Unlocking the Concepts

The Key to Unlocking the Concepts for Interdisciplinary Instruction

The KEY to this first component of writing an interdisciplinary unit is crucial to creating a strong unit that will not only cover part of your factual curricula but take it to the next level of higher understanding. It is the ability to brainstorm and list ALL ideas relating to your curriculum. It is much easier to trim away ideas than to add them later. So, initially, write down everything that comes to mind no matter how irrelevant it may seem.

CURRICULUM MAPPING

  • Using butcher block paper taped to a wall, list all possible curricular topics, subjects, facts and concepts that are taught at the grade level of interest. Teacher must do this for their own subject. They know it best.
  • List all social, cultural or character building skills that the school focuses on (Character Counts, diversity, multiculturalism)
  • Identify where there are similarities between subjects with an arrow, highlighter, color-coding or circling.

CURRICULUM NEEDS ASSESSMENT

  • Facilitate a curriculum discussion based upon the created map.
    • Consider areas that the students struggle with, concepts or skills that could use some review or further practice or concepts for which there is just no time during the school year.
  • Write these areas in the needs area under the subject(s) it pertains to.
  • Develop unit concepts based on these needs.

CURRICULUM WEBBING
You should complete a web for each concept because multiple units will arise from them.

  • Place a concept in the center of the web with all of the subjects you will be incorporating into the unit surrounding it.
  • List all possible connections, topics, or things that might work under the subject. Again, you can always trim away later.
  • Discuss and choose the topics from each subject that are the most cohesive together and create fluency. Fluency is the key!!

** Jacobs, Heidi H. Interdisciplinary Curriculum: Design and Implementation. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1989.

Download: