for
transporting
commerce by noting
the resources hauled
in transport and recreating the Ohio
River Watershed.

Students will work

with a partner to
create fact sheets on
their discoveries of
resources transported
along the Ohio
River. Students will
match facts on a
Scramble Board to
test how many points
they remember about
the Ohio River
Watershed and its
resources.

Learning teams,
discussion, field
trip, detailed
instruction, videos

6
playlists with the
rest of the class
and explain why
the songs he or
she chose for the
playlist is
meaningful in his
or her life.

have mobility
impairments, or are
partially sighted. In
addition, I will visit
the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame before
the class fieldtrip to
have an
understanding of the
layout of the
building.

Students will
have hands-on,
creative liberty to
showcase their
research in 10-15
minute
presentations.

Students will
participate on a field
trip with the River
Explorer Program to
better understand the
ecological system of
the Ohio River.
Students unable to
participate in the
field trip are able to
write a one-page
report on the
ecology of the Ohio
River.

10-Day Unit
Name

Standards

Evidence of Understanding

National
parks: the
place, the
people, the
adventure

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs,
photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print
and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.2
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of
historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or
technical processes.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.2.E
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question
(including a self-generated question), drawing on several
sources and generating additional related, focused questions
that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners
on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas
and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.5
Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images,
music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify
information.

Students will explore the Cuyahoga

Valley National Park website and read
about the park. Students will then
explore Cuyahoga Valley National Park
for 5 nights. students will spend one day
exploring the park setting up camp and
learning about outdoor courtesy and
citizenship. Students will learn about
the boy scout outdoor code. students
will then participate in the 4 day CVNP
Resident program. This program
teaches students about local plants and
animals, sustainable living, hiking
camping, and geography while camping
and exploring at the national park.
Students will write 4 journal questions
daily about their experiences and
journal about their experience that day.
students will also participate in an ask a
park ranger distance learning
experience. They will interview the
ranger, after writing interview
questions, about a topic of their choice
and during the last days of their
experience create an electronic artifact

Running head: INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT

7
summarizing their experience and what
they learned. They will write a script for
this artifact, and will introduce and
share this artifact with the class.

History of
Ohio:
Exploring
the
Underground
Railroad

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1.d
Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate
understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and
paraphrasing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1.a
Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required
material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to
evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on
ideas under discussion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.8
Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a
text.

Students will visit and explore three

different areas of significance for the
Underground Railroad in Cleveland.
Both inside the classroom and on tours,
the students will write simulated journal
entries from the perspectives of
different historical characters
incorporating knowledge of specific
details and elements. The students will
then hold a mock trial discussing the
case of Sara Lucy Bagby, the last
slave to be prosecuted under the
Fugitive Slave Act. Each student will be
assigned a role in the mock trial and
will utilize the internet to investigate the
laws and reasoning surrounding the
trial.

Music and
Art

OHIO MUSIC STANDARD: 3RE Communicate the

importance of music in everyday life.
OHIO VISUAL ARTS STANDARD: 1RE Explain what
makes an object a work of art using a range of criteria.

After discussing and completing small

projects and activities about the
importance of music in everyday life,
the students will attend a program called
The Message :The Birth of Hip Hop
Culture at The Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame and examine how the youth of the
Bronx responded to the social economic
crisis by creating hip-hop.
After discussing and researching criteria
that makes an object a work of art, the
students will create their own work of
art using the criteria talked about in
class. There will then be an art show
where the students present their works
of art to the rest of the school as well as
their families.

Ecology of
the Ohio
River Valley

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners
on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas
and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.5:
Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images,
music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify
information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2:
Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats
(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it
contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

Students will be present their creative

ideas and discoveries of the Ohio River
Valley to their peers and teacher using
any variety of multimedia, drawings,
verbal presentations, etc. This format
allows students the opportunity to work
collaboratively, strengthen verbal and
writing skills, and introduce students to
speaking publicly. The activity also
provides students experience in building
presentations using computers,
projectors, and document creation
applications, such as PowerPoint and
Publisher.

Running head: INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT

Dear Parents and Families:

As we begin the second part of our semester, we are so excited to introduce our new
interdisciplinary program. Ohio has much to offer in regards to the education of our students. It
is filled with beautiful national parks, the Ohio River Valley, a rich history and modern marvels.
In this interdisciplinary unit, we are offering the following four, 10-day interdisciplinary units for
your child to explore. Every explorational unit that follows captures a significant element to
uncover various aspects of the great state of Ohio.
History of Ohio: Exploring the Underground Railroad
Students who participate in this 10-day mini course will have the opportunity to visit
three different sites of historical significance in the Cleveland Underground Railroad. This will
include the site of the trial and arrest of Lucy Bagby, the last person to be returned to slavery
under the Fugitive Slave Act. Your child will be guided in exploring the perspective of the slaves
and conductors who participated in the Underground Railroad by writing simulated journal
entries from the perspective of the runaway slaves and conductors. Finally, your child will
prepare to participate in a mock trial, in which they will defend or prosecute Lucy Bagby while
exploring the court procedures and significance of the Fugitive Slave Act in this particular trial. I
can assure you that this experience will help your child to grow in both knowledge of historical
events in Cleveland, and also in compassion for those who have suffered as a result of slavery
and discrimination.
Music and Art: The Importance of Music and Art in Everyday Life
In this 10-day mini course, students will have the opportunity to learn about different
aspects of music and art as well as contribute their own work to these subjects. In the first half
of the mini course, students will discuss and complete small projects about music in everyday
life. The students will conclude their learning on the importance of music in everyday life by
attending a program called The Message: The Birth of Hip Hop Culture at The Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and examine how the youth of the Bronx responded to the social economic crisis
by creating hip-hop. In the second half of the mini course, students will learn about the criteria
that make an object a work of art through class discussions and online research. In addition, the
students will create their own work of art using the criteria talked about in class as well as have
the opportunity to share their artwork with the rest of the school, families, and guardians.
Ecology of the Ohio River Valley
An addition to the 10-day mini course will be students gaining an understanding of how
the Ohio River plays an integral part in providing Ohioans vital resources, such as drinking water

Running head: INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT

and coal. Students will learn the importance of the Ohio River through videos, classroom
instruction, internet research, and creative presentations. Students will be exposed to public
speaking, open discussion, and team learning experiences. At the conclusion of the lesson,
students can go on a field trip to Columbus, Ohio to participate in the River Explorer Program.
This outdoor, hands-on learning excursion is connected to Ohios STEM education. This
supplemental activity reinforces classroom learning of the Ohio River Valleys ecological
system.
National parks: the place, the people, the adventure
In this 10-day unit students will explore the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, talk to a
national park ranger, learn all about the great outdoors in Ohio, learn all about hiking and
camping, and allow students to show their technology skills and creativity. For the first half of
this unit students will spend their time in the great outdoors hiking, camping, having fun,
hanging around the campfire and learning about the CVNP. Students will journal about their
experience and share with their classmates what they are learning daily. After students return
from this adventure they will have the opportunity to hear from a national park ranger using
distance learning software (this program is provided by the National Park Service). Students will
interview the ranger about a topic of interest dealing with national parks, science or the outdoors.
Students will then share with the class a video or other artifact that they created to summarize the
experiences they had during this unit. The goal of this unit is to get students excited about the
world around them and about the national parks of Ohio and what they have to offer.
We are so excited to work with your children throughout these 10-day exploratory units.
We are sure this will be a growth filled experience for the students, and we are looking forward
to seeing their contributions. If you have any questions about the above units or the
interdisciplinary curriculum as a whole, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,

Ms. Miller, Mr. DAgostino, Ms. Lee, and Ms. McLoyd