Running Head: INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM

Interdisciplinary Curriculum
Leah Madsen
Regent University

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In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2015Introduction

Interdisciplinary curriculum gives teachers the unique opportunity to appeal to different
students' strengths through one lesson. When teachers can make connections across the
curriculum, more students have the ability to learn. Intertwining language arts, math, science,
and/or social studies allows students to view the subject areas differently and opens up many
learning possibilities. Students typically can relate to lessons that link different content areas
together, and their knowledge is expanded through carefully planned interdisciplinary lessons.
Rationale for Selection of Artifacts
The artifacts I selected integrated science/writing, and math/reading. Choosing
appropriate materials to merge two subject areas into one lesson is crucial to student success.
The first artifact I selected was Betcha, an estimating book by Stuart J. Murphy. The students
had previously learned about estimating using compatible numbers and struggled with the topic.
This book was eye-opening for many of the students due to the fact that real world examples
were present in a manner they could envision. The book gave examples of estimating on a
school bus and in a traffic jam. Many of the students shared that they could estimate the number
of students on their bus easily the same way.
The students were able to see the problem, solution, and ending of the story through the
characters' estimating. The characters began the estimation conversation because they were
trying to estimate how many jelly beans were in a jar to win tickets to an all-star game. The boys
then proceeded to compare their ways of determining the number of objects in a given situation.
The first boy estimated while the second boy counted everything out; quickly, the boys realized
their answers were relatively the same each time and estimating was a much more effective
method. The story ended with the boys guessing the correct number and winning the tickets to

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the game. Betcha showed many students how estimating is practical in real life and could be
useful in countless situations.
The second artifact I chose was a science assessment piece. Students were assessed on
their science knowledge of Earth's rotation and revolution, as well as their composition skills.
This assessment covered a science SOL as well as three writing SOLs. For the students, this
assignment was beneficial in many ways: they were able to complete two assessments at one
time, students who excelled in writing or science were able to merge the two and perform at a
proficient level, and they realized that writing fluently is important in all subjects.
Overall, this assessment was beneficial in several ways. Teachers were able to give one
less assessment and save time in the day, which is an advantage to the entire class. Furthermore,
students stretched their minds and were challenged to express their scientific knowledge in a
different way than usual. It is vital that students can express their thoughts and ideas in writing
across all subjects. Growing students' abilities through interdisciplinary curriculum should be
the goal of all teachers; it is efficient and effective.
Reflection on Theory and Practice
I learned a great deal about the importance of integrating multiple subjects into one
lesson through my teacher education studies. Not only are these lessons time savers, but they
have also proven to be highly effective and challenging. Students who are challenged are more
likely to stay on task which leads to more productivity and overall learning. Through Teaching
Reading in Elementary Grades, at Virginia Wesleyan, I learned the importance of integrating
reading across all subjects. Professor Lively stressed that students need to start reading and
never stop. He continued to explain that when children read in different content areas, there are
more children who are likely to enjoy reading. For example, students who love math but dislike

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reading will see the benefit of reading through word problems or having to write an explanation
for their answers. Appealing to all students is easier for a teacher when using interdisciplinary
curriculum.
It is simple and attainable to combine reading or writing with science and math. Not only
is this achievable, but it greatly benefits the students. Powell states in Your Introduction to
Education: Explorations in Teaching, Regardless of the subject or grade level, all teachers need
to be teachers of reading and writing. (Powell, 2012, p. 114). I firmly agree with Powell and
have witnessed student success through content integration. Students will be reading and writing
for the rest of their lives and will flourish with practice. Through my education, I have learned
the importance of integrating subjects; through my experience teaching, I have witnessed the
overall growth and achievements of students who are taught using interdisciplinary curriculum.

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References
Powell, S., & Powell, S. (2012). Your introduction to education: Explorations in teaching (2nd
ed.). Boston: Pearson.