Content Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Curriculum 1

Content Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Isabella Szczur
Regent University
Content Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Curriculum 2

Introduction
When considering the content taught in secondary classrooms one does not always

recognize how different subjects can apply to a lesson. People do not tend to notice the ways in

which these subjects are intertwined with one another as a part of the learning goals in a

classroom. This tends to be a problem commonly seen in secondary classrooms as opposed to

elementary ones. From an outsider’s standpoint it is easier to recognize the way different

subjects all work together in elementary classroom. Subjects such as science as math can overlap

easily depending on the specific topic. One example would be that a teacher could create a math

word problem involving the concepts the students have learned in science. In secondary

education it can especially be seen in the context of Social Studies or English. These two

subjects are so closely related that they often go hand in hand in different lessons.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first selected artifact is a sheet of paper known in my classroom as a “Fat P”, or

alternatively “FATP and Power Paragraph Planning”. This sheet demonstrates a combination of

two pre writing techniques used by students to help them plan out their writing. The students are

given essential questions at the beginning of each unit and have access to them through

Schoology. By using these as a guideline for their essential question response, the students are

achieving a dual goal. For example one of the questions asks the students to explain due process

rights and how those help to ensure justice. This accomplishes the learning objective of CE.9d

which states “explaining how due process protections seek to ensure justice” as well as English 8

standard 8.7b stating students will “Use prewriting strategies to generate and organize ideas.”

The students are choosing to explain the process and organizing their thoughts beforehand with

the Fat P planning sheet. The reason for the selection of this artifact is that it provides an

effective method for student organization and benefits them in numerous ways. This artifact
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helps the students to learn preparedness and the importance of planning ahead in their

assignments. My teacher and I use these with the students before they take a test and explain that

they will need to turn it in the day of the exam. Through this we are able to see proof that the

students had at least reviewed enough to complete this assignment. It serves as another way to

judge student understanding as they apply the content they have learned to the paper. The student

has to be able to explain their thought process and provide proof that they planned out what they

were going to write. This connects to multiple English standards by organizing details,

distinguishing details to provide clarity and implementing the use of vocabulary words.

The second artifact submitted is a link to a program entitled Achieve3000. This is a

program purchased by the school system which provides differentiated learning programs for the

students. The program has online content based instruction available for the students to use. The

lessons provided to the students contain subjects such as Social Studies and English.

Achieve3000 also provides an individualized learning experience for the students based on their

Lexile scores. It also adjusts the difficulty of the material as the year continues on, based on

tracked student progress. Some of the lessons provided to the students for Social Studies include

citizenship (what makes a good citizen) and a breakdown of the checks and balances between

government branches. These connect to the social studies standards CE.3c and d which state

“The student will apply social science skills to understand citizenship and the rights, duties, and

responsibilities of citizens by describing the duties of citizenship, including obeying the laws,

paying taxes, defending the nation, and serving in court; examining the responsibilities of

citizenship, including registering and voting, communicating with government officials,

participating in political campaigns, keeping informed about current issues, and respecting

differing opinions in a diverse society.” As these lessons are individualized and differentiated
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based upon student Lexile scores and progress, there are a few other neat features that exist. The

students can have the text read aloud to them, and the lessons also contain visual aids and

diagrams which represent the content being discussed. These lessons also connect with English

standard 8.4b by asking students to “use context, structure, and connotations to determine

meaning and differentiate” multiple meanings of words and phrases as well as new vocabulary

terms.

The artifacts mentioned are useful but different and yet a little similar. The Fat P planning

sheet is used both in Social Studies and English as it allows students to use the format to

organize their thoughts as they answer an essential question. As mentioned previously this

connects with multiple English and Social Studies standards. It provides a chance to help

students learn about the process of writing a proficient response or even provide a base which

they can later use to write a full paper. Through the use of Achieve3000 students are able to

receive differentiated and personalized instruction which focuses on integrating many standards

for English and Social Studies together. The result is a chance for all students to have the ability

to apply what they have learned or are learning in their English and Social Studies classes. These

two artifacts are useful not just as examples of how education uses standards based instruction,

but of how these are often connected and complement each other. I believe that both of these

resources accurately provide examples of how content knowledge is used in interdisciplinary

curriculum.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

Reflecting on my past schooling experience I do not actively remember everything about

this form of teaching. What I do remember is how often what I was learning in English

benefitted me in my Social Studies class, and vice versa. An example of this was when my when
Content Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Curriculum 5

in my United States History class we were required to write a paper, and that as a part of it we

needed to plan out our papers in advance. During my English literature class we read the book A

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickins. In this we were not only examining the aspects of the

characters and themes of the books, but also examining how the time period the book was set in

(the French Revolution) and the time period in which it was written, influenced the writer. In this

regard my teacher incorporated aspects of different standards into multiple lessons.

In my current student teaching placement I have used both of the artifacts mentioned at

different points. The Fat P paper is helpful and serves as a review for my students as they are

preparing and planning ahead for their test. They are able to become more familiar with the

subject as they reference their materials. Incorporating standards for more than one subject in a

lesson is not always something I intentionally plan out. However, as I reflect upon the standards

for both subjects I find they have a tendency to work well and complement one another. The end

result is a lesson which furthers both English and Social Studies development.

As I am writing this I worry that the two artifacts are not sufficient enough evidence for

examples of how I implement multiple standards into a lesson. As a result I am also attaching a

lesson plan previously taught where I included both English and U.S. History standards. Since

becoming more aware of how interconnected the two are I feel as though I want to include more

English and Social Studies standards based lessons for my students. In an article by Elizabeth

Spalding and Angene Wilson they discuss the impact that combining forces between English and

Social Studies can have, stating “English and Social Studies share common ground... literature

can bring to life the study of history, and knowledge of history can illuminate works of

literature.” (Spalding & Wilson, 2006, p.123) This would especially be important during units of

reading historical based books such as A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickins or Night by Elie
Content Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Curriculum 6

Wiesel. Both English and Social Studies teachers can combine forces to create lessons which

reinforce what the students are learning about the literature and historical aspects of these works.

After all “both disciplines are rooted in the study of text and both draw on common narrative

forms” (Grossman, Wineburg, & Woolworth, 2001, p.967). Most importantly is that by

combining aspects of English in a Social Studies, History or Civics lesson, or vice versa, the

teacher is aiding in the development of critical thinking skills. Creating lessons such as these

only serves to benefits my students by promoting critical thinking and participating in important

discussions about society in the past and present. I believe Christine Pescatore puts it best as she

states “critical literacy is fundamental if one is to be a thoughtful and responsible participant in a

democracy.” (Pescatore, 2008 p.330)

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References
Pescatore, C. (2008). Current Events as Empowering Literacy: For English and Social Studies

Teachers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(4), 330.

Spalding, E., & Wilson, A. (2006). Bowling Together: Cultivating Communities of Practice in

English and Social Studies Teacher Education. English Education, 38(2), 123.

Grossman, P., Wineburg, S., & Woolworth S. (2001). Toward a Theory of Teacher Community.

Teachers College Record, 103(6), 967.

Tondeur, J., Braak, J. V., Sang, G., Voogt, J., Fisser, P., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2012).

Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology in education: A synthesis of

qualitative evidence. Computers & Education, 59(1),