Cross-curricular learning is such a fun way for students and teachers to work together on one topic, and it reach across at least two different content areas. It shows them that what they’re learning doesn’t just apply to one class.
ACTIVITY
The activity will take place between a 5th grade History class and a 5th grade English class. The students will be studying Colonial America in History, and in English, they will be reading some primary sources from that era. The students are studying to prepare a group presentation. They will be in groups of 3-4, and they are assigned a specific topic from the era they’re studying.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The learning outcome would be that they would increase their research skills, and their analysis skills. The students will be introduced to new vocabulary through the lesson, and they will have to use critical thinking to analyze the sources they read from that time period. This will also be a new idea for them, because two of their classes will actively be studying one subject, rather than not. The students in English class will have to do some active reading, to evaluate the contents for its relevance.
CONTENT STANDARDS
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
PRE ASSESSMENT
Before we start the lesson, I would work with the other teacher and we would have the students do a warm up activity. It could be a series of questions to test their knowledge. It could be a coloring page that is related to an element of colonial america. It could be a crossword or word search for terms that are common in colonial america. There are several options that we could do to get their brains somehow engaged in what they are about to dive into.
POST ASSESSMENT
The students will be placed into groups of 3-4, and they will prepare a presentation, based on a specific element of Colonial America. This is how we will test their knowledge, as well as a test at the end of the lesson. The presentation will be graded in the English course, while the test will be graded in the History course. The presentation will be graded individually, based on each persons performance and involvement.
TEACHING REFLECTION
There is always room for improvement when you’re a teacher, especially when you’re working on a cross-curricular activity, and you have to make sure your plans line up perfectly (well, almost) with the other teachers. There are so many different ways that you could teach this lesson and make it enjoyable for the students, and that’s something we need to focus on. I think working on a lesson like this with another teacher would be such a fun experience. Yes, it would definitely take more planning in regards to making sure the lessons on each side flow, but it would be great for both the teachers and the students. We'd have a partner to help us out if needed, and sometimes, it is needed.
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