interdisciplinaryplanoverview-members.docVIP

TRAVEL: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE Integrated Curriculum Unit For 5th Grade, Montgomery County Maryland by Karen Moody January, 2003 OVERVIEW I. Justification for an interdisciplinary approach to teaching For my interdisciplinary unit, I have chosen to work with the 5th grade curriculum. As my students go through life, the ability to see how seemingly different subjects are interconnected will be helpful. The decisions we make throughout our lives do not occur in a vacuum. At the same time that people are making decisions in everyday life, governments are making decisions that affect people, researchers are making new discoveries that affect government decisions, and people the world over are using reading, writing, oral communication, and math skills to help them along the way. If we expect our students to be able to make these connections as adults, shouldn’t we be modeling it in the classroom? My program as a whole is interconnected by a balance of learning how consume, critique, and produce written work. My overarching goals are that my students will develop a joy for reading and writing, be able to thoughtfully and critically examine what they read throughout life, and develop the skills to express themselves well in written work in a variety of genres, including non-fiction. Non-fiction is typically neglected in traditional language arts instruction, yet most writing and reading that students will do as adults is of non-fiction material. In order to prepare them to think critically about non-fiction, they especially need to have more experience with quality writing in this genre. Although I will not neglect fictional works, my classroom program will provide ample opportunities to experience a balance of both in the context of all subject areas. II. How I transformed the curriculum The fifth grade curriculum for Montgomery County, Maryland, does not lend itself well to natural connections, particularly between sc