CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM 1

Content knowledge in interdisciplinary curriculum

Joanne Van Zyl

Regent University
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM 2

Introduction

Interdisciplinary instruction is defined as connecting more than one branch of knowledge.

In an instructional setting, it is applied as connecting more than one content area when educating

students. This competency area is extremely important for a variety of reasons. Students need to

be able to understand the content they are learning in school can be used collectively to help

prepare them for life. A scientist can not only study his field, but needs to be able to write to

construct valid research documents, be able to read to learn many different scientific

terminology, be able to understand mathematics to understand different equations and formulas,

and study history to understand the progression of their field from its first development. This is

only one example of how students would need to combine their content knowledge to be able to

fully progress in their academic career.

Rationale for Selected Artifacts

The first artifact I have chosen was a guided reading lesson I created that included the

book Who Would Win?: Killer Whales vs. Great White Sharks (Pallotta, 2016). This book

(Pallotta, 2016) compared killer whales and great white sharks and had students guess which

one would win in a fight. Students dove into their research and were able to use past skills of

discovering animal adaptations and were able to make informed decisions on which animal they

felt was superior. After students finished the book, they were able to take their research and

debate their other classmates on which animal they believed would win in a fight based on their

research. We would then come back as a class and read the ending together, much to the

students’ enjoyment. Student were then able to reflect on their findings and how their opinion of

the animals changed as they read about their different adaptations. This guided reading lesson

took three separate 20 minute sessions to complete. The lesson contains both third grade reading
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and science objectives covered in the Science SOL objective 3.5 that covers animal adaptations

and how they use them to survive and the Language Arts SOL objective 2.5 that covers making

and revising predictions based on text evidence and comparing and contrasting information.

The second artifact I have chosen is a whole group lesson I planned to introduce Ancient

Greece to students. To start the lesson, I first showed them a song on YouTube that outlines all

the objectives we would be covering during the unit. Next, I introduced a Greek myth to the

students: Daedalus and Icarus. I read the myth aloud to students while stopping in between

paragraphs to discuss different plot elements and encourage students to make inferences and

identify themes throughout the story. The students also identified unfamiliar vocabulary words

and made a cause and effect chart identifying the different events in the story. We reviewed that

an effect is a direct result of a cause and a cause is the direct reason of an effect. This lesson

clearly identifies both social studies SOL objectives of Ancient Greece and Language Arts

identified in the Virginia Beach SOL standard SS 3.1 e-g. This standard outlines studying ancient

civilizations and focusing on historical context and examining cause and effect relationships.

Reflecting Theory to Practice

The article “Interdisciplinary Education: A Reflection of the Real World” (Styron, 2013,

pp. 47-52) addresses how working with an interdisciplinary curriculum equips students to better

apply their learning to real world circumstances, increases student connection from their passions

to their studies, and allows students to master content areas simultaneously. I agree with Styer’s

(2013) comments due to how I have had experience with Centerville Elementary School’s

interdisciplinary curriculum. Most of the required objectives labeled in the curriculum allow for

direct integration of reading skills throughout each subject, emphasizing the importance of

reading comprehension in every content area. This allows students to use their already developed
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skills in this area to comprehend other subjects such as social studies or mathematics. Ms.

Crichton has modeled for me to start a unit with a text for students to either read independently

or introduce in a whole group lesson to the class. This allows students to be prepared for the new

subject matter by using skills they have already practiced, and introducing it in a way that entices

their interest so it is not completely unfamiliar.

The article “On Applying the Interdisciplinary Approach in Primary Schools” (Deneme

& Ada, 2012, pp. 885-889) addresses how interdisciplinary studies in primary schools allows

students to discover their individual learning styles and become connected to the world. I agree

with this wholeheartedly, as I have had experience with my guided reading lessons. The one

regarding the sharks and killer whales particularly fascinated a student at a lower reading level,

as his favorite animal is a megalodon, a prehistoric shark. When it is usually difficult for him to

stay on task, he took diligent notes, asked formidable questions, and reflected well on the

author’s purpose of the book. I believe that this book helped inspire this particular student into

increasing his reading level because he found a content area integrated that held his interest.

The article “Three strategies for interdisciplinary teaching: contextualizing,

conceptualizing, and problem‐centring” (Nikitina, 2007, pp. 251-271) addresses three different

methods to every interdisciplinary instructional lesson: contextualizing, conceptualizing, and

problem‐centring. Nikitina (2007) addresses that contextualizing has to do with discovering real

world and cultural connections with content. She (2007) states that conceptualizing refers to

application of learned material to develop new ideas. Finally, problem-centring refers to

integrating and applying the content into real-life situations. I’ve had experience with this in Ms.

Crichton’s class by applying holidays and cultural events into the classroom such as Presidents’

Day and Dr. Seuss Day. We also have been teaching the students multiplication strategies that
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require students to use what they already know to complete brand new problems. Word problems

are also used heavily to combine both mathematical concepts and reading comprehension skills

that are based in real life situations such as how many desks are in the room, or how many

materials we would need to pass out if a certain percentage of students were absent.

James 1:22-25 states “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers

who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man

who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he

has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” This verse can be applied in

interdisciplinary instruction by taking the material learned and apply it real world situations.

Many students forget that what they learn in school is supposed to prepare them for their rest of

their lives. It should be our obligation as teachers to constantly emphasize the importance of the

skills they are learning and how crucial they are to navigating their own lives and eventual

careers.

References

Deneme, S., & Ada, S. (2012). On Applying the Interdisciplinary Approach in Primary
Schools. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,46, 885-889.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.217

Nikitina, S. (2006). Three strategies for interdisciplinary teaching: Contextualizing,

conceptualizing, and problem‐centring. Journal of Curriculum Studies,38(3), 251-271.
doi:10.1080/00220270500422632

Styron, R. A., Jr. (2013). Interdisciplinary Education: A Reflection of the Real World.
Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics,11(9), 47-52.