Post your ideas for an interdisciplinary,
project-based unit you might teach and why your ideas meet the two criteria of
interdisciplinary and project-based learning.
For my project-based unit my theme is growing and changing. The idea goes along perfectly with what my supervising teacher is teaching and all my lesson plans lined up well. I put together 5-6 lessons based on life cycles. First the life cycle of a bean, then a flower, next a butterfly and last a picture timeline they created about themselves. We have done 3 of these lessons so far and they have seemed to really like them. The timeline they really enjoyed b/c it gave them an opportunity to talk about themselves and we all know our students love to do that! All the lessons came full cirlce for them and they are beginning to understand and connect the patterns of life cycles in general.
For social studies in my school we focus on several countries/cultures each year. The students learn about the customs, geography, food, language and people of a certain area. We often start the year with needs vs. wants to bring to light that we all may want different things but our basic needs are relatively the same. I was thinking that maybe for an on-going project based learning project, the students could work to find out why homes are so different in different parts of the world. As the student studies the country/culture they would need to gather evidence about homes and how they are different or the same as the homes we have in our country. At the end of the unit the students could prove through writing (interdisciplinary)why the houses are the way they are. They could focus on resources available (geography), protection needed (geography) who lives together (culture, family, traditions) the size of the home (geography, economy, family, traditions) etc.
That sounds terrific! Make sure you have enough resources for the students—books, web... You might also have the students who come from immigrant families interview their relatives about what they remember about their homes in the country from which they came. Nancy
I am planning on launching a poetry unit. I found an amazing book "A Sock Is A Pocket For Your Toes" I am actually planning this lesson for my second observation on Tuesday. I have planned to read aloud the story focusing on the simple poetry structure, having students pay close attention to the details in the words as well as the illustrations as I read. We will take time to enjoy and discuss the process of writing this special kind of poetry called Pocket Poems. Listening to this story will inspire and evoke unique ideas about things that go together and can be considered a pocket. (Example: A cone is a pocket for a scoop of ice-cream, A flag is a pocket for Freedom). This poetry lesson aligns to the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy. My expectations will be clear as students generate their pocket poems. I will have a sentence starter to be a guide, A ______ is a pocket for ________. Students will select their favorite to be included in a class book. I will remind students to use their very best and careful handwriting and to take their time with their illustrations and stress the use of details, details, details. Following this assignment we will take a nature walk for the next step in our poetry journey.
I had originally planned to do an interdisciplinary unit based on the Common Core, as the majority of the curriculum at my school has already been planned and there isn't a great deal of wiggle room. However, my classroom recently got a turtle named Larry (on vacation from the kindergarten classroom) and the children in my class are incredibly excited about him! I noticed that at every moment of down time (which unfortunately there isn't much of), there were at least a few children gathered around the aquarium staring at Larry. I started thinking about how I could create a mini-unit surrounding turtles and checked the schedule for the next few weeks to see where I could fit in a science, math, language arts, and art activity based on turtles. I found time during the science block to introduce facts about turtles and their habitats (which goes along with what the students are currently learning in science) and have a discussion about what the children would like to know; we are learning about shapes in math so I created a turtle outline for the students to fill in with various shapes; we are learning about facts versus opinions in reading/language arts so the students will work on a facts and opinions book about turtles; and finally I invited the children to make a background for Larry's tank using what they know about turtle habitats. It's exciting for both me and my students because turtles are a topic that are actually relevant and interesting to us at this moment. Also, I was glad to find time/ways to fit this project-based learning into the Common Core curriculum schedule - I hadn't thought it was possible, but this proves that it can be done!!
For my unit, I am focusing on the four seasons, why they occur, and how they affect our lives. I chose this topic after looking through the first grade standards, and discussing unit ideas with my SP.This unit is going to be 5-6 lessons, and will meet standards for ELA, math, science, and social studies. I have not completed my plans yet, but these are brief descriptions on the lessons I have planned thus far. The project students will be working on is a persuasive writing piece, where students will write and illustrate about their favorite season. To create this the students will have to go through the full writing process brainstorming/first draft/ conference/ final draft. Once final drafts and illustrations are complete we will create a class book titled "Room 20 Favorite Seasons".
Students will begin by learning about the characteristics of each season, and will do an activity where they will sort pictures/words related to seasons into the correct season using a large graphic organizer. Then students will be split into groups, each group will create a poster where they will display information about one of the four seasons using both pictures and words.
Next students will be exploring the reasons for the seasons, and will learn how the sun's positioning with the Earth is what causes the seasons. They will use thermometers to compare temperatures in the sun and shade, to understand that the sun is what provides the earth with warmth and light. Students will also learn about this concept by exploring the changes an apple tree goes through during the year.
In guided reading groups two concepts we are teaching is identifying the setting and comparing/contrasting. I will read a book about the seasons with guided reading groups, and students will have to compare a winter setting and a summer setting using a venn diagram.
In the final lesson students will be surveying classmates, by asking them which season is their favorite. They will tally their classmates' responses, then create a bar graph to display the data. They will compare the data using the math symbols: <,>, =.
Those are the lessons I have mapped out thus far. I am in the process of going through different books/resources about the seasons, and I am almost overwhelmed by all of the resources I have found! Either way I am definitely excited to teach this unit, and was surprised at how well it fit in with everything the students are learning in the next month.
I am finding that designing and implementing an interdisciplinary, project-based unit to be challenging in the classroom I am in. The school I am at follows the Common Core, and most of the curriculum is planned out well in advance. I have a few ideas that involve piggybacking off of some of the already planned units and activities in writing (poetry), or in science (balls and ramps), but even after consulting with my classroom supervisor it seems like it may be difficult to fit something new in - and we are an extended day program, too! I’m not sure where/how to fit in something totally new and of my own design. My teacher has structured the class so that many of the content areas and activities are already interdisciplinary.
That being said, however, during the first week of April, students in my classroom will be participating in Autism Inclusion Week (a dance performance, writing activities, games, etc). The second week of April, the first graders will also be participating in the science fair, visiting different classrooms, and listening to guest speakers throughout the week. There may be places where I could fit a 5-lesson mini unit in, but for the most part the activities have already been planned out. The kindergarten teacher that I will be working with mid-April may have more flexibility, but unfortunately she and I have not had a chance to touch base about this to see where I could fit a unit in, although it’s my best bet! Is anyone else running into this problem? Any suggestions? Thanks! I love everyone’s ideas so far.
Remember, you are a guest in the class! Perhaps you could just teach an already planned unit. Maybe you could develop a unique evaluation or one unique activity, that really fits into the unit. Don't worry about it!!
I am unsure of what I will do for my unit. My school has a set curriculum. I will be teaching an upcoming unit on math that involves different topics like median and range, measuring in inches and centimeters, finding arm spans, and graphing. One of the lessons looks to be really interesting because it involves students working in groups of four to measure each of their long jumps. I think it would be a good team building activity and would be good for classroom management practice because there will be a lot of moving parts. I may use this as my unit and try to weave in some interdisciplinary activities or different activities into the unit.
My school follows the common core and "coaches" sent by BPS actually come in and meet with the teachers to discuss how the lessons are going and to ensure they are on track with the pacing guide. So, with such strict guidelines in the ELA and Math arenas, I was thinking that I will focus on Social Studies but tie in some writing and math skills. I actually had the idea a couple of weeks ago when we received a letter from a 3rd grader in Tulsa, Oklahoma containing a questionnaire called the Great Mail Race. The idea is that class writes letters and sends them to various 3rd grades in all of the 50 states, the letter will also contain a questionnaire for all the schools to complete and return to the sender. The lesson will touch on a variety of different skills.
The first piece of this lesson we have already completed in my class. I read the letter we received to the class and as a class we responded to the questions. Then we discussed writing letters of our own and brainstormed a list of things we would like to include in our own letters. The students then each wrote a first draft of their letter, which was reviewed and returned with notes. Next the students wrote a final draft of their own letter. As a class we then tweaked the questionnaire to our liking omitting questions we did not care for and adding others that we were interested to hear the various answers. The last step we completed utilized the student's geography skills. Each of the 25 students were randomly assigned 2 states where their letter would be sent and were asked to locate the state on a map and then select a city/ town where they would like to send their letter. I then collected that information, looked up various schools in those cities and sent the letters off, that was a little over a week ago. So far, we have received three responses and purchased a map where we will be marking each state we receive a response from. The second part of this lesson will be to create bar graphs for the various answers we receive to our questions, this will (hoping we receive enough responses in time) coincide with a charting math lesson scheduled a few weeks out. I'm hoping it is a fun way to tie together geography, math and ela.
Blog Assignment- Inquiry-based problem & Interdisciplinary Unit
After reading the Jennings and Mills research, I began to think about my own inquiry project that I am currently conducting: how to manage a whole classroom setting/lesson and deal with an emotionally disruptive student. One part in particularly stuck out to me how “social practices linked children’s experience to academic knowledge and helped learners “become conscious about their presence in the world,” encouraging children to be aware of how “they act and think when they develop all of their capacities” both as individuals and as members of their communities.” This excerpt gave me an important insight. While my inquiry is based on my own learning, I think that the problem could be best solved by having the emotionally disruptive students learn how to be conscious of their own actions as individuals and how their actions play a role in the community (or the classroom). This research article showed me that through academics and interdisciplinary units that allow students to problem solve by respectfully collaborating with their peers and discover one broad topic through a multiple perspectives lead by personal interest, students can learn translate these skills to their outside world.
An idea that I came up with, since emotional arguments and disagreements often get in the way of learning in the classroom I am working in, is to present a social studies unit of a controversial topic in history; for example, the first Thanksgiving and the relationship that the pilgrims had with the Native Americans. Many students do not know the realistic truths of their volatile relationship. This would be a topic that could be examined through multiple disciplines and would provide many opportunities for academic deliberation. The students could have debates, siding with different perspectives that they will become “experts” on. There could be ground rules and positive reward for how the students speak to one another during these debates (i.e. using “I messages”) and how to respectfully disagree.
This topic could also be explored in science, half the students could “be Native Americans” and spend weeks growing/caring for a plant and making a “home”, and the other half of the students could “be Pilgrims” conducting explorations about survival on the Mayflower. Then at one point the students could change places and teach each other about their experiences and how they would feel if the “pilgrims” intruded and started taking things that the “Native Americans” spent so much time planting. This topic could also convert to reading and writing assignments where the students could write reflectively using their experiences in class, nonfiction material they have acquired throughout the unit, and personal experiences that relate to the reading/writing prompts given.
This type of interdisciplinary unit would teach students how to accept other viewpoints, how to problem solve and come to a compromising solution through proactive communication and rational understanding. In turn, this could potentially change students’ behavior in other real life situations, particularly in the classroom.
Sounds very interesting. You might want to save it for next Thanksgiving, unless you think it might be more interesting to do NOT at Thanksgiving time. Nancy
Managing student expectations is something that is extremely important in the classroom. While I do believe that it is necessary to set attainable academic goals for students and accommodate to their needs, there is a fine line between being accommodating to a student and allowing them to progress at their own pace, and setting the bar too low for a student to a point where they feel labeled and incapable of achieving academic success. In the classrooms that I am student-teaching in, I see a wide range of academic capabilities. It is difficult for the high-performing students because their education is almost stifled because of the kids who are on-level and low-performing. That being said, it is also difficult for the low-performing students to keep up, and for the first time in my professional career, I am finding that there really are students being “left behind”. On the other hand it is difficult for the teachers because how can they help that many struggling students when they have to move forward in the curriculum, and there is little support coming from home. I have been at Bates Elementary all year and I have reached out to students who need individual attention and have not been receiving it. In 4th grade, there are kids who are at a first or second grader reading/writing level, and it feels kind of hopeless sometimes. After I indentify the issues that they are having, I have to try and get them up to pace and cover years of skills when there is only so much time in the school day that I am able to work with them without restrictions on content. Despite the challenges of it all, I do feel that I have made a difference, with a couple of students in particular…but not the kind of difference I wish I could be making! It’s hard to be a student-teacher and set those kinds of expectations for yourself, but I think it’s important that you do what you can for the students while you can do it.
For my project-based unit my theme is growing and changing. The idea goes along perfectly with what my supervising teacher is teaching and all my lesson plans lined up well. I put together 5-6 lessons based on life cycles. First the life cycle of a bean, then a flower, next a butterfly and last a picture timeline they created about themselves. We have done 3 of these lessons so far and they have seemed to really like them. The timeline they really enjoyed b/c it gave them an opportunity to talk about themselves and we all know our students love to do that! All the lessons came full cirlce for them and they are beginning to understand and connect the patterns of life cycles in general.
ReplyDeleteFor social studies in my school we focus on several countries/cultures each year. The students learn about the customs, geography, food, language and people of a certain area. We often start the year with needs vs. wants to bring to light that we all may want different things but our basic needs are relatively the same. I was thinking that maybe for an on-going project based learning project, the students could work to find out why homes are so different in different parts of the world. As the student studies the country/culture they would need to gather evidence about homes and how they are different or the same as the homes we have in our country. At the end of the unit the students could prove through writing (interdisciplinary)why the houses are the way they are. They could focus on resources available (geography), protection needed (geography) who lives together (culture, family, traditions) the size of the home (geography, economy, family, traditions) etc.
ReplyDeleteMolly Urban
That sounds terrific! Make sure you have enough resources for the students—books, web... You might also have the students who come from immigrant families interview their relatives about what they remember about their homes in the country from which they came.
ReplyDeleteNancy
I am planning on launching a poetry unit. I found an amazing book "A Sock Is A Pocket For Your Toes" I am actually planning this lesson for my second observation on Tuesday. I have planned to read aloud the story focusing on the simple poetry structure, having students pay close attention to the details in the words as well as the illustrations as I read. We will take time to enjoy and discuss the process of writing this special kind of poetry called Pocket Poems. Listening to this story will inspire and evoke unique ideas about things that go together and can be considered a pocket. (Example: A cone is a pocket for a scoop of ice-cream, A flag is a pocket for Freedom). This poetry lesson aligns to the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy. My expectations will be clear as students generate their pocket poems. I will have a sentence starter to be a guide, A ______ is a pocket for ________. Students will select their favorite to be included in a class book. I will remind students to use their very best and careful handwriting and to take their time with their illustrations and stress the use of details, details, details. Following this assignment we will take a nature walk for the next step in our poetry journey.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful. Let us know how it goes!
DeleteI had originally planned to do an interdisciplinary unit based on the Common Core, as the majority of the curriculum at my school has already been planned and there isn't a great deal of wiggle room. However, my classroom recently got a turtle named Larry (on vacation from the kindergarten classroom) and the children in my class are incredibly excited about him! I noticed that at every moment of down time (which unfortunately there isn't much of), there were at least a few children gathered around the aquarium staring at Larry. I started thinking about how I could create a mini-unit surrounding turtles and checked the schedule for the next few weeks to see where I could fit in a science, math, language arts, and art activity based on turtles. I found time during the science block to introduce facts about turtles and their habitats (which goes along with what the students are currently learning in science) and have a discussion about what the children would like to know; we are learning about shapes in math so I created a turtle outline for the students to fill in with various shapes; we are learning about facts versus opinions in reading/language arts so the students will work on a facts and opinions book about turtles; and finally I invited the children to make a background for Larry's tank using what they know about turtle habitats. It's exciting for both me and my students because turtles are a topic that are actually relevant and interesting to us at this moment. Also, I was glad to find time/ways to fit this project-based learning into the Common Core curriculum schedule - I hadn't thought it was possible, but this proves that it can be done!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you took a perfect opportunity to do a wonderful unit! How are you going to evaluate what the students learned?
DeleteFor my unit, I am focusing on the four seasons, why they occur, and how they affect our lives. I chose this topic after looking through the first grade standards, and discussing unit ideas with my SP.This unit is going to be 5-6 lessons, and will meet standards for ELA, math, science, and social studies. I have not completed my plans yet, but these are brief descriptions on the lessons I have planned thus far.
ReplyDeleteThe project students will be working on is a persuasive writing piece, where students will write and illustrate about their favorite season. To create this the students will have to go through the full writing process brainstorming/first draft/ conference/ final draft. Once final drafts and illustrations are complete we will create a class book titled "Room 20 Favorite Seasons".
Students will begin by learning about the characteristics of each season, and will do an activity where they will sort pictures/words related to seasons into the correct season using a large graphic organizer. Then students will be split into groups, each group will create a poster where they will display information about one of the four seasons using both pictures and words.
Next students will be exploring the reasons for the seasons, and will learn how the sun's positioning with the Earth is what causes the seasons. They will use thermometers to compare temperatures in the sun and shade, to understand that the sun is what provides the earth with warmth and light. Students will also learn about this concept by exploring the changes an apple tree goes through during the year.
In guided reading groups two concepts we are teaching is identifying the setting and comparing/contrasting. I will read a book about the seasons with guided reading groups, and students will have to compare a winter setting and a summer setting using a venn diagram.
In the final lesson students will be surveying classmates, by asking them which season is their favorite. They will tally their classmates' responses, then create a bar graph to display the data.
They will compare the data using the math symbols: <,>, =.
Those are the lessons I have mapped out thus far. I am in the process of going through different books/resources about the seasons, and I am almost overwhelmed by all of the resources I have found! Either way I am definitely excited to teach this unit, and was surprised at how well it fit in with everything the students are learning in the next month.
Sounds wonderful. Don't forget to evaluate the students' learning and how well the unit went.
DeleteI am finding that designing and implementing an interdisciplinary, project-based unit to be challenging in the classroom I am in. The school I am at follows the Common Core, and most of the curriculum is planned out well in advance. I have a few ideas that involve piggybacking off of some of the already planned units and activities in writing (poetry), or in science (balls and ramps), but even after consulting with my classroom supervisor it seems like it may be difficult to fit something new in - and we are an extended day program, too! I’m not sure where/how to fit in something totally new and of my own design. My teacher has structured the class so that many of the content areas and activities are already interdisciplinary.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, however, during the first week of April, students in my classroom will be participating in Autism Inclusion Week (a dance performance, writing activities, games, etc). The second week of April, the first graders will also be participating in the science fair, visiting different classrooms, and listening to guest speakers throughout the week. There may be places where I could fit a 5-lesson mini unit in, but for the most part the activities have already been planned out. The kindergarten teacher that I will be working with mid-April may have more flexibility, but unfortunately she and I have not had a chance to touch base about this to see where I could fit a unit in, although it’s my best bet! Is anyone else running into this problem? Any suggestions? Thanks! I love everyone’s ideas so far.
Remember, you are a guest in the class! Perhaps you could just teach an already planned unit. Maybe you could develop a unique evaluation or one unique activity, that really fits into the unit. Don't worry about it!!
DeleteI am unsure of what I will do for my unit. My school has a set curriculum. I will be teaching an upcoming unit on math that involves different topics like median and range, measuring in inches and centimeters, finding arm spans, and graphing. One of the lessons looks to be really interesting because it involves students working in groups of four to measure each of their long jumps. I think it would be a good team building activity and would be good for classroom management practice because there will be a lot of moving parts. I may use this as my unit and try to weave in some interdisciplinary activities or different activities into the unit.
ReplyDeleteBrie
Sounds fine!
DeleteNancy
My school follows the common core and "coaches" sent by BPS actually come in and meet with the teachers to discuss how the lessons are going and to ensure they are on track with the pacing guide. So, with such strict guidelines in the ELA and Math arenas, I was thinking that I will focus on Social Studies but tie in some writing and math skills. I actually had the idea a couple of weeks ago when we received a letter from a 3rd grader in Tulsa, Oklahoma containing a questionnaire called the Great Mail Race. The idea is that class writes letters and sends them to various 3rd grades in all of the 50 states, the letter will also contain a questionnaire for all the schools to complete and return to the sender. The lesson will touch on a variety of different skills.
ReplyDeleteThe first piece of this lesson we have already completed in my class. I read the letter we received to the class and as a class we responded to the questions. Then we discussed writing letters of our own and brainstormed a list of things we would like to include in our own letters. The students then each wrote a first draft of their letter, which was reviewed and returned with notes. Next the students wrote a final draft of their own letter. As a class we then tweaked the questionnaire to our liking omitting questions we did not care for and adding others that we were interested to hear the various answers. The last step we completed utilized the student's geography skills. Each of the 25 students were randomly assigned 2 states where their letter would be sent and were asked to locate the state on a map and then select a city/ town where they would like to send their letter.
I then collected that information, looked up various schools in those cities and sent the letters off, that was a little over a week ago. So far, we have received three responses and purchased a map where we will be marking each state we receive a response from. The second part of this lesson will be to create bar graphs for the various answers we receive to our questions, this will (hoping we receive enough responses in time) coincide with a charting math lesson scheduled a few weeks out. I'm hoping it is a fun way to tie together geography, math and ela.
This sounds wonderful - very creative and clearly captured the students' attention!
DeleteBlog Assignment- Inquiry-based problem & Interdisciplinary Unit
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Jennings and Mills research, I began to think about my own inquiry project that I am currently conducting: how to manage a whole classroom setting/lesson and deal with an emotionally disruptive student. One part in particularly stuck out to me how “social practices linked children’s experience to academic knowledge and helped learners “become conscious about their presence in the world,” encouraging children to be aware of how “they act and think when they develop all of their capacities” both as individuals and as members of their communities.” This excerpt gave me an important insight. While my inquiry is based on my own learning, I think that the problem could be best solved by having the emotionally disruptive students learn how to be conscious of their own actions as individuals and how their actions play a role in the community (or the classroom). This research article showed me that through academics and interdisciplinary units that allow students to problem solve by respectfully collaborating with their peers and discover one broad topic through a multiple perspectives lead by personal interest, students can learn translate these skills to their outside world.
An idea that I came up with, since emotional arguments and disagreements often get in the way of learning in the classroom I am working in, is to present a social studies unit of a controversial topic in history; for example, the first Thanksgiving and the relationship that the pilgrims had with the Native Americans. Many students do not know the realistic truths of their volatile relationship. This would be a topic that could be examined through multiple disciplines and would provide many opportunities for academic deliberation. The students could have debates, siding with different perspectives that they will become “experts” on. There could be ground rules and positive reward for how the students speak to one another during these debates (i.e. using “I messages”) and how to respectfully disagree.
This topic could also be explored in science, half the students could “be Native Americans” and spend weeks growing/caring for a plant and making a “home”, and the other half of the students could “be Pilgrims” conducting explorations about survival on the Mayflower. Then at one point the students could change places and teach each other about their experiences and how they would feel if the “pilgrims” intruded and started taking things that the “Native Americans” spent so much time planting. This topic could also convert to reading and writing assignments where the students could write reflectively using their experiences in class, nonfiction material they have acquired throughout the unit, and personal experiences that relate to the reading/writing prompts given.
This type of interdisciplinary unit would teach students how to accept other viewpoints, how to problem solve and come to a compromising solution through proactive communication and rational understanding. In turn, this could potentially change students’ behavior in other real life situations, particularly in the classroom.
Sounds very interesting. You might want to save it for next Thanksgiving, unless you think it might be more interesting to do NOT at Thanksgiving time.
DeleteNancy
Managing student expectations is something that is extremely important in the classroom. While I do believe that it is necessary to set attainable academic goals for students and accommodate to their needs, there is a fine line between being accommodating to a student and allowing them to progress at their own pace, and setting the bar too low for a student to a point where they feel labeled and incapable of achieving academic success. In the classrooms that I am student-teaching in, I see a wide range of academic capabilities. It is difficult for the high-performing students because their education is almost stifled because of the kids who are on-level and low-performing. That being said, it is also difficult for the low-performing students to keep up, and for the first time in my professional career, I am finding that there really are students being “left behind”. On the other hand it is difficult for the teachers because how can they help that many struggling students when they have to move forward in the curriculum, and there is little support coming from home. I have been at Bates Elementary all year and I have reached out to students who need individual attention and have not been receiving it. In 4th grade, there are kids who are at a first or second grader reading/writing level, and it feels kind of hopeless sometimes. After I indentify the issues that they are having, I have to try and get them up to pace and cover years of skills when there is only so much time in the school day that I am able to work with them without restrictions on content. Despite the challenges of it all, I do feel that I have made a difference, with a couple of students in particular…but not the kind of difference I wish I could be making! It’s hard to be a student-teacher and set those kinds of expectations for yourself, but I think it’s important that you do what you can for the students while you can do it.
ReplyDelete